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{{Villain_Infobox
{{Villain_Infobox
|Image = Vladimir Lenin.jpg
|Image = Lenin in 1920 (cropped).jpg
|fullname = Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
|fullname = Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
|alias = Lenin<br>Vladimir Lenin<br>The Wolf
|alias = Lenin<br>Vladimir Lenin<br>The Wolf
|occupation = Premier of the Soviet Union (1917 - 1924)
|occupation = Premier of Russia (1917 - 1922)<br>Premier of the Soviet Union (1922 - 1924)
|origin = Simbirsk, Russian Empire
|origin = Simbirsk, Russian Empire
|type of villain = Affable Extremist
|type of villain = Tyrannical Extremist  
|crimes = [[Terrorism]]<br>Mass [[murder]]<br>Repression<br>Internment<br>[[War crimes]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>[[Genocide]]
|crimes = [[Persecution of Christians]]<br>[[Authoritarianism]]<br>[[Crimes against humanity]]<br>[[Terrorism]]<br>[[Mass murder]]<br>Repression<br>Internment<br>[[War crimes]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>[[Genocide]]<br>[[Hate Speech]]<br>[[Americophobia]]<br>[[Francophobia]]<br>[[Anglophobia]]<br>[[Polonophobia]]<br>[[Xenophobia]]<br>[[Islamophobia]]<br>
|goals = Eradicate capitalism (partially successful)<br>Establish the Soviet Union (successful)
|goals = Eradicate capitalism (partially successful)<br>Establish the Soviet Union (successful)<br>Overthrow [[Nicholas II]] (successful)
|hobby = Playing chess}}
|hobby = Playing chess|name=Evil-doer}}
{{Quote|Socialists cannot achieve their great aim without fighting against all oppression of nations.|Vladimir Lenin, ''Socialism and War''}}
{{Quote|Socialists cannot achieve their great aim without fighting against all oppression of nations.|Vladimir Lenin, ''Socialism and War''}}
'''Vladimir Ilyich Lenin''' (April 22nd, 1870 - January 21st, 1924) was a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He served as the leader of the Russian SFSR from 1917, and then concurrently as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1922, until his death. Politically a Marxist, his theoretical contributions to Marxist thought are known as Leninism, which coupled with Marxian economic theory have collectively come to be known as Marxism–Leninism. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the Soviet Union.
'''Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov''' (Russian: Владимир Ильич Ленин, April 22nd, 1870 - January 21st, 1924) also known as Vladimir Lenin was a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He served as the leader of the Russian SFSR from 1917, and then concurrently as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1922, until his death. Politically a Marxist, his theoretical contributions to Marxist thought are known as Leninism, which coupled with Marxian economic theory have collectively come to be known as Marxism–Leninism. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the Soviet Union.
 
== Biography ==


===Early life===
===Early life===
===Childhood: 1870–1887===
 
==== Childhood: 1870–1887 ====
Lenin's father was the fourth child of impoverished tailor Nikolai Vassilievich Ulyanov who lived in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrakhan Astrakhan]. Ilya escaped poverty by studying physics and mathematics at a University before gaining a teaching job at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Nobles Penza Institute for the Nobility] in 1854. Introduced to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Alexandrovna_Ulyanova Maria Alexandrovna Blank] (1835–1916), they married in the summer of 1863.From a relatively prosperous background, Mariya was the daughter of a Russian-Jewish physician, Alexander Dmitrievich Blank, and his German-Swedish wife, Anna Ivanovna Grosschopf. Dr Blank had insisted on providing his children with a good education, ensuring that Mariya learned Russian, German, English and French, and that she was well versed in Russian literature.Soon after their wedding, Ilya obtained a job in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizhni_Novgorod Nizhni Novgorod], rising to become Director of Primary Schools in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simbirsk Simbirsk] district six years later. Five years after that, he was promoted to Director of Public Schools for the province, overseeing the foundation of over 450 schools as a part of the government's plans for modernisation. Awarded the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_St._Vladimir Order of St. Vladimir], he became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_nobility hereditary nobleman].
Lenin's father was the fourth child of impoverished tailor Nikolai Vassilievich Ulyanov who lived in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrakhan Astrakhan]. Ilya escaped poverty by studying physics and mathematics at a University before gaining a teaching job at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Nobles Penza Institute for the Nobility] in 1854. Introduced to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Alexandrovna_Ulyanova Maria Alexandrovna Blank] (1835–1916), they married in the summer of 1863.From a relatively prosperous background, Mariya was the daughter of a Russian-Jewish physician, Alexander Dmitrievich Blank, and his German-Swedish wife, Anna Ivanovna Grosschopf. Dr Blank had insisted on providing his children with a good education, ensuring that Mariya learned Russian, German, English and French, and that she was well versed in Russian literature.Soon after their wedding, Ilya obtained a job in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizhni_Novgorod Nizhni Novgorod], rising to become Director of Primary Schools in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simbirsk Simbirsk] district six years later. Five years after that, he was promoted to Director of Public Schools for the province, overseeing the foundation of over 450 schools as a part of the government's plans for modernisation. Awarded the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_St._Vladimir Order of St. Vladimir], he became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_nobility hereditary nobleman].


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Ilya Ulyanov died of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_haemorrhage brain haemorrhage] on 12 January 1886, when Vladimir was 16 years old.Vladimir's behaviour became erratic and confrontational, and shortly thereafter he [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism renounced his belief] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God God].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>At the time, Vladimir's elder brother [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Ulyanov Aleksandr "Sacha" Ulyanov] was studying biology at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_State_University St. Petersburg University], in 1885 having been awarded a gold medal for his dissertation, after which he was elected onto the university's Scientific-Literary Society. He had become involved in political agitation against the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_monarchy absolute monarchy] of reactionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar Tsar] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_III_of_Russia Alexander III] which governed the Russian Empire, reading the writings of a number of banned leftists, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Pisarev Dmitry Pisarev], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Dobrolyubov Nikolay Dobrolyubov], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Chernyshevsky Nikolay Chernyshevsky] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx Karl Marx]. Organising protests against the government, he joined a socialist revolutionary cell bent on assassinating the Tsar and with his scientific background was selected to construct a bomb. Before they carried out the attack, the conspirators were arrested and tried. On 25 April 1887, Sacha was sentenced to death by hanging, and executed on 8 May.Despite the emotional trauma brought on by the recent deaths of his father and brother, Vladimir continued with his studies, leaving school with a gold medal for his exceptional performance, and decided that he wanted to study law at Kazan University.
Ilya Ulyanov died of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_haemorrhage brain haemorrhage] on 12 January 1886, when Vladimir was 16 years old.Vladimir's behaviour became erratic and confrontational, and shortly thereafter he [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism renounced his belief] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God God].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>At the time, Vladimir's elder brother [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Ulyanov Aleksandr "Sacha" Ulyanov] was studying biology at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_State_University St. Petersburg University], in 1885 having been awarded a gold medal for his dissertation, after which he was elected onto the university's Scientific-Literary Society. He had become involved in political agitation against the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_monarchy absolute monarchy] of reactionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar Tsar] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_III_of_Russia Alexander III] which governed the Russian Empire, reading the writings of a number of banned leftists, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Pisarev Dmitry Pisarev], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Dobrolyubov Nikolay Dobrolyubov], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Chernyshevsky Nikolay Chernyshevsky] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx Karl Marx]. Organising protests against the government, he joined a socialist revolutionary cell bent on assassinating the Tsar and with his scientific background was selected to construct a bomb. Before they carried out the attack, the conspirators were arrested and tried. On 25 April 1887, Sacha was sentenced to death by hanging, and executed on 8 May.Despite the emotional trauma brought on by the recent deaths of his father and brother, Vladimir continued with his studies, leaving school with a gold medal for his exceptional performance, and decided that he wanted to study law at Kazan University.


