Vladimir Lenin
| Famous as | Russian Revolutionary & Head of Communist Party |
| Born on | 04 May 1870 |
| Born in | Simbirsk (Today's Ulyanovak) |
| Died on | 21 January 1924 |
| Nationality | Russian Federation |
Childhood
Vladimir Lenin was the son of Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov and Maria
Alexandrovna Ulyanova. His father was a successful teacher and one of
the proponents of democracy. After finishing his elementary education,
Lenin went on to study law. At the university, Lenin was exposed to
radical thinking and he would interact with members of the revolutionary
group. In 1886, Lenin’s father died of a cerebral hemorrhage,
and the very next year, his eldest brother Alexander was executed for
participating in terrorist activities to murder Czar Alexander III.
Education
Lenin's law studies at the University of Kazan were interrupted
when he was expelled for associating with revolutionary groups. He
completed his studies independently. Lenin was influenced by the
teachings of Karl Marx who had believed in an international revolution
of the lower-class workers (proletariat) who would lead the way to a new
system of power. Under this system, according to Marx, property would
not be owned by any individual but the workers.
Active Revolutionary and Exile
By 1893, Lenin had also become a revolutionary by profession. To
propagate the theories of communist among workers, Lenin moved to St
Petersburg and became a professional revolutionary.
For his involvement in various revolutionary activities, in 1895,
Lenin was exiled to Siberia. In March 1898, Lenin, formed the Social
Democratic Party, Russia’s first Marxist political party. In 1900, after
the end of the exile, he went to Europe, where he met Plekhanov,
another Russian revolutionary. After few days, they launched the
newspaper, “Iskra”, meaning “The Spark”. The newspaper primarily
targeted the economists and their policies of serving the capitalists.
They accused the policy framers of ignoring the interest of the masses.
Simultaneously, Lenin also edited series of journals aiming to form new
revolutionary groups and organize the existing one. Iskra, later became the official journal of the Social Democratic Labor Party.
In 1902, Vladimir Lenin published a pamphlet, What Is To Be Done?,
where he argued for a party of professional revolutionaries dedicated to
the overthrow of the autocracy of the Czars.
In 1903, following a difference of opinion between Lenin and his
long time friend Jues Martov, the party split up. The faction led by
Lenin came to be known as Bolsheviks while those who remained loyal to
Martov became known as Mensheviks. When revolution broke out in Russia
in 1917, he led the Bolsheviks to control the government. In 1907, when
the monarch crushed the
revolutions, Lenin was sent to exile. Until the revolutions of 1917, he
spent the majority of his time exiled in Europe.
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday was an incident, took place in Russia. On January 22
1905 in St. Petersburg, when unarmed, peaceful demonstrators were
marching to present a petition to Czar Nicholas II, they were gunned
down by the Royal soldiers. Bloody Sunday was a big error on the part of
Czars and became an event that scripted grave consequences for the
Czarist regime.
Return to Russia
In 1917, exhausted by the First World War, Russia was longing for a
change. In March, steelworkers in St. Petersburg went on strike. It
grew until thousands of people lined the streets. The Czars collapsed
and the Duma led by Alexander Kerensky, took power. Lenin was then
exiled to Switzerland. The Swiss communist Fritz Platten managed to
negotiate with the German government for Lenin and his associates to
travel through Germany by rail. The reason for Germans’ assistance was
the hope that Lenin would pull Russia out of war. Lenin also assured
Germany of signing an armistice. Meanwhile, Kerensky, acting as the head
of the state, refused to pull Russian troops out of the First World
War. He also rejected the idea of signing an peace-treaty with Germany.
Meanwhile, the opponents of the Bolsheviks accused Lenin and other
revolutionaries of being paid German agents.
October Revolution
Lenin eventually led what was soon to be known as the October
Revolution, but was effectively a coup d'etat. After almost three years
of civil war, the Bolsheviks emerged as victorious and assumed total
control of the country. On November 8, 1917, Lenin was elected as the
Chair of the Council of People’s Commissars by the Russian Congress of
Soviets. Keeping his promise, Lenin also signed a temporary armistice
with Germany.
New Economic Policies
Although Lenin was ruthless he was also pragmatic. He introduced
the New Economic Policy, where a measure of private enterprise was still
permitted. In order to revive the declining economy of Russia, Lenin
put into effect the New Economic Plan. Lenin’s new policies, included,
government's seizing of land from its owners and redistributing it to
the peasants, forming a peace treaty with Germany, and the
nationalization of banks and industry. From 1919 to 1921 famine and
typhus (an infectious disease) ravaged Russia and left over 27 million
people dead. He was also very concerned about creating a free universal
health care system for all.
Death
In 1918 Lenin survived an assassination attempt. In May 1922, Lenin suffered the first of a series of strokes,
less than a year later he suffered a second one. In his two remaining
years he tried correct some of the excesses of the regime. He saw that
it would be necessary to learn coexistence with capitalist countries and
eliminate the inefficiency of his bureaucracy. He also tried to ensure
that Trotsky and not Stalin succeeded him. In this endeavor he failed.
Stalin was far too clever and astute even for Lenin. 1923 saw him
decline further as he had another stroke which left him paralyzed and
speechless. He never fully recovered and died of a cerebral hemorrhage on January 21, 1924.
Criticisms
Many political thinkers of that time criticized Lenin for
establishing a dictatorship of the Communist party in Russia. At the
time of revolution, war and famine, he was accused of demonstrating a
chilling disregard for the sufferings of his fellow countrymen and
mercilessly crushed any opposition. He, however, controlled the
hierarchy of local, regional, and central soviets. He retained the post
of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars and was a member of
the ruling Politburo of the Communist party until his death.
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Timeline: | ||||
1870: Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, later known as Lenin, in Simbirsk, Russia.
1886: Death of his father, Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov.
1887: Lenin's brother Alexander Ulyanov, executed for plotting the murder of Czar Empire.
1887: Lenin arrested and expelled from the Kazan University, He was associated with revolutionary activities.
1891: Lenin passes law examination as external student at St. Petersburg University.
1895: Lenin arrested and exiled to Siberia.
1898: Social Democratic Party, Russia’s first Marxist political party, formed.
1900: Lenin fled to Europe and met Plekhanov, another revolutionary.
1900: First issue of newspaper “Iskra” published Lenin and Plekhanov.
1902: Publication of Lenin's “What Is To Be Done?”
1903: Split in Social Democrats Party and consequently Bolshevik and Menshevik were formed.
1905: "Bloody Sunday" in St. Petersburg and beginning of 1905 Revolution.
1905: Lenin in Finland for a Bolshevik conference, where he meets Stalin for the first time.
1914: Outbreak of World War I (1914-1918); Lenin leaves Poland for Switzerland.
1917: Beginning of Revolution in St. Petersburg.
1917: Nicholas II abdicates, Provisional Government formed.
1917: Lenin, helped by Germany, returns to Russia.
1917: Attempted Bolshevik coup in Petrograd ("July Days");
1917: Kerensky becomes Prime Minister.
1917: Bolsheviks seize power, Kerensky flees.
1917: Temporary armistice signed with Germany.
1918: Assassination attempt on Lenin by Fanya Kaplan.
1918: End of World War I in Western Europe.
1921: Famine in Russia, nearly 5 million die.
1921: Lenin announces New Economic Policy.
1922: Stalin appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party.
1922: Lenin suffers first stroke.
1922: Lenin recuperates at Gorki.
1922: Lenin suffers second stroke.
1923: Lenin suffers his third stroke, loses the power of speech.
1924: Lenin dies
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