Vladimir Lenin: Difference between revisions
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|crimes = Terrorism | |crimes = Terrorism<br>Mass [[murder]] | ||
|goals = Eradicate | |goals = Eradicate capitalism (partially successful)<br>Abolish the Tsardom (successful) | ||
|hobby = | |hobby = Playing chess}} | ||
{{Quote|The way to crush the borgeoiose is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.|Vladimir Lenin}} | |||
'''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=== | ||
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In Kazan, he contacted M.P. Chetvergova, joining her secret revolutionary circle, through which he discovered Karl Marx's ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Kapital Capital]'' (1867); exerting a strong influence on him, he became increasingly interested in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism Marxism]. Wary of his political views, his mother purchased an estate in the village of Alakaevka, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara_Oblast Samara Oblast] – made famous in the work of poet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleb_Uspensky Gleb Uspensky], of whom Lenin was a great fan – in the hope that Vladimir would turn his attention to agriculture. Here, he studied peasant life and the poverty they faced, but remained unpopular as locals stole his farm equipment and livestock, causing his mother to sell the farm. | In Kazan, he contacted M.P. Chetvergova, joining her secret revolutionary circle, through which he discovered Karl Marx's ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Kapital Capital]'' (1867); exerting a strong influence on him, he became increasingly interested in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism Marxism]. Wary of his political views, his mother purchased an estate in the village of Alakaevka, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara_Oblast Samara Oblast] – made famous in the work of poet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleb_Uspensky Gleb Uspensky], of whom Lenin was a great fan – in the hope that Vladimir would turn his attention to agriculture. Here, he studied peasant life and the poverty they faced, but remained unpopular as locals stole his farm equipment and livestock, causing his mother to sell the farm. | ||
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 | 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 skeptical 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. | ||
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Although sharing ideas, Lenin and the Social-Democrats clashed with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist%E2%80%93Revolutionary_Party Socialist–Revolutionary Party] (SR), who were inspired by the example of the defunct People's Freedom Party. Advocating an agrarian-socialist platform, the SR | Although sharing ideas, Lenin and the Social-Democrats clashed with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist%E2%80%93Revolutionary_Party Socialist–Revolutionary Party] (SR), who were inspired by the example of the defunct People's Freedom Party. Advocating an agrarian-socialist platform, the SR emphasized the revolutionary role of the peasant, who in 1881 numbered 75 million, in contrast to the 1 million urban proletariat in Russia. In contrast, the Marxists believed that the peasant class' primary motivation was to own their own land, and that they were capitalists; instead, they saw the proletariat as the revolutionary force to advance socialism. Lenin nevertheless retained an influence from the thought of militant agrarian-socialist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Tkachev Pëtr Tkachëvi]. | ||
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. | ||
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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 [ | 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. | ||
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 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 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). | ||
===The 1905 Revolution: 1905–1907=== | ===The 1905 Revolution: 1905–1907=== | ||
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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". | ||
In 1914, when | In 1914, when [[World War I]] (1914–18) began, most of the mass Social Democratic parties of Europe supported their homelands' war effort. At first, Lenin disbelieved such political fickleness, especially that the Germans had voted for war credits; the Social Democrats' war-authorising votes broke Lenin's mainstream connection with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_International_%28political%29 Second International] (1889–1916). He opposed the Great War, because the peasants and workers would be fighting the bourgeoisie's "imperialist war"—one that ought be transformed to an international civil war, between the classes. Lenin's view of the war can be summed up in a letter he wrote to the Romanian poet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriu_Marcu Valeriu Marcu] in 1917: "One slaveowner, Germany is fighting another slaveowner, England, for a fairer distribution of the slaves". At the beginning of the war, the Austrians briefly detained him in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poronin Poronin], his town of residence; on 5 September 1914 Lenin moved to neutral [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland Switzerland], residing first at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bern Bern], then at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C3%BCrich Zürich]<sup>.</sup> | ||
In 1915, in Switzerland, at the anti-war [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmerwald_Conference Zimmerwald Conference], he led the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmerwald_Left Zimmerwald Left] minority, who failed, against the majority [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacifist pacifists], to achieve the conference's adopting Lenin's proposition of transforming the imperialist war into a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_struggle class war]. In the next conference (24–30 April 1916), at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kienthal Kienthal], Lenin and the Zimmerwald Left presented a like resolution; but the conference concorded only a compromise manifesto. | In 1915, in Switzerland, at the anti-war [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmerwald_Conference Zimmerwald Conference], he led the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmerwald_Left Zimmerwald Left] minority, who failed, against the majority [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacifist pacifists], to achieve the conference's adopting Lenin's proposition of transforming the imperialist war into a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_struggle class war]. In the next conference (24–30 April 1916), at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kienthal Kienthal], Lenin and the Zimmerwald Left presented a like resolution; but the conference concorded only a compromise manifesto. | ||