===University and political radicalism: 1887–1893===
==== University and political radicalism: 1887–1893 ====
Entering the Judicial Faculty of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan_%28Volga_region%29_Federal_University Kazan University] in August 1887, Vladimir and his mother moved into a flat, renting out their Simbirsk family home. Becoming interested in his late brother's radical ideas, he began meeting with a revolutionary cell run by the militant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrarian_socialism agrarian socialist] Lazar Bogoraz, associating with leftists intent on reviving the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narodnaya_Volya People's Freedom Party] (''Narodnaya Volya''). Joining the university's illegal Samara-Simbirsk ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zemlyachestvo zemlyachestvo]'', he was elected as its representative for the university's ''zemlyachestvo'' council. On 4 December he took part in a demonstration demanding the abolition of the 1884 statute and the re-legalisation of student societies, but along with 100 other protesters was arrested by police. Accused of being a ringleader, the university expelled him and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Internal_Affairs_%28Russia%29 Ministry of Internal Affairs] placed him under police surveillance, exiling him to his Kokushkino estate. Here, he read voraciously, becoming enamoured with Chernyshevsky's novel ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done%3F_%28novel%29 What is to be Done?]'' (1863). Disliking his radicalism, in September 1888 his mother persuading him to write to the Ministry of the Interior asking them to allow him to study at a foreign university; they refused his request, but allowed his return to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan Kazan], where he settled on the Pervaya Gora with his mother and brother Dmitry.
Entering the Judicial Faculty of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan_%28Volga_region%29_Federal_University Kazan University] in August 1887, Vladimir and his mother moved into a flat, renting out their Simbirsk family home. Becoming interested in his late brother's radical ideas, he began meeting with a revolutionary cell run by the militant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrarian_socialism agrarian socialist] Lazar Bogoraz, associating with leftists intent on reviving the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narodnaya_Volya People's Freedom Party] (''Narodnaya Volya''). Joining the university's illegal Samara-Simbirsk ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zemlyachestvo zemlyachestvo]'', he was elected as its representative for the university's ''zemlyachestvo'' council. On 4 December he took part in a demonstration demanding the abolition of the 1884 statute and the re-legalisation of student societies, but along with 100 other protesters was arrested by police. Accused of being a ringleader, the university expelled him and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Internal_Affairs_%28Russia%29 Ministry of Internal Affairs] placed him under police surveillance, exiling him to his Kokushkino estate. Here, he read voraciously, becoming enamoured with Chernyshevsky's novel ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done%3F_%28novel%29 What is to be Done?]'' (1863). Disliking his radicalism, in September 1888 his mother persuading him to write to the Ministry of the Interior asking them to allow him to study at a foreign university; they refused his request, but allowed his return to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan Kazan], where he settled on the Pervaya Gora with his mother and brother Dmitry.


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In May 1890, Mariya convinced the authorities to allow Vladimir to undertake his exams externally at a university of his choice. He picked the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_State_University University of Saint Petersburg], obtaining the equivalent of a first-class degree with honours; celebrations were marred when his sister Olga died of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid typhoid]. Vladimir remained in Samara for several years, in January 1892 being employed as a legal assistant for a regional court, and soon gaining a job with local lawyer Andrei N. Khardin. Embroiled primarily in disputes between peasants and artisans, he devoted much of his time to radical politics, remaining active in Skylarenko's group and formulating ideas about Marxism's applicability to Russia. Inspired by Plekhanov's work, Vladimir collected data on Russian society, using it to support a Marxist interpretation of societal development. Hoping to be taken seriously as an intellectual, in 1893 he submitted a paper, "New Economic Developments in Peasant Life", to the liberal journal ''Russian Thought'', but it was rejected, only seeing publication in 1927.
In May 1890, Mariya convinced the authorities to allow Vladimir to undertake his exams externally at a university of his choice. He picked the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_State_University University of Saint Petersburg], obtaining the equivalent of a first-class degree with honours; celebrations were marred when his sister Olga died of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid typhoid]. Vladimir remained in Samara for several years, in January 1892 being employed as a legal assistant for a regional court, and soon gaining a job with local lawyer Andrei N. Khardin. Embroiled primarily in disputes between peasants and artisans, he devoted much of his time to radical politics, remaining active in Skylarenko's group and formulating ideas about Marxism's applicability to Russia. Inspired by Plekhanov's work, Vladimir collected data on Russian society, using it to support a Marxist interpretation of societal development. Hoping to be taken seriously as an intellectual, in 1893 he submitted a paper, "New Economic Developments in Peasant Life", to the liberal journal ''Russian Thought'', but it was rejected, only seeing publication in 1927.


