Real surname, name and patronymic - Ulyanov Vladimir Ilyich. Literary pseudonyms: Vladimir, Vl., V. Ilyin, N. Lenin, Petersburger, Petrov, William Frey, K. Tulin. Party nicknames: Karpov, Meyer, Nikolai Petrovich, Old Man, etc.
Social and political figure, revolutionary, one of the leaders of the RSDLP, RSDLP(b), RCP(b), publicist. The founder of one of the directions of Marxism, who carried out a synthesis of the ideas of the founders of Marxism (K. Marx, F. Engels, G. Plekhanov, K. Kautsky) and Russian Blanquism (P.N. Tkachev). Founder of the Soviet state.
Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RSDLP(b) (10(23).10 - 4(17).11.1917). Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR (10/27/11/9/1917 - 01/21/1924). Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) (03/25/1919 - 01/21/1924). Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR (07/06/1923 - 01/21/1924). Chairman of the Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR (07/17/1923 - 01/21/1925).
Biography and career
From the family of an inspector, then director of public schools in the Simbirsk province, actual state councilor Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov, who received hereditary nobility. Mother - Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova (née Blank). Paternal grandfather - Nikolai Vasilyevich Ulyanov, from the serf peasants of the Sergach district of the Nizhny Novgorod province, a tailor-artisan in Astrakhan. Maternal grandfather - Alexander Dmitrievich Blank, physiotherapist, retired state councilor, nobleman, landowner of the Nizhny Novgorod province. The Ulyanov family had eight children (Anna, Alexander, Olga, Vladimir, Olga, Nikolai, Dmitry, Maria), two of whom (Olga and Nikolai) died in infancy. Since July 20 (22), 1898, he has been married to Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya. Had no children.
In 1879-1887 he studied at the Simbirsk gymnasium. In 1887, V. Ulyanov graduated with a gold medal and entered the Faculty of Law of Kazan University. In December of the same year, he was expelled from the university for participating in a student gathering and sent under secret police supervision to the Kokushkino estate, which belonged to his mother, in the Kazan province. In September 1891, he passed the exams at St. Petersburg University for a law faculty course as an external student.
The young Vladimir Ulyanov was greatly impressed by the execution of his older brother Alexander, one of the organizers of the Terrorist Faction of the People's Will party group, who was hanged in 1887 for preparing an assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander III.
Living under police supervision in Kokushkino, Vladimir Ulyanov devoted time to self-education, became familiar with the works of N.G. Chernyshevsky. Subsequently, he repeatedly recalled the novel “What is to be done?”, which influenced the formation of his own worldview. In October 1888 he returned to Kazan, where he joined one of the Marxist circles. Here Ulyanov studied Volume I of “Capital” by K. Marx and the work of G.V. Plekhanov "Our differences". Since 1889, in Samara he has become close to the Narodnaya Volya and Marxists. In 1892-1893 he worked as an assistant to a sworn attorney in Samara. In 1893, Ulyanov submitted his first article for publication in the journal “Russian Thought” - “New economic movements in peasant life.” However, his first work was rejected by the editors.
In August 1893, Vladimir Ulyanov moved to St. Petersburg. Here he was able to quickly gain authority among local Marxists. He was especially famous for his essay “On the so-called question of markets” and the illegally published work “What are “friends of the people” and how do they fight against the Social Democrats?”, in which he sharply criticized populist ideas. In particular, Lenin tried to refute the populist thesis, according to which the ruin of the peasantry meant a narrowing of the market for the development of capitalism. Also, from the position of historical materialism, he criticized the sociological concept of N.K. Mikhailovsky. In his first works, Lenin saw the only path to socialism in Russia through the development of the labor movement, considering the proletariat as the vanguard force in the revolutionary struggle against the autocracy.
In the article “The Economic Content of Populism and Its Criticism in Mr. Struve’s Book” (1895), Lenin entered into polemics with the so-called “legal Marxists,” in other words, with those authors (P.B. Struve, M.N. Tugan- Baranovsky and others), who, based on the works of K. Marx and F. Engels, stated the fact of the progressiveness of capitalism in Russia. Accusing his opponents of “bourgeois objectivism,” Lenin contrasted them with the concept of “partisanship” in the social sciences. In 1894-1895 he conducted propaganda in workers' circles, while simultaneously studying the situation of the working class in Russia.
In May 1896, in Switzerland, V. Lenin met with members of the Liberation of Labor group. Returning from a trip abroad, he supported the idea of the transition of Marxists from propaganda to mass agitation. In November 1895, the group of “old men” led by him merged with the group of Yu.O. Martov to the citywide social democratic organization of St. Petersburg, called the “Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class.” On the night of December 8-9 he was arrested. On March 1, 1897, after imprisonment, he was exiled to Siberia for three years. He served exile in the village of Shushenskoye, Minusinsk district, Yenisei province.
While in exile, he completed work on the book “The Development of Capitalism in Russia,” published in 1899. In this work, relying on a large amount of factual material, V.I. Lenin argued that Russia had already become a capitalist country. At the same time, he noted the preservation in Russia of many remnants of pre-capitalist relations. Lenin concluded that the political strength of the Russian proletariat is greater than its share in the mass of the population. In 1899, he organized a protest by a group of exiles against the spread of the ideas of “economism” in the Social Democratic movement. At this time, as a result of correspondence, Lenin, Martov and Potresov agreed to publish an all-Russian Social Democratic newspaper. At the end of their exile, in February 1900, they held a meeting in Pskov. In July they went abroad, where, together with members of the Liberation of Labor group, they formed the editorial board of the newspaper Iskra and the magazine Zarya. At this time, Lenin lived in Munich, London, Geneva, continuing his discussion with the “economists”. In 1902, his book “What to Do” was published, which outlined the concept of a centralized proletarian party, the purpose of which is to carry out a political revolution in Russia through an armed uprising of the masses. For the first time in this work the principles of “democratic centralism” were set out. Lenin took an active part in the discussion of what G.V. wrote. Plekhanov of the draft program of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party.
At the Second Congress of the RSDLP in July 1903, V. Lenin headed the faction of “hard” Iskrists (Bolsheviks). In an effort to secure a leading role in the Social Democratic movement in Russia, he proposed reducing the number of members of the Iskra editorial board to three and establishing a Party Council. After Plekhanov went over to the Menshevik side, Lenin retained his position in the Central Committee, where he was co-opted in November 1903. In the book “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” (1904), in which he criticized his opponents at the Second Party Congress and questioned the value of democratic norms in the party. Soon he put forward the idea of convening a new congress of the RSDLP, which, however, did not receive the support of the Central Committee. In response to the discrepancy with the decision of the majority, he formed from his supporters the Bureau of Majority Committees (BCB), which prepared the convening of the Third Congress, consisting exclusively of Bolshevik delegates.
This congress, which approved Lenin's proposals on tactics, was held in London in April 1905. In the book “Two Tactics of Social Democracy in the Democratic Revolution,” he commented on the results of this congress, arguing for the need to establish the hegemony of the proletariat in the struggle to overthrow the autocracy and an armed uprising, which would result in the establishment of a “dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry” in Russia. Having solved this problem, the Social Democratic Party will be able to move directly to the implementation of the socialist revolution. At the Third Congress of the RSDLP he emphasized that the main task of the unfolding revolution was the elimination of autocracy and the remnants of the serfdom system in Russia. In his letters to Russia, he demanded that the Bolsheviks organize combat detachments preparing for an armed uprising, carrying out military actions in the form of attacks on police and military personnel. At the beginning of November 1905, Lenin returned to St. Petersburg, where he headed the editorial office of the newspaper “New Life”.
A large number of works of fiction about V.I. have been published in many languages of the world. Lenin. Among the earliest works is, for example, the poem by V.V. Mayakovsky "Vladimir Ilyich Lenin". Many feature films have also been made about him. One of the first images of Lenin was captured in S. Eisenstein’s film “October” (1927). For example, most of the works of fiction and films about it come from the USSR and the countries of the “socialist” bloc. Also an integral part of Soviet monumental art were monuments to Lenin. He was also depicted in numerous paintings. One of the first artists to reflect the image of Lenin in their works was I.I. Brodsky (1919 - “Lenin and Manifestation”). The set of works of fiction dedicated to him was called “Leninana”. His portraits and busts were required to decorate Soviet institutions. National folklore works include numerous anecdotes about Lenin, many of which are passed on from mouth to mouth in our time. Also in the USSR, settlements (for example: Leningrad), as well as enterprises, military and civilian ships were named after Lenin.
Lenin wrote hundreds of works, even his biographical chronicle. Many readers know not only every day, but also almost an hour of his life. And it still remains a mystery how this man, who spent almost the entire beginning of the twentieth century abroad (until one thousand nine hundred and seventeen) managed to lead the Russian revolution, come to power at the head of his party and, most importantly, retain it. The years of Lenin's reign begin with the year when the Great Revolution took place. Bloody event for Russia!