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==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 [ | 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. | ||
Lenin was preparing to go to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altstadt_%28Zurich%29 Altstadt] library after lunch on 15 March when a fellow exile, the Pole [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mieczys%C5%82aw_Bro%C5%84ski Mieczyslav Bronski], burst in to exclaim: "Haven't you heard the news? There's a revolution in Russia!" The next day Lenin wrote to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Kollontai Alexandra Kollontai] in Stockholm, insisting on "revolutionary propaganda, agitation and struggle with the aim of an ''international'' proletarian revolution and for the conquest of power by the Soviets of Workers' Deputies". The next day: "Spread out! Rouse new sections! Awaken fresh initiative, form new organisations in every stratum and prove to them that peace can come only with the armed Soviet of Workers' Deputies in power." | Lenin was preparing to go to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altstadt_%28Zurich%29 Altstadt] library after lunch on 15 March when a fellow exile, the Pole [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mieczys%C5%82aw_Bro%C5%84ski Mieczyslav Bronski], burst in to exclaim: "Haven't you heard the news? There's a revolution in Russia!" The next day Lenin wrote to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Kollontai Alexandra Kollontai] in Stockholm, insisting on "revolutionary propaganda, agitation and struggle with the aim of an ''international'' proletarian revolution and for the conquest of power by the Soviets of Workers' Deputies". The next day: "Spread out! Rouse new sections! Awaken fresh initiative, form new organisations in every stratum and prove to them that peace can come only with the armed Soviet of Workers' Deputies in power." | ||
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Negotiations with the Provisional Government to obtain passage through Germany for the Russian exiles in return for German and Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war dragged on. Eventually, bypassing the Provisional Government, on 31 March the Swiss Communist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Platten Fritz Platten] obtained permission from the German Foreign Minister through his ambassador in Switzerland, Baron Gisbert von Romberg, for Lenin and other Russian exiles to travel through Germany to Russia in a sealed one-carriage train. At Lenin's request the carriage would be protected from interference by a special grant of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorial extraterritorial] status. There are many evidences for German financial commitment to the mission of Lenin. The aim was to disintegrate Russian resistance in the First World War by spreading the revolutionary unrest. Financial support was continued until July of 1917, when the Provisional Government, after revealing German funding for the Bolsheviks, outlawed the party and issued an arrest warrant for Lenin<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">.</span> | Negotiations with the Provisional Government to obtain passage through Germany for the Russian exiles in return for German and Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war dragged on. Eventually, bypassing the Provisional Government, on 31 March the Swiss Communist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Platten Fritz Platten] obtained permission from the German Foreign Minister through his ambassador in Switzerland, Baron Gisbert von Romberg, for Lenin and other Russian exiles to travel through Germany to Russia in a sealed one-carriage train. At Lenin's request the carriage would be protected from interference by a special grant of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorial extraterritorial] status. There are many evidences for German financial commitment to the mission of Lenin. The aim was to disintegrate Russian resistance in the First World War by spreading the revolutionary unrest. Financial support was continued until July of 1917, when the Provisional Government, after revealing German funding for the Bolsheviks, outlawed the party and issued an arrest warrant for Lenin<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;">.</span> | ||
On 9 April Lenin and Krupskaya met their fellow exiles in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bern Bern], a group eventually numbering thirty boarded a train that took them to Zurich. From there they travelled to the specially arranged train that was waiting at Gottmadingen, just short of the official German crossing station at Singen. Accompanied by two German Army officers, who sat at the rear of the single carriage behind a chalked line, the exiles | On 9 April Lenin and Krupskaya met their fellow exiles in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bern Bern], a group eventually numbering thirty boarded a train that took them to Zurich. From there they travelled to the specially arranged train that was waiting at Gottmadingen, just short of the official German crossing station at Singen. Accompanied by two German Army officers, who sat at the rear of the single carriage behind a chalked line, the exiles traveled through Frankfurt and Berlin to Sassnitz (arriving 12 April), where a ferry took them to Trelleborg. Krupskaya noted how, looking out of the carriage window as they passed through wartime Germany, the exiles were "struck by the total absence of grown-up men. Only women, teenagers and children could be seen at the wayside stations, on the fields, and in the streets of the towns." Once in Sweden the group travelled by train to Stockholm and thence back to Russia. | ||