==Revolutionary activities==
=== Revolutionary activities ===
===St. Petersburg and foreign visits: 1893–1895===
 
==== St. Petersburg and foreign visits: 1893–1895 ====
In autumn 1893, Vladimir moved to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg St. Petersburg], taking up residence in a Sergievsky Street flat in the Liteiny district, before moving to 7 Kazachy Alley, near the Haymarket. Employed as assistant to the lawyer M.F. Volkenstein, he joined a revolutionary cell run by S.I. Radchenko, whose members were primarily students from the city's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_State_Institute_of_Technology Technological Institute]. Like Vladimir, they were Marxists, and called themselves the "Social Democrats" after the Marxist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany]. Impressed by his extensive knowledge, they welcomed him and he soon became a senior member of the group.Championing Marxist thought among the revolutionary socialist movement, in January 1894 he openly debated with theorist V.P. Vorontsov at a clandestine meeting, where his outspoken behaviour was noted by a police spy. Intent on building Marxism in Russia, Vladimir contacted Petr Bernardovich Struve, a wealthy sympathizer whom he hoped could aid in the publication of literature, and encouraged the foundation of further revolutionary cells in Russia's industrial centres. He also became friends with a young Russian Jewish Marxist named [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Martov Julius Martov], who encouraged his comrades to spend more time engaged in revolutionary activity.
In autumn 1893, Vladimir moved to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg St. Petersburg], taking up residence in a Sergievsky Street flat in the Liteiny district, before moving to 7 Kazachy Alley, near the Haymarket. Employed as assistant to the lawyer M.F. Volkenstein, he joined a revolutionary cell run by S.I. Radchenko, whose members were primarily students from the city's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_State_Institute_of_Technology Technological Institute]. Like Vladimir, they were Marxists, and called themselves the "Social Democrats" after the Marxist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany]. Impressed by his extensive knowledge, they welcomed him and he soon became a senior member of the group.Championing Marxist thought among the revolutionary socialist movement, in January 1894 he openly debated with theorist V.P. Vorontsov at a clandestine meeting, where his outspoken behaviour was noted by a police spy. Intent on building Marxism in Russia, Vladimir contacted Petr Bernardovich Struve, a wealthy sympathizer whom he hoped could aid in the publication of literature, and encouraged the foundation of further revolutionary cells in Russia's industrial centres. He also became friends with a young Russian Jewish Marxist named [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Martov Julius Martov], who encouraged his comrades to spend more time engaged in revolutionary activity.
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He hoped that connections could be cemented between his Social-Democrats and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_of_Labour Emancipation of Labour] group; an organisation founded in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva Geneva], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland Switzerland] by Pleckhanov and other Russian Marxist emigres in 1883. Vladimir and E.I. Sponti were selected to travel to Switzerland to meet with Pleckhanov, who was generally supportive but criticised the Social-Democrats for ignoring the role that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie bourgeoisie] could play in the anti-Tsarist revolution.Traveling on to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich Zurich], Vladimir met and befriended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Axelrod Pavel Axelrod], another member of Emancipation of Labour. Proceeding to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris Paris], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France France], Vladimir met with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Lafargue Paul Lafargue] and undertook research into the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune Paris Commune of 1871], which he saw as an early prototype for a proletarian government. Financed by his mother, he returned to Switzerland to stay in a health spa before traveling to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin Berlin], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany Germany], where he studied for six weeks at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatsbibliothek Staatsbibliothek] and met with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Liebknecht Wilhelm Liebknecht]. Returning to Russia with a stash of illegal revolutionary literature, he traveled to various cities, becoming aware that he was being monitored by the police. Coinciding with a series of strikes in St. Petersburg, centered on the Thornton textile mill in 1895, he distributed Marxist literature to the workers, and was involved in the production of a news sheet, ''The Workers' Cause''. However, both he and 40 other activists were arrested on the night before the first issue's publication and charged with sedition.
He hoped that connections could be cemented between his Social-Democrats and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_of_Labour Emancipation of Labour] group; an organisation founded in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva Geneva], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland Switzerland] by Pleckhanov and other Russian Marxist emigres in 1883. Vladimir and E.I. Sponti were selected to travel to Switzerland to meet with Pleckhanov, who was generally supportive but criticised the Social-Democrats for ignoring the role that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie bourgeoisie] could play in the anti-Tsarist revolution.Traveling on to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich Zurich], Vladimir met and befriended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Axelrod Pavel Axelrod], another member of Emancipation of Labour. Proceeding to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris Paris], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France France], Vladimir met with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Lafargue Paul Lafargue] and undertook research into the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune Paris Commune of 1871], which he saw as an early prototype for a proletarian government. Financed by his mother, he returned to Switzerland to stay in a health spa before traveling to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin Berlin], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany Germany], where he studied for six weeks at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatsbibliothek Staatsbibliothek] and met with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Liebknecht Wilhelm Liebknecht]. Returning to Russia with a stash of illegal revolutionary literature, he traveled to various cities, becoming aware that he was being monitored by the police. Coinciding with a series of strikes in St. Petersburg, centered on the Thornton textile mill in 1895, he distributed Marxist literature to the workers, and was involved in the production of a news sheet, ''The Workers' Cause''. However, both he and 40 other activists were arrested on the night before the first issue's publication and charged with sedition.


===Siberian exile: 1895–1900===
=== Siberian exile: 1895–1900 ===
Imprisoned at the House of Preliminary Detention in Shpalernaya Street, Vladimir was refused legal representation, so denied all of the charges. His family rallied round to help him, but he was refused bail, remaining imprisoned for a year before sentencing. Fellow revolutionaries smuggled messages to him, while he devised a code for playing chess with the neighbouring inmate. Spending much of his time writing, he focused on the role of the working-class in the coming revolution; believing that the rise of industrial capitalism had led large numbers of peasants to move to the cities, where they became proletariat, he argued that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_consciousness class consciousness] would develop, leading them to rise up in violent revolution against the aristocracy and bourgeoisie. By July 1896 he had finished ''Draft and Explanation of A Programme for the Social Democratic Party'' and had commenced work on his book ''The Development of Capitalism in Russia''.
Imprisoned at the House of Preliminary Detention in Shpalernaya Street, Vladimir was refused legal representation, so denied all of the charges. His family rallied round to help him, but he was refused bail, remaining imprisoned for a year before sentencing. Fellow revolutionaries smuggled messages to him, while he devised a code for playing chess with the neighbouring inmate. Spending much of his time writing, he focused on the role of the working-class in the coming revolution; believing that the rise of industrial capitalism had led large numbers of peasants to move to the cities, where they became proletariat, he argued that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_consciousness class consciousness] would develop, leading them to rise up in violent revolution against the aristocracy and bourgeoisie. By July 1896 he had finished ''Draft and Explanation of A Programme for the Social Democratic Party'' and had commenced work on his book ''The Development of Capitalism in Russia''.