A kind old man who loved children and peasants so much, but most of all abroad
In Soviet Russia, everyone was fed the image of the great leader - the kind grandfather Lenin. A dear old man who loved the proletariat infinitely. But what did this good-natured old man, who really loved spending time abroad, think about the people, as well as the unfortunate residents of Russia? Vladimir Ilyich quite openly promotes the idea that the authorities need not only to intimidate the defeated country and its people. The population needs to be broken!
Simply conquering the Russian Empire was not enough for bankers such as Schiff, Morgan, and Warburg. They needed guarantees that this great country would not rise again. It will not capture the route along which bread came from Turkey to Europe. They had to be sure that the Russian peasant would not further ruin the British wheat producer.
Destruction of the market economy
It was important to the authorities of the United States of America and Great Britain that the Russians did not begin expanding into the Far East again. In this regard, Vladimir Lenin, having finished with the Russian intelligentsia, takes on the peasantry. It must be said that in the first years of Lenin’s reign there was no famine in the villages. Interruptions occurred only in St. Petersburg.
But Vladimir Ilyich, who knew perfectly well that food policy can only work effectively in conditions of famine, decides to organize it himself. During Lenin's reign, the state's food market was virtually destroyed. He introduces executions for private trade. This is what helps create hunger in big cities. His next step was to incite anger towards the peasants among the working class, based on the fact that the latter did not want to provide bread to the cities.
Surrender bread or live into the ground
Hiding behind an artificially created famine, the Bolsheviks began a war with villages and villages. Food detachments began to be sent there to seize grain reserves. Because of this, famine is now starting in the villages as well. The process of confiscation of bread itself took place in the most terrible way.
A well-armed detachment with a machine gun appeared in the village, the peasants were herded into livestock and demanded to hand over all the grain they had. And when he was not there, because this was not the first food detachment, they took the first man and buried him alive in the ground. Vladimir Ilyich loved his people very much!
A terrible famine in the once richest empire
Thanks to the efforts of the Bolsheviks, a terrible famine began during Lenin's reign. And this despite the fact that even before the revolution, the Russian Empire could not only feed itself, but also undermine grain production in England. Now the people were forced to survive by picking berries and mushrooms, and sometimes even quinoa. The management knew this very well, since it was the fruit of their labor. But, according to Trotsky, this was not yet a famine. He cited the example of Jerusalem when Titus took it. Then Jewish mothers ate their own children.
But in fact, there were no problems with bread supplies in Russia. Those who served Vladimir Ilyich faithfully were paid in gold and fed to their fill. The famine helped set off not only workers and peasants, but also the plunder of Russian churches. During Lenin's reign, Russian churches were not only burned; first, representatives of the new government plundered church property.
Popular uprisings against usurpers
It should be noted that the peasants offered fierce resistance to the regime of Vladimir Ilyich. Mass uprisings broke out throughout the state. People driven to despair began to take up arms. Fiery hatred of the Bolsheviks grew everywhere.
It became clear to the Russian people that enemies had seized power in the state. In one thousand nine hundred and eighteen, the Tambov province rebelled. Its population was about four million. And from the twentieth, the Tambov People's Republic and the partisan region arose with their three armies of thirty regiments of peasants.
More than two million people died as a result of the mass peasant uprisings. Almost the same thing happened throughout the country. These were the results of Lenin's reign. The common people resisted the new usurper power as best they could. And, characteristically, the Red Army suffered its main losses not in battles with the White Guard, but precisely in the war against its own population - the peasants.
The date of Lenin's reign is connected with which was supposed to liberate the common people from the autocracy of the kings. But what was the main reason for the coup became clear after the first months of Vladimir Ilyich’s leadership. Lenin very harshly, bloodily and stubbornly solved his task - to destroy the Russian state, Russian power.
Family
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born in Simbirsk, in the family of public school inspector Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov (1831-1886), who had a personal (non-hereditary) nobility. The family of the future most prominent revolutionary of the twentieth century was of heterogeneous origin, but for the most part consisted of commoners (intelligentsia). Lenin's family includes representatives of several nationalities - Russians, Kalmyks, Chuvash, Jews, Germans and Swedes.
Lenin's paternal grandfather, Nikolai Vasilyevich Ulyanov, a Chuvash by nationality, was a serf peasant from the Nizhny Novgorod province, and moved to Astrakhan, where he worked as a tailor-artisan. Already a mature man, he married Anna Alekseevna Smirnova, whose father was a Kalmyk and whose mother was probably Russian. When Ilya Ulyanov was born, Nikolai Ulyanov was already 60 years old. After the death of Nikolai Vasilyevich, Ilya was taken care of by his older brother Vasily Ulyanov. He helped his brother get a sufficient education to enter the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Kazan University, from which he graduated in 1854. After graduating from the university, Ilya Ulyanov worked as a teacher of mathematics and physics in gymnasiums, institutes and schools in Penza and Nizhny Novgorod, from 1869 he was an inspector and director of public schools in the Simbirsk province. After being awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, III degree, Lenin's father in 1882 received the right to hereditary nobility.
Lenin's second grandfather (on his mother's side), Alexander Dmitrievich Blank (before baptism, Israel Moishevich Blank), converted to Christianity to become a military doctor. Having retired from the post of medical inspector of hospitals at the State Arms Factory in Zlatoust (with the rank of state councilor), Dr. Blank was assigned to the Kazan nobility (the rank gave him the dignity of a personal nobleman). Soon he acquired the Kokushkino estate in the Kazan province, becoming a middle-class landowner. Lenin's early orphaned mother, Maria Alexandrovna, like her four sisters, was raised by her maternal aunt, who taught her nieces music and foreign languages.
There is evidence that the biological father of Lenin and several other children in the family was a family doctor who lived in the Ulyanov family for more than 20 years, Ivan Sidorovich Pokrovsky. If you compare their photographs, the similarities will be obvious. And in his youth, in some documents [in particular, examination sheets from the time of his studies at St. Petersburg University], Ulyanov even directly wrote his patronymic as Ivanovich, which indicates that he knew about this fact and did not hide it.
In the manuscript of the memoirs of Lenin's elder sister Anna, there is a place where she writes that when Pisarev was banned, they took his books from the family doctor. And then he immediately crosses it out and writes: “...at a doctor I know.” That is, it hides the fact that this doctor was a close person to Ulyanov’s mother. Obviously, she had a hard time with his closeness to her mother and tried to erase him from her memory.
Youth. The beginning of revolutionary activity
In 1879-1887 he studied at the Simbirsk gymnasium. Lenin's views in his youth were formed under the influence of family upbringing, the example of his parents, under the influence of revolutionary democratic literature and contact with the life of the people. His brother Alexander, who was an indisputable authority for him, had a very strong influence on Volodya. The boy tried to be like his brother in everything, and if he was asked what he would do in this or that case, he invariably answered: “like Sasha.” Over the years, the desire to be like his older brother did not go away, but became deeper and more meaningful. From Alexander Volodya learned about Marxist literature - for the first time he saw “Capital” by K. Marx.
Even in his youth he breaks with religion. The impetus for this was a scene that outraged him to the core. Once, in a conversation with a guest, Ilya Nikolaevich said about his children that they do not attend church well. Looking at Vladimir, the guest said: “The whipping, the whipping must be done!” Volodya ran out of the house and tore off his pectoral cross as a sign of protest. What had been brewing for a long time burst out.
His revolutionary sentiments were evident even in his class works. Once the director of the gymnasium, F. M. Kerensky (the father of the later notorious Socialist-Revolutionary A. F. Kerensky), who always held Ulyanov’s works as an example to other students, said warningly: “What kind of oppressed classes are you writing about here, what does this have to do with it?”
In January 1886, at the age of 54, Ilya Nikolaevich died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage. The orphaned family was left without a livelihood. Maria Alexandrovna began to apply for a pension, waiting for which several months passed.
Before the family had time to recover from one blow, a new grief befell it - on March 1, 1887, in St. Petersburg, Alexander Ulyanov was arrested for participating in the preparation of the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander III. Following him, his sister Anna, who studied in St. Petersburg, was arrested.
The family did not know about Alexander Ilyich’s revolutionary activities. Having graduated from the Simbirsk gymnasium with a gold medal, he studied brilliantly at St. Petersburg University. His research in the field of zoology and chemistry attracted the attention of prominent scientists such as N. P. Wagner and A. M. Butlerov; each of them wanted to leave him at the university in their department. One of his works on zoology, completed in the third year, was awarded a gold medal. During the last summer he spent at home, he devoted all his time to preparing his dissertation and seemed to be completely immersed in science. No one knew that while in St. Petersburg, Alexander Ilyich participated in revolutionary youth circles and conducted political propaganda among the workers. Ideologically, he was on the path from Narodnaya Volya to Marxism.
When his older brother Alexander was executed in 1887, Vladimir Ulyanov uttered the famous phrase: “We will go the other way,” which meant his rejection of the methods of individual terror.
In 1887, Lenin graduated from high school with a gold medal and entered the law faculty of Kazan University, but was soon expelled for participating in student unrest and sent to relatives in the village of Kokushkino, Kazan province.