Just before midnight on 16 April | 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== | ||
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===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 [ | The tsarist police, in alliance with the landowners and the capitalists, organised [[Pogrom|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=== | ||
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The second event was on 30 August 1918, when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Revolutionary_Party Socialist Revolutionary] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanya_Kaplan Fanya Kaplan] approached Lenin at his automobile after a speech; he was resting a foot on the running board as he spoke with a woman. Kaplan called to Lenin, and when he turned to face her she shot at him three times. The first bullet struck his arm, the second bullet his jaw and neck, and the third missed him, wounding the woman with whom he was speaking; the wounds felled him and he became unconscious.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Fearing in-hospital assassins, Lenin was brought to his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kremlin Kremlin] apartment; physicians decided against removing the bullets lest the surgery endanger his recovery, which proved to be slow. | The second event was on 30 August 1918, when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Revolutionary_Party Socialist Revolutionary] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanya_Kaplan Fanya Kaplan] approached Lenin at his automobile after a speech; he was resting a foot on the running board as he spoke with a woman. Kaplan called to Lenin, and when he turned to face her she shot at him three times. The first bullet struck his arm, the second bullet his jaw and neck, and the third missed him, wounding the woman with whom he was speaking; the wounds felled him and he became unconscious.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Fearing in-hospital assassins, Lenin was brought to his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kremlin Kremlin] apartment; physicians decided against removing the bullets lest the surgery endanger his recovery, which proved to be slow. | ||
''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda Pravda]'' publicly ridiculed Fanya Kaplan as a failed assassin, a latter-day [ | ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda Pravda]'' publicly ridiculed Fanya Kaplan as a failed assassin, a latter-day [[Charlotte Corday]] (the murderess of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Marat Jean-Paul Marat]) who could not derail the Russian Revolution, reassuring readers that, immediately after surviving the assassination: "Lenin, shot through twice, with pierced lungs spilling blood, refuses help and goes on his own. The next morning, still threatened with death, he reads papers, listens, learns, and observes to see that the engine of the locomotive that carries us towards global revolution has not stopped working..."; despite unharmed lungs, the neck wound did spill blood into a lung. | ||
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: | ||
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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. | ||
The foreign-aided [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Russian] counter-revolution failed for want of popular Russian support, because the Bolshevik [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat proletarian state], protected with "mass terror against enemies of the revolution", was socially organised against the previous capitalist establishment, thus [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict class warfare] terrorism in post–Tsarist Russia originated in working class (peasant and worker) anger against the privileged [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy aristocrat] classes of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposition_%28politics%29 deposed] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_monarchy absolute monarchy]. During the Russian Civil War, anti-Bolsheviks faced [ | The foreign-aided [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Movement White Russian] counter-revolution failed for want of popular Russian support, because the Bolshevik [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat proletarian state], protected with "mass terror against enemies of the revolution", was socially organised against the previous capitalist establishment, thus [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict class warfare] terrorism in post–Tsarist Russia originated in working class (peasant and worker) anger against the privileged [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy aristocrat] classes of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposition_%28politics%29 deposed] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_monarchy absolute monarchy]. During the Russian Civil War, anti-Bolsheviks faced [[torture]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summary_execution summary execution], and by May 1919, there were some 16,000 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enemy_of_the_people enemies of the people] imprisoned in the Tsarist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katorga katorga] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_camp labour camps]; by September 1921 the prisoner populace exceeded 70,000. | ||
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 [ | 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 [[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=== | ||
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==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
* | *Unlike his successor [http://real-life-villains.wikia.com/wiki/Joseph_Stalin 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. | ||
*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]] | [[Category:List]] | ||
[[Category:Male]] | [[Category:Male]] | ||
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[[Category:Terrorists]] | [[Category:Terrorists]] | ||
[[Category:Extremists]] | [[Category:Extremists]] | ||
[[Category:Successful]] | |||
[[Category:Tragic]] | |||
[[Category:Corrupting Influence]] | |||
[[Category:Fugitives]] | |||
[[Category:War Criminal]] | |||
[[Category:Starvers]] | |||