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===Munich, London and Geneva: 1900–1905===
===Munich, London and Geneva: 1900–1905===
His exile over, Vladimir was banned from St. Petersburg, instead settling in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pskov Pskov], a small town two hours' train ride from the capital, in February 1900. His wife, who had not served the entirety of her sentence, remained in exile in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufa Ufa], where she fell ill.Intent on founding a newspaper, Vladimir and Struve raised money for the publication of ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iskra Iskra]'' (''The Spark''), a new organ of the Russian Marxist movement, now calling itself the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Social_Democratic_Labour_Party Russian Social Democratic Labour Party] (RSDLP). After visiting his wife, on 29 July 1900, Vladimir left Russia for Western Europe. In Switzerland and Germany, he met with Axelrod, Plekhanov and Potresov, and lectured on the Russian situation. On 24 August 1900, a conference of Russian Marxists was held in the Swiss town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsier Corsier] to discuss ''Iskra'', but both Vladimir and Potresov were shocked at Plekhanov's controlling nature and [[Anti-Semitism|antisemitism]]. It was agreed that the paper would be produced in Munich, where Vladimir moved in September 1900. The first issue was printed on Christmas Eve, and contained an article written by Vladimir decrying European intervention in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion Boxer Rebellion]. A second RSDLP publication, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarya_%28publication%29 Zarya]'', appeared in March 1901, and would run for four issues, but ''Iskra'' was far more successful, being smuggled into Russia illegally, becoming the most successful Russian underground publication for 50 years. It contained contributions from such figures as the Polish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg], the Czech-German [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Kautsky Karl Kautsky], and a young Ukrainian Marxist, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky], who became a regular contributor from the autumn of 1902.
His exile over, Vladimir was banned from St. Petersburg, instead settling in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pskov Pskov], a small town two hours' train ride from the capital, in February 1900. His wife, who had not served the entirety of her sentence, remained in exile in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufa Ufa], where she fell ill.Intent on founding a newspaper, Vladimir and Struve raised money for the publication of ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iskra Iskra]'' (''The Spark''), a new organ of the Russian Marxist movement, now calling itself the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Social_Democratic_Labour_Party Russian Social Democratic Labour Party] (RSDLP). After visiting his wife, on 29 July 1900, Vladimir left Russia for Western Europe. In Switzerland and Germany, he met with Axelrod, Plekhanov and Potresov, and lectured on the Russian situation. On 24 August 1900, a conference of Russian Marxists was held in the Swiss town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsier Corsier] to discuss ''Iskra'', but both Vladimir and Potresov were shocked at Plekhanov's controlling nature and [[Anti-Semitism|antisemitism]]. It was agreed that the paper would be produced in Munich, where Vladimir moved in September 1900. The first issue was printed on Christmas Eve, and contained an article written by Vladimir decrying European intervention in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion Boxer Rebellion]. A second RSDLP publication, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarya_%28publication%29 Zarya]'', appeared in March 1901, and would run for four issues, but ''Iskra'' was far more successful, being smuggled into Russia illegally, becoming the most successful Russian underground publication for 50 years. It contained contributions from such figures as the Polish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg], the Czech-German [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Kautsky Karl Kautsky], and a young Ukrainian Marxist, [[Leon Trotsky]], who became a regular contributor from the autumn of 1902.


Vladimir adopted the ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nom_de_guerre nom de guerre]'' of "Lenin" in December 1901, possibly taking the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Lena River Lena] as a basis, thereby imitating the manner in which Plekhanov had adopted the pseudonym of "Volgin" after the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Volga River Volga]. In 1902, he published a political pamphlet entitled ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done%3F What Is to Be Done?]'' – named after Chernychevsky's novel – under this pseudonym. His most influential publication to date, it dealt with Lenin's thoughts on the need for a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_party vanguard party] to lead the working-class to revolution. When his wife finished her sentence, she joined him in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich Munich]; she became his personal secretary, aiding the production of ''Iskra''. Together, they continued their political agitation, with Lenin writing further articles for ''Iskra'' and drafting the program for the RSDLP, attacking ideological dissenters and external critics. Despite remaining an orthodox Marxist, he had begun to accept the Social Revolutionary Party's views on the revolutionary power of the Russian peasantry, penning a pamphlet in 1903 entitled ''To the Village Poor''.
Vladimir adopted the ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nom_de_guerre nom de guerre]'' of "Lenin" in December 1901, possibly taking the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Lena River Lena] as a basis, thereby imitating the manner in which Plekhanov had adopted the pseudonym of "Volgin" after the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Volga River Volga]. In 1902, he published a political pamphlet entitled ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done%3F What Is to Be Done?]'' – named after Chernychevsky's novel – under this pseudonym. His most influential publication to date, it dealt with Lenin's thoughts on the need for a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_party vanguard party] to lead the working-class to revolution. When his wife finished her sentence, she joined him in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich Munich]; she became his personal secretary, aiding the production of ''Iskra''. Together, they continued their political agitation, with Lenin writing further articles for ''Iskra'' and drafting the program for the RSDLP, attacking ideological dissenters and external critics. Despite remaining an orthodox Marxist, he had begun to accept the Social Revolutionary Party's views on the revolutionary power of the Russian peasantry, penning a pamphlet in 1903 entitled ''To the Village Poor''.


In 1903, Lenin attended the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Congress_of_the_Russian_Social_Democratic_Labour_Party 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party], which initially convened at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels Brussels] before moving to London. Here a longstanding ideological split developed within the party between the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevik Bolshevik] faction, led by Lenin, and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menshevik Menshevik] faction, led by Martov. These terms "Bolshevik" (from the Russian ''bol'shinstvo'' meaning "majority") and "Menshevik" (from the Russian ''menshinstvo'' meaning "minority") derive from the narrow Bolshevik electoral defeat of the Mensheviks to the party's newspaper editorial board, and to central committee leadership The break partly originated from Lenin's book ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done%3F What Is to Be Done?]'' (1902), which proposed a smaller party organisation of ''professional'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary revolutionaries], with ''Iskra'' in a primary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology ideologic] role. Another issue that divided the two factions was Lenin's support of a worker-peasant alliance to overthrow the Tsarist regime as opposed to the Menshevik's support of an alliance between the working classes and the liberal bourgeoisie to achieve the same aim (while a small third faction led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotsky Leon Trotsky] espoused the view that the working class alone was the instrument of revolutionary change—needing no help from either the peasants or the middle classes).
In 1903, Lenin attended the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Congress_of_the_Russian_Social_Democratic_Labour_Party 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party], which initially convened at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels Brussels] before moving to London. Here a longstanding ideological split developed within the party between the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevik Bolshevik] faction, led by Lenin, and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menshevik Menshevik] faction, led by Martov. These terms "Bolshevik" (from the Russian ''bol'shinstvo'' meaning "majority") and "Menshevik" (from the Russian ''menshinstvo'' meaning "minority") derive from the narrow Bolshevik electoral defeat of the Mensheviks to the party's newspaper editorial board, and to central committee leadership The break partly originated from Lenin's book ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_to_Be_Done%3F What Is to Be Done?]'' (1902), which proposed a smaller party organisation of ''professional'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary revolutionaries], with ''Iskra'' in a primary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology ideologic] role. Another issue that divided the two factions was Lenin's support of a worker-peasant alliance to overthrow the Tsarist regime as opposed to the Menshevik's support of an alliance between the working classes and the liberal bourgeoisie to achieve the same aim (while a small third faction led by Trotsky espoused the view that the working class alone was the instrument of revolutionary change—needing no help from either the peasants or the middle classes).


