imported>Godzillavkk
Adding categories
imported>FinnXMarcy
No edit summary
Line 3: Line 3:
{{Quote|Hang (so the people see) no fewer than one hundred known kulaks, rich men, bloodsuckers.|Lenin's Hanging Order}}
{{Quote|Hang (so the people see) no fewer than one hundred known kulaks, rich men, bloodsuckers.|Lenin's Hanging Order}}


'''Vladimir Ilyich 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.
'''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.
 
===Early life===
===Early life===
===Childhood: 1870–1887===
===Childhood: 1870–1887===
Line 13: Line 14:


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.
Line 20: Line 22:
In September 1889, the Ulyanovs moved to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara,_Russia Samara] for the winter. Here, Vladimir contacted a number of exiled dissidents and joined Alexei P. Sklyarenko's discussion circle. Both Vladimir and Sklyarenko adopted Marxism, with Vladimir translating Marx and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Engels Friedrich Engels]' political pamphlet, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto The Communist Manifesto]'' (1848), into Russian. He began to read the works of the Russian Marxist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Plekhanov Georgi Plekhanov], a founder of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Repartition Black Repartition] movement, concurring with Plekhanov's argument that Russia was moving from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism feudalism] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism capitalism]. Becoming increasingly sceptical of the effectiveness of militant attacks and assassinations, he argued against such tactics in a December 1889 debate with M.V. Sabunaev, an advocate of the People's Freedom Party. Despite disagreeing on tactics, he made friends among the Party, in particular with Apollon Shukht, who asked Vladimir to be his daughter's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_guardian godfather] in 1893.
In September 1889, the Ulyanovs moved to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara,_Russia Samara] for the winter. Here, Vladimir contacted a number of exiled dissidents and joined Alexei P. Sklyarenko's discussion circle. Both Vladimir and Sklyarenko adopted Marxism, with Vladimir translating Marx and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Engels Friedrich Engels]' political pamphlet, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Communist_Manifesto The Communist Manifesto]'' (1848), into Russian. He began to read the works of the Russian Marxist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Plekhanov Georgi Plekhanov], a founder of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Repartition Black Repartition] movement, concurring with Plekhanov's argument that Russia was moving from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism feudalism] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism capitalism]. Becoming increasingly sceptical of the effectiveness of militant attacks and assassinations, he argued against such tactics in a December 1889 debate with M.V. Sabunaev, an advocate of the People's Freedom Party. Despite disagreeing on tactics, he made friends among the Party, in particular with Apollon Shukht, who asked Vladimir to be his daughter's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_guardian godfather] in 1893.


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===
Line 36: Line 39:


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''.
Line 42: Line 46:


In May 1898, Nadya joined him in exile, having been arrested in August 1896 for organizing a strike. Although initially posted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufa Ufa], she convinced the authorities to move her to Shushenskoye, claiming that she and Vladimir were engaged; they married in a church on 10 July 1898. Settling into a family life with Nadya's mother Elizaveta Vasilyevna, the couple translated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Webb Sidney] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Webb Beatrice Webb]'s ''The History of Trade Unionism'' (1894) into Russian, a job obtained for them by Struve. Keen to keep abreast of the developments in German Marxism – where there had been an ideological split, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revisionism_%28Marxism%29 revisionists] like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bernstein Eduard Bernstein] advocating a peaceful, electoral path to socialism – Vladimir remained devoted to violent revolution, attacking revisionist arguments in ''A Protest by Russian Social-Democrats''. Vladimir also finished ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Development_of_Capitalism_in_Russia The Development of Capitalism in Russia]'' (1899), his longest book to date, which offered a well-researched and polemical attack on the Social-Revolutionaries and promoting a Marxist analysis of Russian economic development. Published under the pseudonym of "Vladimir Ilin", it would be described by biographer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Service_%28historian%29 Robert Service] as "a ''tour de force''", but received predominantly poor reviews upon publication.
In May 1898, Nadya joined him in exile, having been arrested in August 1896 for organizing a strike. Although initially posted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufa Ufa], she convinced the authorities to move her to Shushenskoye, claiming that she and Vladimir were engaged; they married in a church on 10 July 1898. Settling into a family life with Nadya's mother Elizaveta Vasilyevna, the couple translated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Webb Sidney] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Webb Beatrice Webb]'s ''The History of Trade Unionism'' (1894) into Russian, a job obtained for them by Struve. Keen to keep abreast of the developments in German Marxism – where there had been an ideological split, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revisionism_%28Marxism%29 revisionists] like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bernstein Eduard Bernstein] advocating a peaceful, electoral path to socialism – Vladimir remained devoted to violent revolution, attacking revisionist arguments in ''A Protest by Russian Social-Democrats''. Vladimir also finished ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Development_of_Capitalism_in_Russia The Development of Capitalism in Russia]'' (1899), his longest book to date, which offered a well-researched and polemical attack on the Social-Revolutionaries and promoting a Marxist analysis of Russian economic development. Published under the pseudonym of "Vladimir Ilin", it would be described by biographer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Service_%28historian%29 Robert Service] as "a ''tour de force''", but received predominantly poor reviews upon publication.
===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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism 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.
Line 48: Line 53:


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 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotsky 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".
Line 60: Line 67:


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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia 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.
Line 73: Line 81:
Just before midnight on 16 April [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates O.S.] 3 April] 1917, Lenin's train arrived at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlyandsky_Rail_Terminal Finland Station] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrograd Petrograd]. He was greeted, to the sound of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseillaise Marseillaise], by a crowd of workers, sailors and soldiers bearing red flags: by now a ritual in revolutionary Russia for welcoming home political exiles.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Lenin was formally welcomed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Chkheidze Chkheidze], the Menshevik Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. But Lenin pointedly turned to the crowd instead to address it on the international importance of the Russian Revolution:
Just before midnight on 16 April [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates O.S.] 3 April] 1917, Lenin's train arrived at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finlyandsky_Rail_Terminal Finland Station] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrograd Petrograd]. He was greeted, to the sound of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseillaise Marseillaise], by a crowd of workers, sailors and soldiers bearing red flags: by now a ritual in revolutionary Russia for welcoming home political exiles.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Lenin was formally welcomed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Chkheidze Chkheidze], the Menshevik Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. But Lenin pointedly turned to the crowd instead to address it on the international importance of the Russian 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 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==
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="vertical-navbox nowraplinks plainlist" style="float:right;clear:right;width:22.0em;margin:0 0 1.0em 1.0em;background:#f9f9f9;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:0.2em;border-spacing:0.4em 0;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%;width:auto;"
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="vertical-navbox nowraplinks plainlist" style="float:right;clear:right;width:22.0em;margin:0 0 1.0em 1.0em;background:#f9f9f9;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:0.2em;border-spacing:0.4em 0;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%;width:auto;"
Line 110: Line 119:


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, [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.
Line 118: Line 128:


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:
Line 143: Line 154:


Internationally, Lenin's admiration of the Irish socialist revolutionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Connolly James Connolly], led to the USSR's being the first country to grant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy diplomatic recognition] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republic Irish Republic] that fought the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence Irish War of Independence] from Britain. In the event, Lenin developed a friendship with Connolly's revolutionary son, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roddy_Connolly Roddy Connolly].
Internationally, Lenin's admiration of the Irish socialist revolutionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Connolly James Connolly], led to the USSR's being the first country to grant [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy diplomatic recognition] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republic Irish Republic] that fought the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence Irish War of Independence] from Britain. In the event, Lenin developed a friendship with Connolly's revolutionary son, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roddy_Connolly Roddy Connolly].
===Establishing the Cheka===
===Establishing the Cheka===
Main article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka]On 20 December 1917, "The Whole-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage", the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka] (''Chrezvychaynaya Komissiya'' – Extraordinary Commission) was created by a decree issued by Lenin to defend the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281917%29 Russian Revolution]. The establishment of the Cheka, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_police secret service], headed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dzerzhinsky Felix Dzerzhinsky], formally consolidated the censorship established earlier, when on "17 November, the Central Executive Committee passed a decree giving the Bolsheviks control over all newsprint and wide powers of closing down newspapers critical of the régime. . . .";<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>non-Bolshevik soviets were disbanded; anti-soviet newspapers were closed until ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda Pravda]'' (''Truth'') and ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izvestia Izvestia]'' (''The News'') established their communications monopoly. According to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Schapiro Leonard Schapiro] the Bolshevik "refusal to come to terms with the [Revolutionary] socialists, and the dispersal of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Constituent_Assembly Constituent] assembly, led to the logical result that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_terror revolutionary terror] would now be directed, not only against traditional enemies, such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie bourgeoisie] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics right-wing] opponents, but against anyone, be he socialist, worker, or peasant, who opposed Bolshevik rule". On 19 December 1918, a year after its creation, a resolution was adopted at Lenin's behest that forbade the Bolshevik's own press from publishing "defamatory articles" about the Cheka. As Lenin put it: "A Good Communist is also a good [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekism Chekist]."
Main article: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka]On 20 December 1917, "The Whole-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage", the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka] (''Chrezvychaynaya Komissiya'' – Extraordinary Commission) was created by a decree issued by Lenin to defend the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281917%29 Russian Revolution]. The establishment of the Cheka, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_police secret service], headed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dzerzhinsky Felix Dzerzhinsky], formally consolidated the censorship established earlier, when on "17 November, the Central Executive Committee passed a decree giving the Bolsheviks control over all newsprint and wide powers of closing down newspapers critical of the régime. . . .";<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>non-Bolshevik soviets were disbanded; anti-soviet newspapers were closed until ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda Pravda]'' (''Truth'') and ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izvestia Izvestia]'' (''The News'') established their communications monopoly. According to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Schapiro Leonard Schapiro] the Bolshevik "refusal to come to terms with the [Revolutionary] socialists, and the dispersal of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Constituent_Assembly Constituent] assembly, led to the logical result that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_terror revolutionary terror] would now be directed, not only against traditional enemies, such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie bourgeoisie] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics right-wing] opponents, but against anyone, be he socialist, worker, or peasant, who opposed Bolshevik rule". On 19 December 1918, a year after its creation, a resolution was adopted at Lenin's behest that forbade the Bolshevik's own press from publishing "defamatory articles" about the Cheka. As Lenin put it: "A Good Communist is also a good [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekism Chekist]."
===Lenin on antisemitism===
===Lenin on antisemitism===
Lenin was enthusiastic about new mass communication technology like the radio and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph gramophone] and its capacity for educating Russia's mostly illiterate peasant population. In 1919 Lenin recorded eight speeches on to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_records gramophone records]. During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev Nikita Khrushchev] era (1953–64), seven were published. The eighth speech, which was not published, outlined Lenin's thoughts on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism antisemitism]: 