In the fall of 1888, Vladimir Ilyich was allowed to return to Kazan. Here he joined one of the Marxist circles organized by N. E. Fedoseev, in which the works of K. Marx, F. Engels, and G. V. Plekhanov were studied and discussed. The works of Marx and Engels played a decisive role in the formation of Lenin's worldview - he became a convinced Marxist.
In the fall of 1889, the Ulyanov family settled in Samara, where Lenin also maintained contact with local revolutionaries. Young Vladimir brilliantly passed the exams at St. Petersburg University, after which he worked for some time as an assistant attorney (lawyer) in court, where he defended proletarians (cases of the theft of a bag of grain, an iron rail and a wheel). Not finding himself in this activity, he plunged into the revolution as an active Marxist.
The memories of this time by the doctor Vladimir Krutovsky are interesting:
“I was traveling on a crowded train, where enterprising railway workers apparently sold extra tickets. I noticed a short young man who was quarreling with his superiors, “demanding the attachment of an extra carriage,” and so organized the people that in Samara the station master said: “Well, hey.” to hell! Hitch the carriage..." 
Meets in Switzerland with Plekhanov, in Germany - with W. Liebknecht, in France - with P. Lafargue and other figures of the international labor movement, and upon returning to the capital in 1895, under the leadership of Zederbaum-Martov, he organizes the “Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class” . The “Union of Struggle” carried out active propaganda activities among workers; they issued more than 70 leaflets. In December 1895, Lenin was arrested and a year and two months later he was exiled to the village of Shushenskoye, Yenisei province, for 3 years. Here Lenin married N.K. Krupskaya (in July 1898), wrote the book “The Development of Capitalism in Russia” based on the material collected in prison, directed against populist theories, translated, and worked on articles. During his exile, over 30 works were written, contacts were established with Social Democrats in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and other cities.
In exile
In February 1900, Lenin's exile ended. In the same year, he left Russia and founded the newspaper Iskra in exile, designed to serve the propaganda of Marxism; At the same time, the distribution of the newspaper makes it possible to create a fairly extensive network of underground organizations on the territory of the Russian Empire. In December 1901, he first signed one of his articles published in Iskra with the pseudonym Lenin (he also had pseudonyms: V. Ilyin, V. Frey, Iv. Petrov, K. Tulin, Karpov, etc.). In 1902, in the work “What to do? “Very pressing issues of our movement” Lenin came up with his own concept of the party, which he saw as a centralized militant organization (“Give us an organization of revolutionaries and we will turn Russia over!”).
Participation in the work of the Second Congress of the RSDLP
From July 17 to August 10, 1903, the Second Congress of the RSDLP was held in Geneva, Brussels and London. Lenin was looking forward to it with great impatience, because the First Congress that took place 5 years ago did not actually create a party: it did not adopt a program, did not unite the revolutionary forces of the proletariat; elected at the first congress of the Central Committee was immediately arrested. Lenin took the preparations for the congress into his own hands. On his initiative, an “Organizing Committee” was created, whose members assessed the work of Social Democratic organizations before the congress. Long before the congress, Lenin wrote a draft party charter, sketched out drafts of many resolutions, thought through and outlined the work plan for the congress. With the participation of Plekhanov, Lenin also drafted the party program. The program outlined the immediate tasks of the workers' party: the overthrow of tsarism, the establishment of a democratic republic, the destruction of the remnants of serfdom in the countryside, in particular the return to the peasants of the lands cut off from them by the landowners during the abolition of serfdom (“cuts”), an 8-hour working day, complete equality of nations and peoples The ultimate goal of the labor movement was recognized as the construction of a new, socialist society, and the means of achieving it was the socialist revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat.
With the opening of the congress, the heterogeneity of the party became obvious, and a sharp debate arose between Lenin’s supporters - the “hard” Iskra-ists on the one hand and his opponents - the “soft” Iskra-ists and “economists” on the other. Lenin stubbornly defended the provisions on the dictatorship of the proletariat, on strict requirements for party members. On most points, the “hard” Iskraists won, but the party split into two factions - the Bolsheviks led by Lenin and the Mensheviks led by Martov.
Revolution of 1905
Revolution 1905-07 found Lenin abroad, in Switzerland. Maintaining close contact with local party organizations, he had comprehensive information about the growing revolutionary wave. At the Third Congress of the RSDLP, held in London in April 1905, Lenin emphasized that the main task of this revolution was to put an end to autocracy and the remnants of serfdom in Russia. Despite the bourgeois nature of the revolution, according to Lenin, its leader should have been the working class, as the most interested in its victory, and its natural ally was the peasantry. Having approved Lenin's point of view, the congress determined the party's tactics: organizing strikes, demonstrations, preparing an armed uprising.
Lenin wanted to take a direct part in revolutionary events. At the first opportunity, in early November 1905, he arrived in St. Petersburg illegally, under a false name, and began active work. Lenin headed the work of the Central and St. Petersburg Committees of the RSDLP, and paid much attention to the management of the newspaper “New Life,” which became very popular among workers. Under the direct leadership of Lenin, the party was preparing an armed uprising. At the same time, Lenin wrote the book “Two Tactics of Social Democracy in the Democratic Revolution,” in which he points out the need for the hegemony of the proletariat and an armed uprising. In the struggle to win over the peasantry (which was actively waged with the Socialist Revolutionaries), Lenin wrote the pamphlet “To the Village Poor.” This struggle turned out to be successful: from the moment Lenin arrived in Russia until his departure, the size of the party increased by an order of magnitude. By the end of 1906, the RSDLP consisted of approximately 150 thousand people.
Lenin's presence could not go unnoticed by the tsarist secret police; further stay in Russia became dangerous. In 1906 Lenin moved to Finland, and in the fall of 1907 he emigrated again.
Despite the defeat of the December armed uprising, Lenin proudly said that the Bolsheviks used all revolutionary opportunities, they were the first to take the path of uprising and the last to leave it when this path became impossible.
Second emigration
In early January 1908, Lenin returned to Switzerland. Defeat of the revolution of 1905-1907. did not force him to fold his arms; he considered a repetition of the revolutionary upsurge inevitable. “Defeated armies learn well,” wrote Lenin. In 1912 he decisively broke with the Mensheviks, who insisted on the legalization of the RSDLP.
On May 5, 1912, the first issue of the legal Bolshevik newspaper Pravda was published. Its editor-in-chief was actually Lenin. He wrote articles to Pravda almost every day, sent letters in which he gave instructions, advice, and corrected the editors’ mistakes. Over the course of 2 years, Pravda published about 270 Leninist articles and notes. Also in exile, Lenin led the activities of the Bolsheviks in the IV State Duma, was a representative of the RSDLP in the II International, wrote articles on party and national issues, and studied philosophy.
From the end of 1912 Lenin lived on the territory of Austria-Hungary. Here, in the Galician town of Poronin, he was caught up in the First World War. Austrian gendarmes arrested Lenin, declaring him a tsarist spy. To free him, the help of a member of the Austrian parliament, socialist V. Adler, was required. To the question of the Habsburg minister, “Are you sure that Ulyanov is an enemy of the tsarist government?” Adler replied: “Oh, yes, more sworn than Your Excellency.” On August 6, 1914, Lenin was released from prison, and 17 days later he was already in Switzerland. Soon after his arrival, Lenin announced his theses on the war at a meeting of a group of Bolshevik emigrants. He said that the war that had begun was imperialist, unfair on both sides, and alien to the interests of the working people.
Many modern historians accuse Lenin of defeatist sentiments, but he himself explained his position as follows: A lasting and just peace - without robbery and violence of the victors over the vanquished, a world in which not a single people would be oppressed, is impossible to achieve while capitalists are in power . Only the people themselves can end the war and conclude a just, democratic peace. And for this, the working people need to turn their weapons against the imperialist governments, turning the imperialist massacre into a civil war, into a revolution against the ruling classes and take power into their own hands. Therefore, whoever wants a lasting, democratic peace must be in favor of a civil war against governments and the bourgeoisie. Lenin put forward the slogan of revolutionary defeatism, the essence of which was voting against war loans to the government (in parliament), creating and strengthening revolutionary organizations among workers and soldiers, fighting government patriotic propaganda, and supporting the fraternization of soldiers at the front. At the same time, Lenin considered his position deeply patriotic: “We love our language and our homeland, we are full of a sense of national pride, and that is why we especially hate our slave past... and our slave present.”
At party conferences in Zimmerwald (1915) and Kienthal (1916), Lenin defended his thesis on the need to transform the imperialist war into a civil war and at the same time asserted that the socialist revolution could win in Russia (“Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism”).