===The 1905 Revolution: 1905–1907===
===The 1905 Revolution: 1905–1907===
In November 1905, Lenin returned to Russia to support the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281905%29 1905 Russian Revolution] In 1906, he was elected to the Presidium of the RSDLP; and shuttled between [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland Finland] and Russia, but resumed his exile in December 1907, after the Tsarist defeat of the revolution and after the scandal of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907_Tiflis_bank_robbery 1907 Tiflis bank robbery].Until the February and October revolutions of 1917, he lived in Western Europe, where, despite relative poverty, he developed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leninism Leninism]—urban Marxism adapted to agrarian Russia reversing Karl Marx's economics–politics prescription to allow for a dynamic revolution led by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_party vanguard party] of professional revolutionaries.
In November 1905, Lenin returned to Russia to support the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281905%29 1905 Russian Revolution] In 1906, he was elected to the Presidium of the RSDLP; and shuttled between [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland Finland] and Russia, but resumed his exile in December 1907, after the Tsarist defeat of the revolution and after the scandal of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907_Tiflis_bank_robbery 1907 Tiflis bank robbery].Until the February and October revolutions of 1917, he lived in Western Europe, where, despite relative poverty, he developed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leninism Leninism]—urban Marxism adapted to agrarian Russia reversing Karl Marx's economics–politics prescription to allow for a dynamic revolution led by a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_party vanguard party] of professional revolutionaries.


===Return to exile: 1907–1917===
==== Return to exile: 1907–1917 ====
In 1909, to disambiguate philosophic doubts about the proper practical course of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_revolution socialist revolution], Lenin published ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism_and_Empirio-criticism Materialism and Empirio-criticism]'' (1909), which became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy philosophic] foundation of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism-Leninism Marxism-Leninism]. Throughout exile, Lenin travelled Europe, participated in socialist activities, (the 1912 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Party_Conference Prague Party Conference]). When [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inessa_Armand Inessa Armand] left Russia for Paris, she met Lenin and other exiled Bolsheviks. Rumour has it she was Lenin's lover; yet historian Neil Harding notes that there is a "slender stock of evidence . . . we still have no evidence that they were sexually intimate".
In 1909, to disambiguate philosophic doubts about the proper practical course of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_revolution socialist revolution], Lenin published ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism_and_Empirio-criticism Materialism and Empirio-criticism]'' (1909), which became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy philosophic] foundation of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism-Leninism Marxism-Leninism]. Throughout exile, Lenin travelled Europe, participated in socialist activities, (the 1912 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Party_Conference Prague Party Conference]). When [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inessa_Armand Inessa Armand] left Russia for Paris, she met Lenin and other exiled Bolsheviks. Rumour has it she was Lenin's lover; yet historian Neil Harding notes that there is a "slender stock of evidence . . . we still have no evidence that they were sexually intimate".


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In accordance with this thesis, Lenin believed that Russia was being used as a tool of French and British capitalist imperialism in World War I and that its participation in the conflict was at the behest of those interests.
In accordance with this thesis, Lenin believed that Russia was being used as a tool of French and British capitalist imperialism in World War I and that its participation in the conflict was at the behest of those interests.


==The February Revolution==
=== The February Revolution ===
Main article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_Revolution February Revolution]In February 1917 popular demonstrations in Russia provoked by the hardship of war forced Tsar [[Nicholas II]] to abdicate. The monarchy was replaced by an uneasy political relationship between, on the one hand, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Provisional_Government Provisional Government] of parliamentary figures and, on the other, an array of "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_%28council%29 Soviets]" (most prominently the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrograd_Soviet Petrograd Soviet]): revolutionary councils directly elected by workers, soldiers and peasants. Lenin was still in exile in Zurich.
Main article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_Revolution February Revolution]In February 1917 popular demonstrations in Russia provoked by the hardship of war forced Tsar [[Nicholas II]] to abdicate. The monarchy was replaced by an uneasy political relationship between, on the one hand, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Provisional_Government Provisional Government] of parliamentary figures and, on the other, an array of "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_%28council%29 Soviets]" (most prominently the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrograd_Soviet Petrograd Soviet]): revolutionary councils directly elected by workers, soldiers and peasants. Lenin was still in exile in Zurich.


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The piratical imperialist war is the beginning of [[civil war]] throughout Europe ... The world-wide Socialist revolution has already dawned ... Germany is seething ... Any day now the whole of European capitalism may crash ... Sailors, comrades, we have to fight for a socialist revolution, to fight until the proletariat wins full victory! Long live the worldwide socialist revolution!
The piratical imperialist war is the beginning of [[civil war]] throughout Europe ... The world-wide Socialist revolution has already dawned ... Germany is seething ... Any day now the whole of European capitalism may crash ... Sailors, comrades, we have to fight for a socialist revolution, to fight until the proletariat wins full victory! Long live the worldwide socialist revolution!


==The April Theses==
=== The April Theses ===
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Lenin arrived at the revolutionary April Theses thanks to his work in exile on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism,_the_Highest_Stage_of_Capitalism theory of imperialism]. Through his study of worldwide politics and economics, Lenin came to view Russian politics in international perspective. In the conditions of the First World War, Lenin believed that, although Russian capitalism was underdeveloped, a socialist revolution in Russia could spark revolution in the more advanced nations of Europe, which could then help Russia achieve economic and social development. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._P._Taylor A. J. P. Taylor] argued: "Lenin made his revolution for the sake of Europe, not for the sake of Russia, and he expected Russia's preliminary revolution to be eclipsed when the international revolution took place. Lenin did not invent the iron curtain. On the contrary it was invented against him by the anti-revolutionary Powers of Europe. Then it was called the ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordon_sanitaire cordon sanitaire].''"
Lenin arrived at the revolutionary April Theses thanks to his work in exile on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism,_the_Highest_Stage_of_Capitalism theory of imperialism]. Through his study of worldwide politics and economics, Lenin came to view Russian politics in international perspective. In the conditions of the First World War, Lenin believed that, although Russian capitalism was underdeveloped, a socialist revolution in Russia could spark revolution in the more advanced nations of Europe, which could then help Russia achieve economic and social development. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._P._Taylor A. J. P. Taylor] argued: "Lenin made his revolution for the sake of Europe, not for the sake of Russia, and he expected Russia's preliminary revolution to be eclipsed when the international revolution took place. Lenin did not invent the iron curtain. On the contrary it was invented against him by the anti-revolutionary Powers of Europe. Then it was called the ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordon_sanitaire cordon sanitaire].''"