Lenin was enthusiastic about new mass communication technology like the radio and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph gramophone] and its capacity for educating Russia's mostly illiterate peasant population. In 1919 Lenin recorded eight speeches on to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_records gramophone records]. During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev Nikita Khrushchev] era (1953–64), seven were published. The eighth speech, which was not published, outlined Lenin's thoughts on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism antisemitism]: 
The tsarist police, in alliance with the landowners and the capitalists, organised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogroms pogroms] against the Jews. The landowners and capitalists tried to divert the hatred of the workers and peasants who were tortured by want against the Jews. ... It is not the Jews who are the enemies of the working people. The enemies of the workers are the capitalists of all countries. Among the Jews there are working people, and they form the majority. They are our brothers, who, like us, are oppressed by capital; they are our comrades in the struggle for socialism. ... The capitalists strive to sow and foment hatred between workers of different faiths, different nations and different races. ... Rich Jews, like rich Russians, and the rich in all countries, are in alliance to oppress, crush, rob, and disunite the workers. ... Shame on those who foment hatred towards the Jews, who foment hatred towards other nations.
The tsarist police, in alliance with the landowners and the capitalists, organised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogroms pogroms] against the Jews. The landowners and capitalists tried to divert the hatred of the workers and peasants who were tortured by want against the Jews. ... It is not the Jews who are the enemies of the working people. The enemies of the workers are the capitalists of all countries. Among the Jews there are working people, and they form the majority. They are our brothers, who, like us, are oppressed by capital; they are our comrades in the struggle for socialism. ... The capitalists strive to sow and foment hatred between workers of different faiths, different nations and different races. ... Rich Jews, like rich Russians, and the rich in all countries, are in alliance to oppress, crush, rob, and disunite the workers. ... Shame on those who foment hatred towards the Jews, who foment hatred towards other nations.
===Failed assassinations===
===Failed assassinations===
Lenin survived two serious assassination attempts. The first occasion was on 14 January 1918 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrograd Petrograd], when assassins ambushed Lenin in his automobile after a speech. He and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Platten Fritz Platten] were in the back seat when assassins began shooting, and "Platten grabbed Lenin by the head and pushed him down... Platten's hand was covered in blood, having been grazed by a bullet as he was shielding Lenin".
Lenin survived two serious assassination attempts. The first occasion was on 14 January 1918 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrograd Petrograd], when assassins ambushed Lenin in his automobile after a speech. He and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Platten Fritz Platten] were in the back seat when assassins began shooting, and "Platten grabbed Lenin by the head and pushed him down... Platten's hand was covered in blood, having been grazed by a bullet as he was shielding Lenin".
Line 157: Line 171:
Historian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Pipes Richard Pipes] reports that "the impression one gains ... is that the Bolsheviks deliberately underplayed the event to convince the public that, whatever happened to Lenin, they were firmly in control". Moreover, in a letter to his wife (7 September 1918), [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Krasin Leonid Borisovich Krasin], a Tsarist and Soviet régime diplomat, describes the public atmosphere and social response to the failed assassination attempt on 30 August and to Lenin's survival:
Historian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Pipes Richard Pipes] reports that "the impression one gains ... is that the Bolsheviks deliberately underplayed the event to convince the public that, whatever happened to Lenin, they were firmly in control". Moreover, in a letter to his wife (7 September 1918), [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Krasin Leonid Borisovich Krasin], a Tsarist and Soviet régime diplomat, describes the public atmosphere and social response to the failed assassination attempt on 30 August and to Lenin's survival:
As it happens, the attempt to kill Lenin has made him much more popular than he was. One hears a great many people, who are far from having any sympathy with the Bolsheviks, saying that it would be an absolute disaster if Lenin had succumbed to his wounds, as it was first thought he would. And they are quite right, for, in the midst of all this chaos and confusion, he is the backbone of the new body politic, the main support on which everything rests.
As it happens, the attempt to kill Lenin has made him much more popular than he was. One hears a great many people, who are far from having any sympathy with the Bolsheviks, saying that it would be an absolute disaster if Lenin had succumbed to his wounds, as it was first thought he would. And they are quite right, for, in the midst of all this chaos and confusion, he is the backbone of the new body politic, the main support on which everything rests.
===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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka] chief [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moisei_Uritsky Moisei Uritsky], Stalin proposed to Lenin "open and systematic mass terror . . . [against] . . . those responsible"; the Bolsheviks instructed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dzerzhinsky 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'', [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka] chief [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moisei_Uritsky Moisei Uritsky], Stalin proposed to Lenin "open and systematic mass terror . . . [against] . . . those responsible"; the Bolsheviks instructed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dzerzhinsky 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'', [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Trotsky 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].
Line 164: Line 179:


In pursuing their revolution and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-revolution counter-revolution] the White and the Red Russians committed atrocities, against each other and their supporting populaces, yet contemporary historians disagree about equating the terrorisms—because the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror Red Terror] was Bolshevik Government policy (e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decossackization Decossackization]) against given social classes, while the class-based [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror White Terror] was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism racial] and political, against Jews, anti-monarchists, and Communists, (cf. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Movement]). Such numbers are recorded in cities occupied by the Bolsheviks:
In pursuing their revolution and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-revolution counter-revolution] the White and the Red Russians committed atrocities, against each other and their supporting populaces, yet contemporary historians disagree about equating the terrorisms—because the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror Red Terror] was Bolshevik Government policy (e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decossackization Decossackization]) against given social classes, while the class-based [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror White Terror] was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism racial] and political, against Jews, anti-monarchists, and Communists, (cf. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Movement]). Such numbers are recorded in cities occupied by the Bolsheviks:
In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkov Kharkov] there were between 2,000 and 3,000 executions in February–June 1919, and another 1,000–2,000 when the town was taken again in December of that year; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don], approximately 1,000 in January 1920; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odessa Odessa], 2,200 in May–August 1919, then 1,500–3,000 between February 1920 and February 1921; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev Kiev], at least 3,000 in February–August 1919; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekaterinodar Ekaterinodar], at least 3,000 between August 1920 and February 1921; In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armavir,_Russia Armavir], a small town in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuban Kuban], between 2,000 and 3,000 in August–October 1920. The list could go on and on.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Professor Christopher Read states that though terror was employed at the height of the Civil War fighting, "from 1920 onwards the resort to terror was much reduced and disappeared from Lenin's mainstream discourses and practices". However, after a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clergy clerical] insurrection in the town of Shuia, in a 19 March 1922 letter to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyacheslav_Molotov Vyacheslav Molotov] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo Politburo], Lenin delineated action against defiers of the decreed Bolshevik removal of Orthodox Church valuables: "We must... put down all resistance with such brutality that they will not forget it for several decades... The greater the number of representatives of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactionary reactionary] clergy and reactionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie bourgeoisie] we succeed in executing... the better."<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>As a result of this letter, historian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Figes Orlando Figes] estimates that perhaps 8,000 priests and laymen were executed.<sup> </sup>And the crushing of the revolts in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_rebellion Kronstadt] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambov_Rebellion Tambov] in 1921 resulted in tens of thousands of executions. Estimates for the total number of people killed in the Red Terror ranger from 50,000 to over a million
In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkov Kharkov] there were between 2,000 and 3,000 executions in February–June 1919, and another 1,000–2,000 when the town was taken again in December of that year; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don], approximately 1,000 in January 1920; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odessa Odessa], 2,200 in May–August 1919, then 1,500–3,000 between February 1920 and February 1921; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev Kiev], at least 3,000 in February–August 1919; in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekaterinodar Ekaterinodar], at least 3,000 between August 1920 and February 1921; In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armavir,_Russia Armavir], a small town in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuban Kuban], between 2,000 and 3,000 in August–October 1920. The list could go on and on.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Professor Christopher Read states that though terror was employed at the height of the Civil War fighting, "from 1920 onwards the resort to terror was much reduced and disappeared from Lenin's mainstream discourses and practices". However, after a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clergy clerical] insurrection in the town of Shuia, in a 19 March 1922 letter to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyacheslav_Molotov Vyacheslav Molotov] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo Politburo], Lenin delineated action against defiers of the decreed Bolshevik removal of Orthodox Church valuables: "We must... put down all resistance with such brutality that they will not forget it for several decades... The greater the number of representatives of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactionary reactionary] clergy and reactionary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie bourgeoisie] we succeed in executing... the better."<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>As a result of this letter, historian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Figes Orlando Figes] estimates that perhaps 8,000 priests and laymen were executed.<sup> </sup>And the crushing of the revolts in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronstadt_rebellion Kronstadt] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambov_Rebellion Tambov] in 1921 resulted in tens of thousands of executions. Estimates for the total number of people killed in the Red Terror ranger from 50,000 to over a million.
 