"Sealed carriage"
After the February Revolution of 1917 (the fact of which Lenin learned from the newspapers), the German authorities allowed Lenin, accompanied by 35 party comrades, among whom were Krupskaya, Zinoviev, Lilina, Armand, Sokolnikov, Radek and others, to leave Switzerland by train through Germany. Moreover, Lenin was traveling in a so-called “sealed carriage” - in other words, he and his closest colleagues were forbidden to leave their carriage at all stations right up to the border. Moreover, the German government and the General Staff were well aware of who Lenin was and how socially explosive his ideas could be for the Russian government, which was determined to continue the bloody war. It is noted that the German government financed all opposition parties in Russia, in proportion to their numbers. Thus, the Social Revolutionaries had the greatest support (6 million people in 1917), and the support of the Bolsheviks (30 thousand people in 1917) was very insignificant. There is a hypothesis that this is why they gave Lenin the opportunity to freely cross their territory. Lenin's arrival in Russia on April 3, 1917 found a great response among the proletarians. The next day, April 4, Lenin made a report to the Bolsheviks. These were the famous “April Theses”, in which Lenin outlined his plan for the party’s struggle for the transition from the bourgeois-democratic revolution to the workers’, socialist revolution. Having taken control of the RSDLP(b), Lenin implemented this plan. From April to July 1917, he wrote more than 170 articles, brochures, draft resolutions of Bolshevik conferences and the Party Central Committee, and appeals. After the shooting by the Provisional Government of a peaceful demonstration that took place in Petrograd on July 3-5, the period of dual power ends. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, are moving into open confrontation with the government and preparing for a new revolution.
July 20 (July 7 old style) The Provisional Government gave the order for Lenin's arrest. In Petrograd, he had to change 17 safe houses, after which, until August 21 (August 8, old style) 1917, he hid near Petrograd - in a hut on Lake Razliv, and until the beginning of October - in Finland (Yalkala, Helsingfors, Vyborg).
October Revolution of 1917
On the evening of October 24, 1917, Lenin arrived in Smolny and began to directly lead the uprising together with the then chairman of the Petrograd Soviet L. D. Trotsky. It took 2 days to overthrow the government of A.F. Kerensky. On November 7 (October 25, old style) Lenin wrote an appeal for the overthrow of the Provisional Government. On the same day, at the opening of the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets, Lenin's decrees on peace and land were adopted and a workers' and peasants' government was formed - the Council of People's Commissars, headed by Lenin. On January 5, 1918, the Constituent Assembly opened, in which the Socialist Revolutionaries received a majority. Lenin, with the support of the Left Social Revolutionaries, presented the Constituent Assembly with a choice: ratify the power of the Soviets and the decrees of the Bolshevik government or disperse. Russia at that time was an agricultural country, 90% of its population were peasants. The Social Revolutionaries expressed their political views. The Constituent Assembly, which did not agree with this formulation of the issue, was dissolved.
During the 124 days of the “Smolny period,” Lenin wrote over 110 articles, draft decrees and resolutions, delivered over 70 reports and speeches, wrote about 120 letters, telegrams and notes, and participated in editing more than 40 state and party documents. The working day of the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars lasted 15-18 hours. During this period, Lenin chaired 77 meetings of the Council of People's Commissars, led 26 meetings and meetings of the Central Committee, participated in 17 meetings of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and its Presidium, and in the preparation and conduct of 6 different All-Russian Congresses of Working People. After the Central Committee of the Party and the Soviet government moved from Petrograd to Moscow, from March 11, 1918, Lenin lived and worked in Moscow. Lenin's personal apartment and office were located in the Kremlin, on the third floor of the former Senate building.
Post-revolutionary activities
In accordance with the Peace Decree, Lenin needed to withdraw from the world war. Fearing the capture of Petrograd by German troops, at his suggestion, the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the RCP (b) moved to Moscow, which became the new capital of Soviet Russia. Despite the opposition of the left communists and L.D. Trotsky, Lenin managed to achieve the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty with Germany on March 3, 1918. He lived and worked in the Kremlin, implementing his program of transformations on the path to socialism. On August 30, 1918, an attempt was made on his life by Socialist-Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan, which led to his serious injury. 
(the question of the possibility of the half-blind Fanny Kaplan hitting Lenin from a distance of 50 meters remains controversial). In 1919, on the initiative of Lenin, the 3rd Communist International was created. In 1921, at the 10th Congress of the RCP(b), he put forward the task of transitioning from the policy of “war communism” to a new economic policy. Lenin contributed to the establishment of a one-party system and an atheistic worldview in the country. Thus, Lenin became the founder of the world's first socialist state.
The consequences of the injury and excessive work led Lenin to a serious illness. (The version according to which Lenin was sick with syphilis, which began to spread during his lifetime, is most likely erroneous). In March 1922, Lenin led the work of the 11th Congress of the RCP (b) - the last party congress at which he spoke. In May 1922 he became seriously ill, but returned to work in early October. 
Lenin's last public speech was on November 20, 1922 at the plenum of the Moscow Soviet. On December 16, 1922, his health condition again deteriorated sharply, and in May 1923, due to illness, he moved to the Gorki estate near Moscow. The last time Lenin was in Moscow was on October 18-19, 1923. In January 1924, his health suddenly deteriorated sharply and on January 21, 1924 at 6 o’clock. 50 min. pm Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) died.
After death
On January 23, the coffin with Lenin’s body was transported to Moscow and installed in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. The official farewell took place over five days and nights. On January 27, the coffin with Lenin’s embalmed body was placed in a specially built Mausoleum on Red Square (architect A.V. Shchusev). On January 26, 1924, after the death of Lenin, the 2nd All-Union Congress of Soviets granted the request of the Petrograd Soviet to rename Petrograd to Leningrad. A city delegation (about 1 thousand people) participated in Lenin’s funeral in Moscow. It was also announced that the USSR Central Executive Committee had decided to build a Mausoleum near the Kremlin wall. The project was carried out by architect A. Shchusev. By January 27, 1924, a temporary Mausoleum was built. It was a cube topped with a three-tiered pyramid. In the spring of the same year it was replaced by another temporary Mausoleum, also made of wood.
The modern stone Mausoleum was built in 1930, also according to the design of A. Shchusev. This is a monumental structure, faced with dark red granite, porphyry and black labradorite. Its external volume is 5.8 thousand cubic meters, and its internal volume is 2.4 thousand cubic meters. Red and black tones give the Mausoleum a clear and sad severity. Above the entrance, on a monolith made of black labradorite, there is an inscription in red quartzite letters: LENIN. At the same time, guest stands for 10 thousand people were built on both sides of the building along the Kremlin wall.
During the last restoration, carried out in the 70s, the Mausoleum was equipped with the latest instruments and equipment to control all engineering systems, the structures were strengthened and more than 12 thousand marble blocks were replaced. The old guest stands were replaced with new ones.
At the entrance to the Mausoleum there was a guard, established by order of the head of the Moscow garrison on January 26, 1924, the day before Lenin’s funeral. After the events of October 3-4, 1993, the guard was removed.
In 1923, the Central Committee of the RCP (b) created the Institute of V. I. Lenin, and in 1932, as a result of its merger with the Institute of K. Marx and F. Engels, a single Institute of Marx - Engels - Lenin was formed under the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) (later the Institute Marxism-Leninism under the Central Committee of the CPSU). The Central Party Archive of this institute contains more than 30 thousand documents, the author of which is V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin).
And after his death, Lenin divides society - approximately half of Russians favor his burial according to Christian custom (even though he was an atheist), next to the grave of his mother; and about the same number think that he should be left to lie in his mausoleum.
Lenin's main ideas
The Communist Party should not wait for the implementation of Marx’s predictions, but implement them independently: “Marxism is not a dogma, but a guide to action.” The main goal of the Communist Party is to carry out the communist revolution and subsequently build a classless society free from exploitation.
There is no universal morality, but only class morality. According to proletarian morality, everything that contributes to the communist revolution is moral (“our morality is completely subordinated to the interests of the class struggle of the proletariat”). Consequently, for the good of the revolution, any action, no matter how cruel, is permissible.
The revolution will not necessarily happen all over the world simultaneously, as Marx believed. It may first occur in one single country. This country will then help the revolution in other countries.
After Marx's death, capitalism entered its final stage - imperialism. Imperialism is characterized by the formation of international monopoly unions (empires) dividing the world, and the territorial division of the world is completed. Since each such monopoly union seeks to increase its profits, wars between them are inevitable.
To carry out a revolution, it is necessary to transform the imperialist war into a civil war. Tactically, the success of the revolution depends on the rapid capture of communications (mail, telegraph, train stations).
Before building communism, an intermediate stage is necessary - socialism. Under socialism there is no exploitation, but there is still no abundance of material goods to satisfy any needs of all members of society.
Various facts about Lenin
Quote " any cook is capable of running a state"is distorted. In fact, in the article “Will the Bolsheviks retain state power” (Complete Works, vol. 34, p. 315) Lenin wrote:
We are not utopians. We know that any unskilled worker and any cook are not capable of immediately taking over the government of the state. On this we agree with the cadets, and with Breshkovskaya, and with Tsereteli. But we differ from these citizens in that we demand an immediate break with the prejudice that only the rich or officials taken from rich families are able to govern the state, carry out the everyday, daily work of government. We demand that training in public administration be carried out by class-conscious workers and soldiers and that it begin immediately, that is, all working people, all the poor, immediately begin to be involved in this training.
