Lenin was a Russian Communist revolutionary who was the leader of the Bolshevik party. He led the October Revolution, which overthrew the imperialist government and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. His ideas became known as Leninism. There are several songs written in homage to Lenin, and his legacy has made a heavy impact in the world.
Early life[]
Lenin was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov on 22 April 1870 in a quiet town along the Volga River, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He was from a family of former serfs. He had Russian, Chuvash, Mordvin, and Kalmyk ancestry. Despite a lower-class background, he was remarkably intelligent and had risen to middle-class status as he excelled as a student at Kazan State University. In 1887, he was thrown out of KSU, though, because he protested against the Tsarist autocracy for killing his brother and sending his sister away. He later taught at the Penza Institute for the Nobility, and also got a license in law.
The Revolution[]
While he studied law in St. Petersburg, he learned about the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He grew fascinated with and praised Marxism, which was illegal in imperialist Russia, so Lenin was sent to prison in Siberia. While there, he wrote a book he called The Development of Capitalism in Russia. In 1900, Lenin was set free from prison and allowed to go back home. He then traveled around Europe. He began to publish a Marxist newspaper called Искра. He also became an important member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), along with other Marxists. Lenin wanted to establish socialism right away, and the Bolsheviks (the majority) were in pursuit of Lenin's ideas.
During World War I, he lived in London, Paris, and Geneva. Lenin and the Bolsheviks were against the war due to their Marxist ideas.
After Tsar Nicholas II gave up his throne during the February Revolution, Lenin went back to Russia, where he was still a very important Bolshevik leader. He wrote that he wanted a revolution by ordinary workers to overthrow the government that had replaced Nicholas II.
In November 1917, the Bolsheviks started a revolution against the Tsarist government, known as the October Revolution. They won, and announced that Russia was now a socialist country. Lenin founded the Soviet Union, and he was chosen as the leader.
In February 1918, because Lenin wanted to end World War I in Russia, he signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany. After the war, Lenin brought in the New Economic Policy to try and make things better for the country and move from capitalism to socialism. Some private enterprise was still allowed, but not much. Businessmen could only own small industries. Factories and large industry became public property to be owned by the workers.
Death and legacy[]
A woman named Fanny Kaplan shot Lenin whilst he was making an official visit. She missed his head and instead the bullet was lodged into his neck. Fearing that he would be killed by political dissenters, he refused to have the bullet removed until a guaranteed Communist doctor could be found. As a result of his direct refusal to be treated, the bullet was never removed, and is often cited as the reason he started having strokes in May and December 1922. In March 1923 a stroke paralyzed him and left him unable to speak, and he died on 24 January 1924. Just before he died, Lenin had wanted to get rid of Joseph Stalin because he thought he was dangerous to the country and the government.
After Lenin died, Stalin used him to justify his own rule, by making it look like he was Lenin's chosen successor. Some historians argue that Lenin laid the groundwork for the later development of totalitarian regimes, such as Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini, and North Korea under Kim Il-Sung. His consolidation of power, one-party rule, and suppression of opposition certainly contributed to this perception.