===Civil War===
===Civil War===
In 1917, as an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism anti-imperialist], Lenin said that oppressed peoples had the unconditional right to secede from the Russian Empire; however, at end of the Civil War, the USSR annexed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia Armenia], Georgia, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan Azerbaijan], because the White Movement used them as attack bases. Lenin defended the annexations as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geopolitics geopolitical] protection against capitalist imperial depredations.
In 1917, as an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism anti-imperialist], Lenin said that oppressed peoples had the unconditional right to secede from the Russian Empire; however, at end of the Civil War, the USSR annexed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia Armenia], Georgia, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan Azerbaijan], because the White Movement used them as attack bases. Lenin defended the annexations as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geopolitics geopolitical] protection against capitalist imperial depredations.
Line 171: Line 187:


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 and the USSR.
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 and the USSR.
==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.
Line 184: Line 201:
Lenin died at 18.50 hrs, Moscow time, on 21 January 1924, aged 53, at his estate at Gorki settlement (later renamed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorki_Leninskiye Gorki Leninskiye]). In the four days that the Bolshevik Leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_in_state lay in state], more than 900,000 mourners viewed his body in the Hall of Columns; among the statesmen who expressed condolences to the Soviet Union was Chinese premier [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen], who said:
Lenin died at 18.50 hrs, Moscow time, on 21 January 1924, aged 53, at his estate at Gorki settlement (later renamed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorki_Leninskiye Gorki Leninskiye]). In the four days that the Bolshevik Leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_in_state lay in state], more than 900,000 mourners viewed his body in the Hall of Columns; among the statesmen who expressed condolences to the Soviet Union was Chinese premier [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen], who said:
Through the ages of world history, thousands of leaders and scholars appeared who spoke eloquent words, but these remained words. You, Lenin, were an exception. You not only spoke and taught us, but translated your words into deeds. You created a new country. You showed us the road of joint struggle... You, great man that you are, will live on in the memories of the oppressed people through the centuries. [http://real-life-heroes-and-good-guys.wikia.com/wiki/Winston_Churchill Winston Churchill], who encouraged British intervention against the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281917%29 Russian Revolution], in league with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Movement], to destroy the Bolsheviks and Bolshevism, said: He alone could have found the way back to the causeway... The Russian people were left floundering in the bog. Their worst misfortune was his birth... their next worst his death.
Through the ages of world history, thousands of leaders and scholars appeared who spoke eloquent words, but these remained words. You, Lenin, were an exception. You not only spoke and taught us, but translated your words into deeds. You created a new country. You showed us the road of joint struggle... You, great man that you are, will live on in the memories of the oppressed people through the centuries. [http://real-life-heroes-and-good-guys.wikia.com/wiki/Winston_Churchill Winston Churchill], who encouraged British intervention against the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution_%281917%29 Russian Revolution], in league with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Movement], to destroy the Bolsheviks and Bolshevism, said: He alone could have found the way back to the causeway... The Russian people were left floundering in the bog. Their worst misfortune was his birth... their next worst his death.
===Funeral===
===Funeral===
The Soviet government publicly announced Lenin's death the following day, with head of State [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Kalinin Mikhail Kalinin] tearfully reading an official statement to delegates of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets at 11am, the same time that a team of physicians began a postmortem of the body. On 23 January, mourners from the Communist Party Central Committee, the Moscow party organisation, the trade unions and the soviets began to assemble at his house, with the body being removed from his home at about 10am the following day, being carried aloft in a red coffin by Kamenev, Zinoviev, Stalin, Bukharin, Bubhov and Krasin. Transported by train to Moscow, mourners gathered at every station along the way, and upon arriving in the city, a funerary procession carried the coffin for five miles to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Trade_Unions House of Trade Unions], where the body lay in state.
The Soviet government publicly announced Lenin's death the following day, with head of State [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Kalinin Mikhail Kalinin] tearfully reading an official statement to delegates of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets at 11am, the same time that a team of physicians began a postmortem of the body. On 23 January, mourners from the Communist Party Central Committee, the Moscow party organisation, the trade unions and the soviets began to assemble at his house, with the body being removed from his home at about 10am the following day, being carried aloft in a red coffin by Kamenev, Zinoviev, Stalin, Bukharin, Bubhov and Krasin. Transported by train to Moscow, mourners gathered at every station along the way, and upon arriving in the city, a funerary procession carried the coffin for five miles to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Trade_Unions House of Trade Unions], where the body lay in state.
Line 192: Line 210:


Despite the official diagnosis of death from stroke consequences, the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov reported that Lenin died of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosyphilis neurosyphilis], according to a publication by V. Lerner and colleagues in the ''European Journal of Neurology'' in 2004. The authors also note that "It is possible that future DNA technology applied to Lenin's preserved brain material could ultimately establish or disprove neurosyphilis as the primary cause of Lenin's death."
Despite the official diagnosis of death from stroke consequences, the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov reported that Lenin died of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosyphilis neurosyphilis], according to a publication by V. Lerner and colleagues in the ''European Journal of Neurology'' in 2004. The authors also note that "It is possible that future DNA technology applied to Lenin's preserved brain material could ultimately establish or disprove neurosyphilis as the primary cause of Lenin's death."
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Unlike [http://real-life-villains.wikia.com/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Joseph Stalin], who recriminalized it and had a serious hatred against homosexuals, Lenin was gay-friendly and passed laws allowing gays to be out in the open without worry. 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.
*Unlike [http://real-life-villains.wikia.com/wiki/Joseph_Stalin Joseph Stalin], who recriminalized it and had a serious hatred against homosexuals, Lenin was gay-friendly and passed laws allowing gays to be out in the open without worry. 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.