Lenin believed that communism will be built in 1930-1940. In his speech “Tasks of Youth Unions” (1920) he said:
And so, the generation, which is now 15 years old and which in 10-20 years will live in a communist society, must set all the tasks of its teaching so that every day in any village, in any city, young people practically solve one or another problem of common labor, even the smallest, even the simplest.
Quote " study, study and study"is not taken out of context. It is taken from the work “The Retrograde Direction of Russian Social Democracy,” written in 1899 and published in 1924.
In 1917, Norway took the initiative to award Nobel Peace Prize to Vladimir Lenin, with the wording “For the triumph of the ideas of peace,” as a response to the “Decree on Peace” issued in Soviet Russia, which separately took Russia out of the First World War, but the Nobel Committee rejected this proposal.
V. I. Ulyanov is one of the few political figures without an autobiography. A single piece of paper was found in the archives where he tried to begin his biography, but there was no continuation.
His older sister did this work for him. Anna Ulyanova was 6 years older than her brother, and the process of his growing up and upbringing took place before her eyes. She writes that Volodya began to walk only at the age of 3; he had short, weak legs and a large head, as a result of which the boy often fell. Having fallen, Volodya started banging his head on the floor in anger and irritation. The echo of the blows echoed throughout the house. This is how he attracted attention to himself, writes Anna. At the same age, he coldly tore off the legs of a papier-mâché horse, and later destroyed a collection of theater posters that belonged to his older brother. Such cruelty and intolerance raised concerns among parents, Anna admits.
Anna first raised the question of Jewish origin of the Ulyanovs. Alexander Blank, Lenin's maternal grandfather, was a baptized Jew. It is still unknown why Prince Alexander Golitsyn, through whose efforts the baptism took place, patronized this Jewish boy. One way or another, it was thanks to the prince that the grandfather of the future leader achieved a lot in life: education, promotion, a successful marriage. Evil tongues claim that Blank was the illegitimate son of Golitsyn. Anna tried for a long time to publicize the facts she found. Two letters to Stalin asking permission to publish a full biography have survived. But Joseph Vissarionovich considered that the proletariat did not necessarily need to know this.
Some people today doubt whether we are celebrating then anniversary of Lenin's birth. The rumors arose due to the allegedly false date of birth. Indeed, V.I. Ulyanov’s work book contains the date April 23. The thing is. that the discrepancy between today's Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar in the 19th century was 12 days, and in the 20th century it was already 13. The work book was filled out in 1920, when an accidental error crept in.
They say that Ulyanov, in his gymnasium years was friends with Alexander Kerensky. They really lived in the same city, but the considerable difference in age could not lead to such a tandem. Although their fathers often met on duty. And Kerensky’s father was the director of the gymnasium where Volodya studied. By the way, this was the only teacher who gave Ulyanov a “B” on his certificate. Thus, in order for the boy to receive a gold medal, his father had to make a deal: he recommended F. M. Kerensky as a candidate for the same position of people's inspector that he himself held. And he was not refused - Kerensky was accepted for this position and went to inspect schools in Central Asia.
Another possible meeting between Lenin and Hitler still remains a mystery. The game of chess between these two historical figures is depicted in a 1909 engraving by artist Emma Löwenstamm, Hitler's artistic mentor. On the reverse side of the engraving there are pencil signatures of “Lenin”, “Hitler” and the artist Emma Löwenstamm herself, the place (Vienna) and year of creation (1909) of the etching are indicated. The artist's signature is also on the edge of the front side of the image. The meeting itself could have taken place in Vienna, in a house belonging to a wealthy and somewhat famous Jewish family. By this time, Adolf Hitler was an unsuccessful young watercolorist, and Vladimir Lenin was in exile there, writing the book “Materialism and Empirio-Criticism.” 
IN AND. Ulyanov at the age of 21 became the youngest lawyer in Russia. This is a considerable merit of the official authorities. who forbade him to study full-time. I had to take it as an external student.
V.I. Ulyanov was of the Orthodox faith and even got married in church - at the insistence of his mother-in-law. Few people know that in London in 1905 he met with priest Gapon. And even gave him my autographed book.
About Lenin's connection with Inessa Armand There are a lot of rumors going around. For now, this remains a mystery to historians. However, in the Krupskaya family album, photographs of Ilyich and Inessa are located on the same page. Moreover, Nadezhda Konstantinovna writes her most intimate letters to Armand’s daughters. Armand herself writes in her dying diary that she lives “only for the children and V.P.”
Rumors about that. What real name Krupskaya- Rybkina, they are baseless. It’s just that usually her underground nicknames were associated with the underwater world - “Fish”, “Lamprey”... Most likely this is due to Nadezhda Konstantinovna’s Graves’ disease, expressed in slightly bulging eyes.
Children of a revolutionary couple, as is known, was not. The last hope collapsed in Shushenskoye. “The hopes for the arrival of a little bird were not justified,” writes Nadezhda Konstantinovna to her mother-in-law from exile. The miscarriage was caused by the occurrence of Krupskaya Graves' disease.
According to the testimony of the attending physicians, the commission created in 1970, and today’s specialists, Lenin had cerebral atherosclerosis. But it proceeded very atypically. World-famous professor G.I. Rossolimo, having examined Ulyanov, wrote in his diary: “The situation is extremely serious. There would be hope for recovery if the basis of the brain process were syphilitic changes in blood vessels.” Perhaps this is where the version of Lenin’s venereal disease came from.
After the first stroke in May 22, Ulyanov returned to working condition for several months. And he started working in October. In two and a half months, he received more than 170 people, wrote about 200 official letters and business papers, chaired 34 meetings and meetings of the Council of People's Commissars, STO, Politburo and made a report at the session of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and at the IV Congress of the Comintern. This is an unprecedented case in medical practice.
It is still unknown who shot Lenin. But rumors that Kaplan is still alive remain rumors. Although neither the Central Archives of the KGB nor the files of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee found a written execution verdict. But Kremlin commandant Malkov claimed that he held this conclusion in his own hands.
Shortly before death Vladimir Ilyich recalled people with whom he had long since parted ways. He was no longer able to say anything specific about them and only named their names - Martov, Axelrod, Gorky, Bogdanov, Volsky...
Ulyanov was always afraid of being paralyzed and unable to work. Feeling an approaching stroke, he called Stalin to him and asked in case of paralysis give him poison. Stalin promised, but as far as we know, he did not fulfill this request.
Lenin's main works
“What are “friends of the people” and how do they fight against the Social Democrats?” (1894);
“The Development of Capitalism in Russia” (1899);
"What to do?" (1902);
“One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” (1904);
“Materialism and Empirio-Criticism” (1909);
“On the right of nations to self-determination” (1914);
"Socialism and War" (1915);
“Imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism” (1916);
"State and Revolution" (1917);
“The childhood disease of “leftism” in communism” (1920);
“Tasks of youth unions” (1920)
“On the pogrom persecution of Jews” (1924);
“Pages from the Diary”, “About Cooperation”, “About Our Revolution”, “Letter to the Congress”
What is Soviet power?
Lenin's family tree
---Grigory Ulyanin ---Nikita Grigorievich Ulyanin ---Vasily Nikitovich Ulyanin ---Nikolai Vasilyevich Ulyanov (Ulyanin) ¦ L--Anna Simeonovna Ulyanina ---Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov (1831-1886) ¦ ¦ ---Lukyan Smirnov ¦ ¦ ---Alexey Lukyanovich Smirnov ¦ L--Anna Alekseevna Smirnova ¦ Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov¦ ¦ ---Moshka Itskovich Blank ¦ ---Alexander Dmitrievich (Abel) Blank ¦ ¦ L--Miriam Blank L--Maria Alexandrovna Blank (1835-1916) ¦ ---Yugan Gottlieb (Ivan Fedorovich) Grosschopf L--Anna Ivanovna Grosschopf ¦ ---Karl Reingald Estedt ¦ ---Karl Frederick Estedt ¦ ¦ L--Beate Eleonora Niemann L--Anna Beatta (Anna Karlovna) Estedt ¦ ---Carl Borg L--Anna Christina Borg ¦ ---Simon Novelius L--Anna Brigitte Novella L--Ekaterina Arenberg Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian statesman and political figure, the founder of the Soviet state and the Communist Party. Under his leadership, the date of Lenin’s birth and death of the leader took place - 1870, April 22, and 1924, January 21, respectively.
Political and government activities
In 1917, after arriving in Petrograd, the leader of the proletariat led the October Uprising. He was elected Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Council of People's Commissars) and the Council of Peasant and Workers' Defense. was a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Since 1918, Lenin lived in Moscow. In conclusion, the leader of the proletariat played a key role. It was discontinued in 1922 due to serious illness. The date of Lenin's birth and death of the politician, thanks to his active work, went down in history.
