As part of our Soviet Icons series, we attempt to explain a little about the Russian legend, Vladimir Lenin.
Lenin’s Early Years
Vladimir Lenin was born in the Russian city of Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk), on April 22, 1870. His birth name was Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov.
Lenin’s parents were both well educated, and his father was a regional schools inspector at that time, not a bad position. Growing up, Lenin attended school and was a good student, although he didn’t have any significant hobbies, he was a relatively decent chess player and enjoyed the outdoors.
The Road to Revolution
Unfortunately, when Lenin was only sixteen years old, his father passed away, possibly from a brain tumour. It was believed that the stress of his father’s employment compounded his illness and caused an earlier onset of symptoms.
After the death of his father, he became angry at the ruling elite; only a year after his father’s death Lenin’s brother, Aleksandr Ulyanov, was executed as a member of a revolutionary group who had plotted to kill the Tsar.
Law and Revolution
Lenin turned his back on the Russian Orthodox Church, refused to believe in God and, whilst at university, began to immerse himself in socialist literature including Marx & Engels.
These cornerstones of communist literature paved the way for him to make his impression on the world. During his time at university, Lenin was arrested and kicked out, but later allowed to return. Following graduation, he began practising as a lawyer.
Whilst working, Lenin continued his revolutionary activities eventually moving to St. Petersburg where his rebellious actions soon saw him taking control of various Marxist groups in the city.
Life as a revolutionary was not so easy as the government and police had spies everywhere. Lenin was often monitored by the establishment, especially when he formed his own Marxist group called the ‘Bolsheviks’.
Arrest and Fervour
It seemed that Lenin’s luck had run out; in 1897 he was arrested for his revolutionary activities. Lenin was exiled to the gulags in Siberia for three years and, after serving his time, returned to central Russia although he was banned from St. Petersburg.
None of this seemed to stop him and over the next several years he spent his time travelling Europe and writing communist papers. He eventually published his manifesto, which laid out his belief that Marxist revolution was the future of his country.
War and Anarchy
The First World War was to create the perfect atmosphere for revolution. In 1914 when the war broke out, Russia saw millions of its citizens forced to join the army, especially from the lower social classes.
These soldiers were poorly trained and sent to the front under terrible conditions with little or no food, no shoes, and at times forced to fight without weapons.
Many millions of Russian soldiers were killed under the leadership of the Tsar. Reforms within the royal family were slow to take hold, and, over time, people began questioning the monarchy and the position of the Tsar.
The February Revolution
1917 saw continuing food shortages, worsening working conditions, and a rising death toll for Russian troops fighting at the front. As social unrest spread across Russia, culminating in mass protests and strikes known as the ‘February Revolution’. Realising that he had lost control of the country, and with a growing fear he would be violently overthrown, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated.
At the time, Lenin was outside of Russia and famously returned by train into the chaos that had gripped the nation. Upon his return, he began to criticise the provisional government as well as any competition. The year saw a series of further protests, especially during July as Lenin and his fellow Bolsheviks orchestrated other demonstrations and uprisings.
Eventually in October, Lenin and his Bolsheviks were ready to move and finally seize power. With the country in turmoil and the political system in a similar state, the Bolsheviks could rise to take control amidst the chaos.
Upon establishing the new government, Lenin initially refused the post of Chairman, in favour of Leon Trotsky, but after serious encouragement from the Bolsheviks, he accepted the position.
Lenin and the Bolsheviks quickly made changes, especially establishing peace with Germany and formally withdrawing from the First World War. Land reforms were to follow, as the land from wealthy landholders was divided amongst peasants
From Revolution to Civil War
Lenin’s initial thought was that, upon the communists seizing power, the ruling classes and their supporters would melt away; unfortunately, this wasn’t to happen.
The resistance to the new Bolshevik rule was tough as they faced opposition from those who objected to withdrawing from the war with Germany, supporters of the Tsar, the wealthy and those that felt nothing had changed.