In this way, Lenin moved away from the previous Bolshevik policy of pursuing only bourgeois revolution in Russia, and towards the position of his fellow Russian revolutionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky] and his theory of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_revolution permanent revolution], which may have influenced Lenin at this time.
In this way, Lenin moved away from the previous Bolshevik policy of pursuing only bourgeois revolution in Russia, and towards the position of his fellow Russian revolutionary Trotsky and his theory of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_revolution permanent revolution], which may have influenced Lenin at this time.


Controversial as it was in April 1917, the programme of the April Theses made the Bolshevik party a political refuge for Russians disillusioned with the Provisional Government and the war.
Controversial as it was in April 1917, the programme of the April Theses made the Bolshevik party a political refuge for Russians disillusioned with the Provisional Government and the war.


==The October Revolution==
=== The October Revolution ===
In Petrograd dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in the spontaneous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Days July Days] riots, by industrial workers and soldiers. After being suppressed, these riots were blamed by the government on Lenin and the Bolsheviks.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Kerensky Aleksandr Kerensky], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Aleksinsky Grigory Aleksinsky], and other opponents, also accused the Bolsheviks, especially Lenin—of being Imperial German ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_provocateur agents provocateurs]''; on 17 July, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky] defended them:<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>An intolerable atmosphere has been created, in which you, as well as we, are choking. They are throwing dirty accusations at Lenin and Zinoviev. Lenin has fought thirty years for the revolution. I have fought [for] twenty years against the oppression of the people. And we cannot but cherish a hatred for German militarism . . . I have been sentenced by a German court to eight months' imprisonment for my struggle against German militarism. This everybody knows. Let nobody in this hall say that we are hirelings of Germany.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">  </span>In the event, the Provisional Government arrested the Bolsheviks and outlawed their Party, prompting Lenin to go into hiding and flee to Finland. In exile again, reflecting on the July Days and its aftermath, Lenin determined that, to prevent the triumph of counter-revolutionary forces, the Provisional Government must be overthrown by an armed uprising. Meanwhile, he published ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_and_Revolution State and Revolution]'' (1917) proposing government by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_%28council%29 soviets] (worker-, soldier- and peasant-elected councils) rather than by a parliamentary body.
In Petrograd dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in the spontaneous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Days July Days] riots, by industrial workers and soldiers. After being suppressed, these riots were blamed by the government on Lenin and the Bolsheviks.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Kerensky Aleksandr Kerensky], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Aleksinsky Grigory Aleksinsky], and other opponents, also accused the Bolsheviks, especially Lenin—of being Imperial German ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_provocateur agents provocateurs]''; on 17 July, Trotsky defended them:<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>An intolerable atmosphere has been created, in which you, as well as we, are choking. They are throwing dirty accusations at Lenin and Zinoviev. Lenin has fought thirty years for the revolution. I have fought [for] twenty years against the oppression of the people. And we cannot but cherish a hatred for German militarism . . . I have been sentenced by a German court to eight months' imprisonment for my struggle against German militarism. This everybody knows. Let nobody in this hall say that we are hirelings of Germany.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">  </span>In the event, the Provisional Government arrested the Bolsheviks and outlawed their Party, prompting Lenin to go into hiding and flee to Finland. In exile again, reflecting on the July Days and its aftermath, Lenin determined that, to prevent the triumph of counter-revolutionary forces, the Provisional Government must be overthrown by an armed uprising. Meanwhile, he published ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_and_Revolution State and Revolution]'' (1917) proposing government by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_%28council%29 soviets] (worker-, soldier- and peasant-elected councils) rather than by a parliamentary body.


In late August 1917, while Lenin was in hiding in Finland, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavr_Kornilov General Lavr Kornilov] sent troops from the front to Petrograd in what appeared to be a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kornilov_Affair military coup attempt] against the Provisional Government. Kerensky panicked and turned to the Petrograd Soviet for help, allowing the revolutionaries to organise workers as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Guards_%28Russia%29 Red Guards] to defend Petrograd. The coup petered out before it reached Petrograd thanks to the industrial action of the Petrograd workers and the soldiers' increasing unwillingness to obey their officers.
In late August 1917, while Lenin was in hiding in Finland, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavr_Kornilov General Lavr Kornilov] sent troops from the front to Petrograd in what appeared to be a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kornilov_Affair military coup attempt] against the Provisional Government. Kerensky panicked and turned to the Petrograd Soviet for help, allowing the revolutionaries to organise workers as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Guards_%28Russia%29 Red Guards] to defend Petrograd. The coup petered out before it reached Petrograd thanks to the industrial action of the Petrograd workers and the soldiers' increasing unwillingness to obey their officers.
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In October Lenin returned from Finland. From the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smolny_Institute Smolny Institute] for girls, Lenin directed the Provisional Government's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposition_%28politics%29 deposition] (6–8 November 1917), and the storming (7–8 November) of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Palace Winter Palace] to realise the Kerensky [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitulation_%28surrender%29 capitulation] that established Bolshevik government in Russia.
In October Lenin returned from Finland. From the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smolny_Institute Smolny Institute] for girls, Lenin directed the Provisional Government's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposition_%28politics%29 deposition] (6–8 November 1917), and the storming (7–8 November) of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Palace Winter Palace] to realise the Kerensky [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitulation_%28surrender%29 capitulation] that established Bolshevik government in Russia.