Events of 1918
In 1918, on August 30, a coup d'état began. Trotsky was absent from Moscow at that time - he was on the Eastern Front, in Kazan. Dzerzhinsky was forced to leave the capital in connection with the murder of Uritsky. A very tense situation has developed in Moscow. Colleagues and relatives insisted that Vladimir Ilyich not go anywhere or attend any events. But the leader of the Bolsheviks refused to violate the schedule of speeches by the leaders of the regional authorities. A performance was planned in the Basmanny district, at the Bread Exchange. According to the recollections of the secretary of the Yampolskaya district committee, Lenin’s security was entrusted to Shablovsky, who was then supposed to escort Vladimir Ilyich to Zamoskvorechye. However, two or three hours before the expected start of the meeting, it was reported that the leader had been asked not to speak. But the leader still came to the Bread Exchange. He was guarded, as expected, by Shablovsky. But there was no security at the Mikhelson plant.
Who killed Lenin?
Kaplan (Fanny Efimovna) was the perpetrator of the attempt on the life of the leader. From the beginning of 1918, she actively collaborated with the right Socialist Revolutionaries, who were then in a semi-legal position. The leader of the proletariat, Kaplan, was brought to the place of speech in advance. She shot from a Browning almost point-blank. All three bullets fired from the weapon hit Lenin. The leader's driver, Gil, witnessed the assassination attempt. He did not see Kaplan in the dark, and when he heard the shots, as some sources testify, he was confused and did not shoot back. Later, deflecting suspicion from himself, Gil said during interrogations that after the leader’s speech, a crowd of workers came out into the factory yard. This is what prevented him from opening fire. Vladimir Ilyich was wounded, but not killed. Subsequently, according to historical evidence, the perpetrator of the assassination attempt was shot and her body was burned.
The leader’s health deteriorated, moving to Gorki
In 1922, in March, Vladimir Ilyich began to have quite frequent seizures, accompanied by loss of consciousness. The following year, paralysis and speech impairment developed on the right side of the body. However, despite such a serious condition, doctors hoped to improve the situation. In May 1923, Lenin was transported to Gorki. Here his health improved noticeably. And in October he even asked to be transported to Moscow. However, he did not stay in the capital for long. By winter, the Bolshevik leader’s condition had improved so much that he began to try to write with his left hand, and during the Christmas tree in December, he spent the entire evening with the children.
Events of the last days before the death of the leader
As People's Commissar of Health Semashko testified, two days before his death, Vladimir Ilyich went hunting. This was confirmed by Krupskaya. She said that the day before Lenin was in the forest, but, apparently, he was very tired. When Vladimir Ilyich was sitting on the balcony, he was very pale and kept falling asleep in his chair. In recent months he has not slept at all during the day. A few days before her death, Krupskaya already felt the approach of something terrible. The leader looked very tired and exhausted. He turned very pale, and his gaze, as Nadezhda Konstantinovna recalled, became different. But, despite the alarming signals, a hunting trip was planned for January 21. According to doctors, all this time the brain continued to progress, as a result of which parts of the brain “switched off” one after another.
Last day of life
Professor Osipov, who treated Lenin, describes this day, testifying to the leader’s general malaise. On the 20th he had poor appetite and was in a sluggish mood. He didn't want to study that day. At the end of the day, Lenin was put to bed. He was prescribed a light diet. This state of lethargy was observed the next day; the politician remained in bed for four hours. He was visited in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. During the day, an appetite appeared, the leader was given broth. By six o'clock the malaise increased, cramps appeared in the legs and arms, and the politician lost consciousness. The doctor testifies that the right limbs were very tense - it was impossible to bend the leg at the knee. Convulsive movements were also observed in the left side of the body. The seizure was accompanied by increased cardiac activity and increased breathing. The number of respiratory movements approached 36, and the heart contracted at a speed of 120-130 beats per minute. Along with this, a very threatening sign appeared, which consisted of a violation of the correct breathing rhythm. This type of cerebral breathing is very dangerous and almost always indicates the approach of a fatal end. After some time, the condition stabilized somewhat. The number of respiratory movements decreased to 26, and the pulse decreased to 90 beats per minute. Lenin’s body temperature at that moment was 42.3 degrees. This increase was caused by a convulsive continuous state, which gradually began to weaken. Doctors began to harbor some hope for normalization of the condition and a favorable outcome of the seizure. However, at 18.50, blood suddenly rushed to Lenin’s face, it turned red and purple. Then the leader took a deep breath, and the next moment he died. Afterwards artificial respiration was applied. Doctors tried to bring Vladimir Ilyich back to life for 25 minutes, but all manipulations were ineffective. He died of cardiac and respiratory paralysis.
The mystery of Lenin's death
The official medical report stated that the leader had progressed widespread cerebral atherosclerosis. At one point, due to circulatory disorders and hemorrhage into the soft membrane, Vladimir Ilyich died. However, a number of historians believe that Lenin was assassinated, namely: he was poisoned. The leader's condition worsened gradually. According to historian Lurie, Vladimir Ilyich suffered a stroke in 1921, as a result of which the right side of his body was paralyzed. However, by 1924 he was able to recover enough that he was able to go hunting. Neurologist Winters, who studied the medical history in detail, even testified that several hours before his death the leader was very active and even talked. Shortly before the fatal end, several convulsive seizures occurred. But, according to the neurologist, it was just a manifestation of a stroke - these symptoms are characteristic of this pathological condition. However, it was not only and not so much a matter of illness. So why did Lenin die? According to the conclusion of the toxicological examination, which was carried out during the autopsy, traces were found in the leader’s body. Based on this, experts concluded that the cause of death was poison.
Researchers' versions
If the leader was poisoned, then who killed Lenin? Over time, various versions began to be put forward. Stalin became the main "suspect". According to historians, it was he who benefited more than anyone else from the death of the leader. Joseph Stalin sought to become the leader of the country, and only by eliminating Vladimir Ilyich could he achieve this. According to another version of who killed Lenin, suspicion fell on Trotsky. However, this conclusion is less plausible. Many historians are of the opinion that it was Stalin who ordered the murder. Despite the fact that Vladimir Ilyich and Joseph Vissarionovich were comrades-in-arms, the former was against the appointment of the latter as the leader of the country. In this regard, realizing the danger, Lenin, on the eve of his death, tried to build a tactical alliance with Trotsky. The death of the leader guaranteed Joseph Stalin absolute power. Quite a lot of political events took place in the year of Lenin's death. After his death, personnel changes began in the management apparatus. Many figures were eliminated by Stalin. New people took their place.
Opinions of some scientists
Vladimir Ilyich died in middle age (it’s easy to calculate how old Lenin died). Scientists say that the walls of the leader’s cerebral vessels were less strong than necessary for his 53 years. However, the causes of destruction in brain tissue remain unclear. There were no objective provoking factors for this: Vladimir Ilyich was young enough for this and did not belong to the risk group for pathologies of this kind. In addition, the politician did not smoke himself and did not allow smokers to visit him. He was neither overweight nor diabetic. Vladimir Ilyich did not suffer from hypertension or other heart pathologies. After the death of the leader, rumors appeared that his body was affected by syphilis, but no evidence of this was found. Some experts talk about heredity. As you know, the date of Lenin’s death is January 21, 1924. He lived a year less than his father, who died at the age of 54. Vladimir Ilyich could have a predisposition to vascular pathologies. In addition, the party leader was in a state of stress almost constantly. He was often haunted by fears for his life. There was more than enough excitement both in youth and in adulthood.
Events after the death of the leader
There is no exact information about who killed Lenin. However, Trotsky in one of his articles claimed that Stalin poisoned the leader. In particular, he wrote that in February 1923, during a meeting of members of the Politburo, Joseph Vissarionovich announced that Vladimir Ilyich urgently required him to join him. Lenin asked for poison. The leader began to lose the ability to speak again and considered his situation hopeless. He did not believe the doctors, he suffered, but kept his thoughts clear. Stalin told Trotsky that Vladimir Ilyich was tired of suffering and wanted to have poison with him so that when it became completely unbearable, he would end everything. However, Trotsky was categorically against it (at least, that’s what he said then). This episode is confirmed - Lenin’s secretary told the writer Beck about this incident. Trotsky argued that with his words, Stalin was trying to provide himself with an alibi, having actually planned to poison the leader.
Several facts refuting that the leader of the proletariat was poisoned
Some historians believe that the most reliable information in the official doctors' report is the date of Lenin's death. The autopsy of the body was carried out in compliance with the necessary formalities. The General Secretary, Stalin, took care of this. During the autopsy, doctors did not look for poison. But even if there were insightful specialists, they would most likely put forward a version of suicide. It is assumed that the leader did not receive poison from Stalin after all. Otherwise, after Lenin’s death, the successor would have destroyed all the witnesses and people who were close to Ilyich so that not a single trace would remain. Moreover, at the time of his death, the leader of the proletariat was practically helpless. Doctors did not predict significant improvements, so the likelihood of restoration of health was low.