Like the Tsar before him, Lenin’s government ended up forcing peasants to join his army. Martial law was further enforced, allowing the military to take food from the farmers to feed the soldiers.
The bloody civil war that ensued would last From 1917 to 1923. The Bolsheviks would fight the white Russians (supporters of the Tsar) and the green Russians (groups of farmers generally formed as local militia).
There were also troops and supplies sent from Thirteen foreign nations who were to attempt to topple the young Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The various factions fought not only the bolsheviks but due to differing ideologies and politics, would regularly be at odds with one another, eventually, the Bolsheviks were victorious.
Death
In 1918, not long after Lenin took power, he was shot in an assassination attempt.
The would-be assassin, a Socialist-Revolutionary named Fanny Kaplan, would manage to shoot Lenin twice; one bullet to the shoulder and one to the neck. Lenin survived the attack, although was badly wounded. He was to recover from his wounds, although it’s believed that the attempt on his life might well have contributed to later ill-health.
From 1922, Lenin was to suffer from a series of strokes which would eventually lead to his death.
On the evening of January 21, 1924, Lenin suffered one last stroke, which resulted in his death; he was 53 years old.
Lenin’s Legacy
Before he took control of Russia and created the world’s first communist state, no one would have believed a communist revolution was possible; Lenin may well have been lucky as the advent of world war certainly helped him in his struggle.
Still, Lenin had skill enough to orchestrate how, and when to make the most of every opportunity. He was a rare character in history, loved and hated in equal measure. He was undoubtedly an embodiment of good and evil; whose actions would influence the future of the world.
Lenin must surely be one of the century’s most significant political leaders, supported by the fact that his life, decisions and choices are still discussed and debated today. Travel across Russia, Central Asia and Europe, and you’ll likely pass by an image, statue or stroll down a street dedicated to this divisive legend.
When Lenin passed, he left Russia with an improving economy, the 8-hour working day, political reforms, land reforms, growing literacy rates, nationalisation; whilst thousands of people remained displaced, millions dead and Stalin waiting to take the reigns!
Fun Facts About Vladimir Lenin
Lenin on Statues and Monuments
Lenin once said: “Statues are for pigeons to shit on.”
He also wished to be buried in a modest grave with his family, here we are almost a hundred years after his death and Lenin still lays in his mausoleum in Red Square Moscow.
Lenin has spent most of the past 100 years on display in his mausoleum, apart from four years during the Second World War when he was sent to Siberia for safe storage.
After Lenin’s death, Stalin created a personality cult around the former leader that was only eclipsed by his own; elements of this deification of Lenin exist to this day and statues of the former leader are commonplace around the former Soviet Union.
Lenin’s Brain
Lenin’s body may well be at rest in his tomb on Red Square, but his brain does not.
Upon his death, his brain was removed and stored separately and in 1926 german scientists dissected the brain to find out the reason for Lenin’s genius. Thirty thousand slices and seventy years later, the results were released, and it was discovered Lenin had a normal brain!
Lenin on Stalin
Although Lenin and Stalin agreed on a lot of policy towards the end of his life, Lenin began to have reservations about Stalin.
In 1922, Lenin wrote his Testament, and in this document he raised concerns about Joseph Stalin’s leadership qualities and believed he should be removed from office.
Lenin’s Name
Lenin adopted the name Lenin in December 1901; it wasn’t uncommon for revolutionaries to use various pseudonyms to hide their true identities from the authorities (Lenin in his life used around 150).
The monogram Lenin was likely adopted from the Lena River in Siberia where Lenin spent his three years in exile!
Lenin’s Wife
Lenin married fellow revolutionary Nadya Krupskaya in 1898, Nadya was a school teacher. She was arrested a few months after Lenin and claimed the two were engaged so that she was able to join him upon her exile to Siberia.
Nadya was a politician in her own right and, after Lenin’s death, became the Deputy Minister of Education.