==Forming a government==
=== Forming a government ===
Lenin had argued in a newspaper article in September 1917:
Lenin had argued in a newspaper article in September 1917:
The peaceful development of any revolution is, generally speaking, extremely rare and difficult ... but ... a peaceful development of the revolution is possible and probable if all power is transferred to the Soviets. The struggle of parties for power within the Soviets may proceed peacefully, if the Soviets are made fully democratic<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">.</span> 
The peaceful development of any revolution is, generally speaking, extremely rare and difficult ... but ... a peaceful development of the revolution is possible and probable if all power is transferred to the Soviets. The struggle of parties for power within the Soviets may proceed peacefully, if the Soviets are made fully democratic<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">.</span> 
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===Red Terror===
===Red Terror===
In response to Fanya Kaplan's failed assassination of Lenin on 30 August 1918, and the successful assassination of the Petrograd Cheka chief [[Moisei Uritsky]], Stalin proposed to Lenin "open and systematic mass terror . . . [against] . . . those responsible"; the Bolsheviks instructed [[Felix Dzerzhinsky]] to commence a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror Red Terror], announced in the 1 September 1918 issue of the ''Krasnaya Gazeta'' (''Red Gazette''). To that effect, among other acts, at Moscow, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_warrant execution lists] signed by Lenin authorised the shooting of 25 Tsarist ministers, civil servants, and 765 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Guards] in September 1918. In his ''Diaries in Exile, 1935'', [[Leon Trotsky]] recollected that Lenin authorised the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_the_Romanov_family execution of the Russian Royal Family]. However, according to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_King_%28author%29 Greg King] and Penny Wilson's investigation into the fate of the Romanovs, Trotsky's recollections on this matter, seventeen years after the events described, are unsubstantiated, inaccurate, and contradicted by what Trotsky himself said on other occasions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-138">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin#cite_note-138 [138]]</sup> Most historians say there is enough evidence to prove Lenin ordered the killings. According to the late Soviet historian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Volkogonov Dmitri Volkogonov]:<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Indirect evidence shows that the order to execute the royal family was given verbally by Lenin and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Sverdlov Sverdlov]. The object of 'exterminating the entire Romanov kin' is confirmed by the almost simultaneous murders of Grand Duchess [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Elisabeth_of_Hesse_and_by_Rhine_%281864%E2%80%931918%29 Yelizaveta Feodorovna], Grand Duke [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Sergei_Mikhailovich_of_Russia Sergei Mikhailovich], Prince [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_John_Constantinovich_of_Russia Ivan Konstantinovich], Prince [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Constantine_Constantinovich_of_Russia Konstantin Konstantinovich], Prince [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Igor_Constantinovich_of_Russia Igor Konstantinovich] and Count [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Pavlovich_Paley Vladimir Paley] (son of Grand Duke [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Paul_Alexandrovich_of_Russia Paul Alexandrovich]), all of them in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alapaevsk Alapaevsk], a hundred miles from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg].
In response to Fanya Kaplan's failed assassination of Lenin on 30 August 1918, and the successful assassination of the Petrograd Cheka chief [[Moisei Uritsky]], Stalin proposed to Lenin "open and systematic mass terror . . . [against] . . . those responsible"; the Bolsheviks instructed [[Felix Dzerzhinsky]] to commence a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror Red Terror], announced in the 1 September 1918 issue of the ''Krasnaya Gazeta'' (''Red Gazette''). To that effect, among other acts, at Moscow, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_warrant execution lists] signed by Lenin authorised the shooting of 25 Tsarist ministers, civil servants, and 765 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Guards] in September 1918. In his ''Diaries in Exile, 1935'', Leon Trotsky recollected that Lenin authorised the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_the_Romanov_family execution of the Russian Royal Family]. However, according to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_King_%28author%29 Greg King] and Penny Wilson's investigation into the fate of the Romanovs, Trotsky's recollections on this matter, seventeen years after the events described, are unsubstantiated, inaccurate, and contradicted by what Trotsky himself said on other occasions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-138">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin#cite_note-138 [138]]</sup> Most historians say there is enough evidence to prove Lenin ordered the killings. According to the late Soviet historian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Volkogonov Dmitri Volkogonov]:<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Indirect evidence shows that the order to execute the royal family was given verbally by Lenin and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakov_Sverdlov Sverdlov]. The object of 'exterminating the entire Romanov kin' is confirmed by the almost simultaneous murders of Grand Duchess [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Elisabeth_of_Hesse_and_by_Rhine_%281864%E2%80%931918%29 Yelizaveta Feodorovna], Grand Duke [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Sergei_Mikhailovich_of_Russia Sergei Mikhailovich], Prince [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_John_Constantinovich_of_Russia Ivan Konstantinovich], Prince [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Constantine_Constantinovich_of_Russia Konstantin Konstantinovich], Prince [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Igor_Constantinovich_of_Russia Igor Konstantinovich] and Count [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Pavlovich_Paley Vladimir Paley] (son of Grand Duke [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Paul_Alexandrovich_of_Russia Paul Alexandrovich]), all of them in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alapaevsk Alapaevsk], a hundred miles from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg].
Earlier, in October, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Kamenev Lev Kamenev] and cohort, had warned the Party that terrorist rule was inevitable, given Lenin's assumption of sole command. In late 1918, when he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Bukharin Nikolai Bukharin] tried curbing Chekist excesses, Lenin overruled them; in 1921, via the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo Politburo], he expanded the Cheka's discretionary death-penalty powers.
Earlier, in October, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Kamenev Lev Kamenev] and cohort, had warned the Party that terrorist rule was inevitable, given Lenin's assumption of sole command. In late 1918, when he and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Bukharin Nikolai Bukharin] tried curbing Chekist excesses, Lenin overruled them; in 1921, via the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo Politburo], he expanded the Cheka's discretionary death-penalty powers.


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The six-year long White–Red civil war, the war communism, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_famine_of_1921 famine of 1921], which killed an estimated five million, and foreign military intervention reduced much of Russia to ruin, and provoked rebellion against the Bolsheviks, the greatest being the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambov_rebellion Tambov rebellion] (1919–21). After the March 1921 left-wing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_Rebellion Kronstadt Rebellion] mutiny, Lenin replaced war communism with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Economic_Policy New Economic Policy] (NEP), and successfully rebuilt industry and agriculture. The NEP was his pragmatic recognition of the political and economic realities, despite being a tactical, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology ideological] retreat from the socialist ideal; later, the doctrinaire [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Joseph Stalin] reversed the NEP in consolidating his control of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]].  
The six-year long White–Red civil war, the war communism, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_famine_of_1921 famine of 1921], which killed an estimated five million, and foreign military intervention reduced much of Russia to ruin, and provoked rebellion against the Bolsheviks, the greatest being the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambov_rebellion Tambov rebellion] (1919–21). After the March 1921 left-wing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_Rebellion Kronstadt Rebellion] mutiny, Lenin replaced war communism with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Economic_Policy New Economic Policy] (NEP), and successfully rebuilt industry and agriculture. The NEP was his pragmatic recognition of the political and economic realities, despite being a tactical, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology ideological] retreat from the socialist ideal; later, the doctrinaire [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Joseph Stalin] reversed the NEP in consolidating his control of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]].  