Facts confirming poisoning
It should be said, however, that the version according to which Vladimir Ilyich died from poison has many supporters. There are even a number of facts that confirm this. For example, the writer Soloviev devoted many pages to this issue. In particular, in the book “Operation Mausoleum” the author confirms Trotsky’s reasoning with a number of arguments:
There is also evidence from doctor Gabriel Volkov. It should be said that this doctor was arrested shortly after the death of the leader. While in the detention center, Volkov told Elizabeth Lesotho, his cellmate, about what happened on the morning of January 21. The doctor brought Lenin a second breakfast at 11 o’clock. Vladimir Ilyich was in bed, and when he saw Volkov, he tried to get up and extended his hands to him. However, the politician lost his strength, and he fell onto the pillows again. At the same time, a note fell out of his hand. Volkov managed to hide her before the doctor Elistratov came in and gave a calming injection. Vladimir Ilyich fell silent and closed his eyes, as it turned out, forever. And only in the evening, when Lenin had already died, Volkov was able to read the note. In it, the leader wrote that he was poisoned. Solovyov believes that the politician was poisoned with mushroom soup, which contained dried poisonous mushroom cortinarius ciosissimus, which caused Lenin’s quick death. The struggle for power after the death of the leader was not violent. Stalin received absolute power and became the leader of the country, eliminating all people he disliked. The years of Lenin's birth and death became memorable for the Soviet people for a long time.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is a famous Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician and statesman, founder of the Soviet Union, organizer of the CPSU. He was involved in many areas. He is considered the most legendary leader and politician in history. Moreover, Lenin organized the first socialist state. This communist figure was interested in the politics of Mark Engels, and soon continued his work. Vladimir Ilyich changed the fate of not only the Soviet state, but the whole world. Lenin is the founder of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. The main task of this statesman was to create a party of the working class. Such an innovation was supposed to have a positive impact on the fate of the state in the future, according to Lenin.
Portrait of Vladimir Lenin
Biography of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
This person is considered the most important organizer and leader of the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia. In addition, Vladimir Ilyich - first chairman of the Council of People's Commissars.
Despite the huge period of time that has passed since the reign of the legendary figure, historians are increasingly paying attention to studying his policies, methods of activity and the life of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. He actively developed his policies at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, his form of government was not to everyone's liking. Some condemned the politician, others admired him. Despite everything, he still remains one of the most significant personalities in the field of politics.
Lenin was an ardent Marxist and always clearly defended his opinion. He is considered the founder of Marxism-Leninism. Vladimir Ilyich is the ideologist and creator of the Third Communist International. The state representative was also involved in the field of political and journalistic work. His pen includes works of various nature. For example, materialist philosophy, the theory of Marxism, the construction of socialism and communism and many others.
Vladimir Lenin and his sister Maria
Millions consider Vladimir Ilyich Lenin to be one of the most famous political figures in world history. This is due to the methods of his government and the nature of his activities. The staff of the popular Time magazine added Lenin to the list of the hundred most significant revolutionary figures of the twentieth century. This Russian leader was included in the category "Leaders and Revolutionaries". It is also known that the works of Vladimir Ilyich annually lead in the lists of translated literature. Printed works rank third in the world after the Bible and works Mao Zedong.
Childhood and youth of Vladimir Ulyanov
The real name of the great Russian leader is Ulyanov. Vladimir Ilyich was born in 1870 in Ulyanovsk (Simbirsk today) in the family of an inspector of public schools in the Simbirsk province. Vladimir's father Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov, was a state councilor. Previously, he taught in secondary educational institutions in Penza and Nizhny Novgorod.
Vladimir Lenin in childhood
Mother of Vladimir Ulyanov, Maria Alexandrovna, had Swedish and German ancestry on her mother’s side and European ancestry on her father’s side. Maria Ulyanova passed the exams for the position of teacher as an external student. However, she later finished her career and devoted all her free time to raising her children and housekeeping. In addition to Vladimir, the family had older children - son Alexander and daughter Anna. A few years later, two more children appeared in the family - Maria and Dmitry.
As a child, young Ulyanov received Orthodox baptism and was a member of the Simbirsk religious Society of St. Sergius of Radonezh. During school, the boy received high grades according to God's law.
Little Vladimir was a very developed child. At the age of five he could already read and write perfectly. Soon he entered the Simbirsk gymnasium. There he was attentive, diligent and devoted a lot of time to the educational process. For his hard work and efforts, he constantly received certificates of commendation and other awards. Some teachers often called him a “walking encyclopedia.”
Vladimir Lenin in his youth
Vladimir Ulyanov was very different from other students in the level of his development. All his classmates respected him and treated him like an authoritative friend. During his school years, the future leader read a lot of advanced Russian literature, which soon influenced the boy’s worldview. He preferred the works of V. G. Belinsky, A. I. Herzen, N. A. Dobrolyubov, D. I. Pisarev and especially N. G. Chernyshevsky and others. In 1880, a schoolboy received a book with gold embossing on the binding: “For good behavior and success” and a certificate of merit.
In 1887 He graduated from the Simbirsk gymnasium with a gold medal; in general, his grades were at a high level. Then he entered the Faculty of Law of Kazan University. The leaders of the gymnasium, F. Kerensky, were extremely surprised and disappointed by the choice of Vladimir Ulyanov. He advised him to continue his studies at the Faculty of History and Literature. Kerensky argued for this decision by the fact that his student was truly successful in the field of Latin and literature.
In 1887, a terrible incident occurred in the Ulyanov family - Vladimir’s older brother Alexander was executed for organizing an assassination attempt on the Tsar. Alexandra III. From that moment, Ulyanov’s revolutionary activities began to develop. He started attending an illegal student group "Narodnaya Volya" headed by Lazar Bogoraz. Due to this, he was expelled from the university already in his first year. Ulyanov and several dozen other students were arrested and sent to the police station. The situation with his brother affected his worldview. Vladimir Ulyanov seriously protested against national oppression and tsarist policies. It was during that period that the guy began his revolutionary activities against capitalism.
Vladimir Lenin in his youth
After expulsion from Kazan University, he moved to a small village called Kukushkino, located in the Kazan province. There he lived for two years in the Ardashevs’ house. In connection with all the events, Vladimir Ulyanov was included in the list of suspicious individuals who must be carefully monitored. Moreover, the future leader was prohibited from resuming his studies at the university.
Soon Vladimir Ilyich became a member of various Marxist organizations that Fedoseev created. Members of these groups studied the essays Karl Marx and Engels. In 1889, Vladimir’s mother, Maria Ulyanova, acquired a huge plot of more than a hundred hectares in the Samara province. The whole family moved into this mansion. The mother persistently asked her son to manage such a large house, but this process was not successful.
Local peasants robbed the Ulyanovs and stole their horse and two cows. Then Ulyanova could not stand it and decided to sell both the land and the house. Today, the house-museum of Vladimir Lenin is located in this village.
Lenin abroad
In 1889 The Lenin family changed their place of residence. They moved to Samara. There, Vladimir’s connections with the revolutionaries resumed again. However, after a while, the authorities changed their decision and allowed the previously arrested Vladimir to begin preparing for exams to study jurisprudence. During his studies, he actively studied economic textbooks, as well as zemstvo statistical reports.
Participation of Vladimir Lenin in revolutionary activities
In 1891 Vladimir Lenin entered the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University as an external student. There he worked as an assistant to a sworn lawyer from Samara and defended prisoners. In 1893 he moved to St. Petersburg and devoted much time to writing works related to Marxist political economy. During the same period of time, he created the program of the Social Democratic Party. Among Lenin's popular and surviving works is “New Economic Movements in Peasant Life.”
Vladimir Lenin with a newspaper
In 1895 Lenin went abroad and visited several countries at once. Among them are Switzerland, Germany and France. There Vladimir Ilyin met famous personalities such as, Georgy Plekhanov, Wilhelm Liebknecht and Paul Lafargue. Later, the revolutionary figure returned to his homeland and began to develop various innovations. First of all, he united all Marxist circles into the “Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class.” Lenin began to actively spread the idea of fighting the autocracy.
For such actions, Lenin and his allies were arrested again. They were in custody for a year. Next, the prisoners were sent to the Shushenskoye village of the Elysee province. During this period, the statesman actively established relations with Social Democrats from various parts of the country, namely from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, and Nizhny Novgorod.
In 1900 he was free and visited all the cities of Russia. Lenin devoted a lot of time to visiting various organizations. In the same year, Lenin created a newspaper called "Spark". It was then that Vladimir Ilyich first began to sign the name “Lenin”. A few months later he organized the congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. In connection with this event, a split occurred into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Lenin became the head of the Bolshevik ideological and political party. He tried with all his might to fight the Mensheviks and took radical measures.
Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin
Since 1905 Lenin lived in Switzerland for three years. There he carefully prepared for an armed uprising. Later, Vladimir Ilyich returned illegally to St. Petersburg. He tried to attract the peasants to him so that they would be one strong team to fight. Vladimir Lenin called on the peasants to actively fight and asked them to use everything that was at hand as a weapon. It was necessary to attack civil servants.
Role in the execution of the family of Emperor Nicholas II criticism and accusations
As it became known, on the night of July 16-17, 1918, the family of Nicholas II and all the servants were shot. This incident occurred by order of the Ural Regional Council in Yekaterinburg. The resolution was headed by the Bolsheviks. Lenin and Sverdlov had a certain number of sanctions that were used for execution Nicholas II. These data have been officially confirmed. However, historical experts and other specialists are still actively discussing Lenin's sanctions for the execution of the family and servants of Nicholas II. Some historians acknowledge this fact, others categorically deny it.
Initially, the Soviet government decided that it was necessary to try Nicholas II. This issue was discussed in 1918 at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars, which took place at the end of January. The Party Collegium officially confirmed such actions and the need for a trial of Nicholas II. This idea, accordingly, was supported by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and his allies.
Speech by Vladimir Lenin
As you know, during that period, Nicholas II, his family and servants were transported from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg. Most likely, this move was connected with all the events taking place. M. Medvedev (Kudrin) provided confirmation that it was not possible to obtain sanctions for the execution of Nicholas II. Lenin argued that the tsar needed to be transferred to a safer place to live. On July 13, a meeting was held at which issues related to the military review and the careful protection of the Tsar were discussed.
Wife of Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Krupskaya said that on the night of the murder of the Tsar and his family, the Russian leader was at work all night and returned only early in the morning.
Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky
Personal life of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Krupskaya
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin tried to carefully hide his personal life, like other professional revolutionaries. His wife was Nadezhda Krupskaya. They met in 1894 during the active creation of an organization called "Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class". At that time, a Marxist meeting took place, where they met. Nadezhda Krupskaya was admired by Lenin's leadership qualities and his serious character. She, in turn, interested Lenin in his analytical mind and development in many areas. Government activities brought the couple much closer together and a few years later they decided to tie the knot. Vladimir Ilyich’s chosen one was restrained and calm, extremely flexible. She supported her lover in everything, no matter what. Moreover, the wife helped the Russian revolutionary in secret correspondence with various party members.
However, despite Nadezhda’s wonderful character and loyalty, she was a terrible housewife. It was almost never possible to notice Krupskaya in the process of cooking and cleaning. She did not do housework and cooked extremely rarely. However, if such cases did occur, then Lenin did not complain and ate everything that was given to him. Let us note that once in 1916, on New Year's Eve, there was only yogurt on their festive table.
Vladimir Lenin and Nadezhda Krupskaya
Before Krupskaya, Lenin admired Apollinaria Yakubova, however, she rejected him. Yakubova was a socialist.
After they met, love broke out at first sight. Krupskaya followed her lover everywhere and participated in all the actions of Vladimir Ilyich. Soon they got married. Local peasants became best men. The rings were made for them by their ally from copper coins. The wedding of Krupskaya and Lenin took place on July 22, 1898 in the village of Shushenskoye. After this, Nadezhda truly loved her husband. Moreover, Lenin got married, despite the fact that at that time he was an ardent atheist.
In her free time, Nadezhda went about her business, namely theoretical and pedagogical work. She had her own opinions regarding many situations and did not completely submit to her abusive husband.
Vladimir was always cruel and callous towards his wife, but Nadezhda always bowed to him, loved him faithfully and helped him in all areas. In addition to Nadezhda, there were many other women in Lenin’s life, even after marriage. Krupskaya knew about this, but proudly restrained the pain and endured the humiliating attitude towards herself. She forgot about feelings of pride and jealousy.
Vladimir Lenin and Inessa Armand
There is still no reliable information about the children of Vladimir Lenin. Some claim that they were infertile and had no children at all. And other historians say that the famous Russian leader had many illegitimate children. There is also information that Lenin has a child named Alexander Steffen from his beloved Inessa Armand. Their romance lasted for five years. Inessa Armand was Lenin's mistress for a long time and Krupskaya knew about everything that was happening.
They met Inessa Armand in 1909 while in Paris. As you know, Inessa Armand is the daughter of a famous French opera singer and comic actress. At that time, Inessa was 35 years old. She was completely different from Nadezhda Krupskaya neither externally nor internally. She was distinguished by beautiful features and unusual appearance. The girl had deep eyes, beautiful long hair, an excellent figure and a beautiful voice. Krupskaya, according to Anna Ulyanova, Vladimir’s sister, was completely ugly, had eyes like a fish, and did not have beautiful expressive facial features.
Inessa Armand She had a passionate character and always expressed her emotions clearly. She loved to communicate with people and had good manners. Krupskaya, unlike Lenin’s French chosen one, was cold and did not like to express her emotions. They say that Vladimir, most likely, had simply a physical attraction to this lady, he did not experience any feelings for her. However, Inessa herself loved this man very much. Moreover, she was radical in her views and categorically did not understand open relationships. Armand was also an excellent cook and always took care of housework, unlike Nadezhda Krupskaya, who was almost never involved in these processes.
Vladimir Lenin
Information was also known that Nadezhda Krupskaya suffered from infertility. It was this fact that argued for the absence of children from the couple for many years. Later, doctors stated that the woman had a terrible illness - Graves' disease. It was this disease that was the reason for the absence of children.
In the Soviet Union, information was not disseminated about Lenin’s infidelities and the couple’s lack of children. These facts were considered shameful.
Nadezhda's parents loved Vladimir Ilyich very much. They were happy that she connected her life with an intelligent young man, very educated and discreet. However, Lenin’s family was not very happy about the appearance of this girl. For example, Vladimir’s sister - Anna, hated Nadezhda and considered her strange and unattractive.
Nadezhda knew everything about her husband’s infidelities, but she behaved with restraint and never said anything to him, much less to Inessa. Everyone around him knew about this love triangle, since the famous revolutionary did not hide anything and did it in plain sight. Inessa Armand was always present in the life of the couple. Moreover, Inessa and Nadezhda tried to maintain friendly relations and communicate.
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich
Lenin's French mistress helped him in everything; she went with him to party meetings throughout Europe. The woman also translated his books, articles and other works. Let us note that Nadezhda kept a photograph of her husband’s mistress in her bedroom and looked at her competitor every day. Nearby there were photographs of Vladimir and Nadezhda’s mother.
Nadezhda endured her husband’s humiliation and betrayal until the very end, and, it would seem, had already come to terms with Vladimir’s mistress. However, at some point she could not stand it and invited her husband to leave. He did not agree and left his mistress Inessa Armand. In 1920, Inessa died from a terrible disease - cholera. Nadezhda Krupskaya also came to her rival’s funeral. She held Vladimir's hand the whole time.
Lenin's French fiancee left two children from her first marriage, who became orphans. Their father also died earlier. Therefore, the couple decided to take care of these children and look after them. Initially, the children lived in Gorki, but later they were sent abroad.
Vladimir Lenin in the last years of his life
Death of Vladimir Lenin
After the death of Inessa Armand, Lenin's life went downhill. He also began to get sick often; the Russian leader’s health condition deteriorated significantly due to all the events taking place. He soon passed away on January 21, 1924 at the estate Gorki Moscow province. There were many versions of the man's death. Some historians suggest that he died due to syphilis, which could have been transmitted to him by his French mistress. As is known, he took medications for a long time to treat such diseases.
However, according to official data, Lenin died from atherosclerosis, which he had suffered from recently. Vladimir Ilyich's last request was bring Inessa's children to him. At that time they were in France. Krupskaya fulfilled this request of her husband, but they were not allowed to see Lenin. In February 1924, Nadezhda proposed burying Vladimir next to the ashes of Inessa Armand, but Stalin categorically denied this proposal.
Funeral of Vladimir Lenin
A few days after the death of the world-famous leader, his body was transported to Moscow. He was placed in the Column Hall of the House of Unions. For five days, farewell was held in this building to the Russian leader, political and statesman, to the head of the Soviet people.
January 27, 1924 Lenin's body was embalmed. A Mausoleum was specially built for the body of this legendary personality, which is still located on Red Square to this day. Every year the issue of reburial of Vladimir Lenin is raised, but no one does it.
Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow
Creativity, writings and works of Lenin
Lenin was a famous successor Karl Marx. He often wrote works on this topic. Thus, hundreds of works belong to his pen. In Soviet times, more than forty “Lenin collections” were published, as well as collected works. Among Lenin's most popular works are “The Development of Capitalism in Russia” (1899), “What to Do?” (1902), “Materialism and Empirio-Criticism” (1909). Moreover, in 1919-1921 he recorded sixteen speeches on records, which testifies to the oratorical abilities of the people's leader.
Cult of Lenin
A real cult began around the personality of Vladimir Lenin during his reign. Petrograd was renamed Leningrad, many streets and villages were named after this Russian revolutionary. In every city of the state a monument to Vladimir Lenin was erected. The legendary man was quoted in many scientific and journalistic works.
Revolutionary Lenin Vladimir Ilyich
A special survey was conducted among the Russian population. More than 52% of respondents claim that the personality of Vladimir Lenin has become one of the most important and necessary in the history of their people.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is a world-famous Russian revolutionary, the main leader of the Soviet people, politician and statesman. He was involved in the field of journalism; hundreds of works belong to the pen of this legendary man. Over the past decades, many poems, ballads, poems have been published in his honor. In almost every city there is a monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, whose reign will be talked about for decades to come all over the world.