==Retirement and death==
=== Retirement and death ===
Persistent stories mark [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis syphilis] as the cause of Lenin's death. A "retrospective diagnosis" published in The European Journal of Neurology in 2004 strengthens these suspicions.
Persistent stories mark [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis syphilis] as the cause of Lenin's death. A "retrospective diagnosis" published in The European Journal of Neurology in 2004 strengthens these suspicions.


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When already sick, Lenin remembered that, since 1917, he had only rested twice: once, while hiding from the Kerensky Provisional Government (when he wrote [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_and_Revolution ''The State and Revolution'']), and while recovering from Fanya Kaplan's failed assassination. In March 1922, when physicians examined him, they found evidence of neither nervous nor organic [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathology pathology], but, given his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_%28medical%29 fatigue] and the headaches he suffered, they prescribed rest. Upon returning to St. Petersburg in May 1922, Lenin suffered the first of three strokes, which left him unable to speak for weeks, and severely hampered motion in his right side; by June, he had substantially recovered. By August he resumed limited duties, delivering three long speeches in November. In December 1922, he suffered the second stroke that partly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralysis paralyzed] his right side, he then withdrew from active politics. In March 1923, he suffered the third stroke that rendered him [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muteness mute] and bed-ridden until his death.
When already sick, Lenin remembered that, since 1917, he had only rested twice: once, while hiding from the Kerensky Provisional Government (when he wrote [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_and_Revolution ''The State and Revolution'']), and while recovering from Fanya Kaplan's failed assassination. In March 1922, when physicians examined him, they found evidence of neither nervous nor organic [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathology pathology], but, given his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_%28medical%29 fatigue] and the headaches he suffered, they prescribed rest. Upon returning to St. Petersburg in May 1922, Lenin suffered the first of three strokes, which left him unable to speak for weeks, and severely hampered motion in his right side; by June, he had substantially recovered. By August he resumed limited duties, delivering three long speeches in November. In December 1922, he suffered the second stroke that partly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralysis paralyzed] his right side, he then withdrew from active politics. In March 1923, he suffered the third stroke that rendered him [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muteness mute] and bed-ridden until his death.


After the first stroke, Lenin dictated government papers to Nadezhda; among them was ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin%27s_Testament Lenin's Testament]'' (changing the structure of the soviets), a document partly inspired by the 1922 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Affair Georgian Affair], which was a conflict about the way in which social and political transformation within a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republics_of_the_Soviet_Union constituent republic] was to be achieved. It criticized high-rank Communists, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Joseph Stalin], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Zinoviev Grigory Zinoviev], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Kamenev Lev Kamenev], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Bukharin Nikolai Bukharin], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky Leon Trotsky]. About the Communist Party's General Secretary (since 1922), Joseph Stalin, Lenin reported that the "unlimited authority" concentrated in him was unacceptable, and suggested that "comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post." His phrasing, ''"Сталин слишком груб"'', implies "personal rudeness, unnecessary roughness, lack of finesse", flaws "intolerable in a Secretary-General".
After the first stroke, Lenin dictated government papers to Nadezhda; among them was ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin%27s_Testament Lenin's Testament]'' (changing the structure of the soviets), a document partly inspired by the 1922 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Affair Georgian Affair], which was a conflict about the way in which social and political transformation within a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republics_of_the_Soviet_Union constituent republic] was to be achieved. It criticized high-rank Communists, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Joseph Stalin], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Zinoviev Grigory Zinoviev], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Kamenev Lev Kamenev], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Bukharin Nikolai Bukharin], and Leon Trotsky. About the Communist Party's General Secretary (since 1922), Joseph Stalin, Lenin reported that the "unlimited authority" concentrated in him was unacceptable, and suggested that "comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post." His phrasing, ''"Сталин слишком груб"'', implies "personal rudeness, unnecessary roughness, lack of finesse", flaws "intolerable in a Secretary-General".


At Lenin's death, Nadezhda mailed his testament to the central committee, to be read aloud to the 13th Party Congress in May 1924. However, to remain in power, the ruling ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troika_%28triumvirate%29 troika]''—Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev—suppressed ''Lenin's Testament''; it was not published until 1925, in the United States, by the American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual intellectual] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Eastman Max Eastman]. In that year, Trotsky published an article minimising the importance of ''Lenin's Testament'', saying that Lenin's notes should not be perceived as a will, that it had been neither concealed, nor violated; yet he did invoke it in later anti-Stalin polemics.
At Lenin's death, Nadezhda mailed his testament to the central committee, to be read aloud to the 13th Party Congress in May 1924. However, to remain in power, the ruling ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troika_%28triumvirate%29 troika]''—Stalin, Kamenev, Zinoviev—suppressed ''Lenin's Testament''; it was not published until 1925, in the United States, by the American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual intellectual] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Eastman Max Eastman]. In that year, Trotsky published an article minimising the importance of ''Lenin's Testament'', saying that Lenin's notes should not be perceived as a will, that it had been neither concealed, nor violated; yet he did invoke it in later anti-Stalin polemics.
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==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Unlike his successor [[Joseph Stalin]], who was virulently [[Homophobia|homophobic]] and recriminalized homosexual activities upon his seizure of power in the USSR, Lenin was gay-friendly and passed laws allowing gays to be out in the open without worry.
*Unlike his successor [[Joseph Stalin]], who was virulently [[Homophobia|homophobic]] and recriminalized homosexual activities upon his seizure of power in the USSR, Lenin was gay-friendly and passed laws allowing gays to be out in the open without worry.
*Also unlike Stalin, Lenin had no prejudice against Jews.
*Lenin's Bolsheviks were even radical, far more than the moderate Mensheviks who set up the temporary government after the overthrowing of the royal family. He was, also, nowhere near as bad as Stalin, and research shows that Lenin actually preferred for the more moderate Trotsky to succeed him.
*Lenin's Bolsheviks were even radical, far more than the moderate Mensheviks who set up the temporary government after the overthrowing of the royal family. He was, also, nowhere near as bad as Stalin, and research shows that Lenin actually preferred for the more moderate Trotsky to succeed him.
[[Category:List]]
*Exactly as [[Vladimir Putin]] he's a Russian villain who was a Russian leader and named Vladimir in Russia.
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