Difference between revisions of "How did Vladimir Lenin Rise To Power"
 
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Undoubtedly in the ranks of the turbulent 20th century’s decades a few names emerge as some of the most significant key revolutionaries known in the history of mankind: Lenin, Mandela, Stalin, Hitler, Mao to name a few. Yet some of them share and spread out that specific spirit able to spark a fire on a global scale, conquer minds and inspire millions of people effectively having them bent to their absolute will. But what does it take to be a true revolutionary and change the fate of those millions, to define the very course of the history itself and/or even shape entire countries? How does one bring down emblematic well-established ‘status quos’ and regimes to build one’s own upon former remains and ashes? What is it like to be a true visionary, to lead, inspire and motivate millions of people to follow you?
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[[File:683px-Lenin.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|Vladimir Lenin]]
  
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Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (later known as Lenin as he solely nicknamed himself) was one of the leading political figures in the course of the 20th century. He was the revolutionary thinker behind the USSR idea (a.k.a. The Great Soviet Union), fought to materialize it and masterminded the Bolshevik bloody takeover of power in Russia after World War One. And although Lenin died in his mid-50s, his ideas influenced and marked the following generations’ fate, development and lives for quite many decades that came after.
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In 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (alias Lenin) seized Russia's control in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, created the Soviet Union, and ruled it until his death in 1924. Lenin was one of the leading political figures in the 20th century. He was the revolutionary thinker behind the USSR idea (a.k.a. The Great Soviet Union), fought to materialize it, and masterminded the Bolshevik bloody takeover of power in Russia after Russia's withdrawal from World War One. Lenin's reign as the head of the newly created Soviet Union was brief, but his influence stretched throughout the 20th century.
  
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=Lenin’s Early Life=
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==How did Lenin become a Marxist?==
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Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born on 22 April 1870 in Simbirsk on the Volga River into a well-educated family. He excelled at school and chose to pursue law studies and a career. However, while he was at university, Aleksandr Ulyanov was involved with “Narodovoltsy” – a revolutionary terrorist society. In 1891, he was arrested and executed for taking part in an assassination plot against Tsar Alexander III. His brother's execution radicalized Vladimir. He turned his anger towards =the ruling Tsarist regime. His brother's execution, along with his father’s death, marked a turning point in his life and shaped his path in the future.
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[[File:Lenin-circa-1887.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|Vladimir Lenin in 1887]]
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Soon after his brother's execution, Lenin was expelled from the university to participate in student protests against the Tsarist regime. He was forced to continue his law studies as an external student at St. Petersburg University. Around this time, he also became passionately interested in Karl Marx’s works. He joined Marxist groups when he was 21 and, in essence, became a professional revolutionary. Lenin became involved with various Marxist societies and radical groups and published his writings on politics and Marxism.
  
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Lenin was born on 22 April 1870 in Simbirsk on the Volga River into a well-educated family. Once he excelled at school, he chose to pursue a law studies and career. However, later in university, angered and influenced by the cruel public execution of his brother (being a member of a revolutionary group himself) at the hands of the ruling Tsarist regime, Lenin became far more radical in his thinking.<ref>Lenin’s older brother - Aleksandr Ulyanov, was involved with “Narodovoltsy” – a revolutionary terrorist society and in 1891 he was arrested and executed for taking part in an assassination plot against Tsar Alexander III.</ref> That event, together with his father’s death, marked a turning point in young Lenin’s life and broadly determined his path of the future revolutionary we know today.
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Almost all of his writing was immediately banned and restricted by the Tsarist regime. The only way to get a hold of his writings was to pass them by hand from person to person. His writings quickly caught the eye of other Russian radicals, and he was declared an “enemy of the state” by the Russian police. Tsarists police arrested him in St. Petersburg and imprisoned him for a year for sedition. After his release, he was again arrested in 1897 for his radical views and ideas and sent to exile in Siberia for three years. Lenin and their family were sent to Siberia, where he lived in Shushenskoye. During his Siberian exile, Vladimir adopted the famous moniker “Lenin.” While in Siberia, Lenin regularly wrote with his wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya. His exile did little to damper his revolutionary zeal.
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Shortly after these critical events, Lenin was expelled from the university for his active participation in student protests against Tsarist regime and was forced to continue his law studies as an external student at St. Petersburg University. Around that time he also became passionately interested in Karl Marx’s works. Unsurprisingly, even before concluding his education, young Lenin joined the Marxists groups at the age of 21 as to become a professional revolutionary. Lenin quickly got involved with Marxist societies and radical groups and even published several writings of his own. Almost all of them were immediately banned and restricted by the ruling regime, declared illegal and only passed from hand to hand. And because he caught the eye of the Russian radicals, Lenin was declared “enemy of the state” by the Russian police. He was mercilessly chased by the Tsarists for his radical views and ideas and soon he was arrested and exiled to Siberia. During his Siberian exile Vladimir adopted the famous “Lenin” pseudonym himself – the nick-name he’s become best known for<ref>Throughout his life Lenin often used many different pseudonyms for work or for security reasons</ref>
 
  
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=Lenin - the Young Revolutionary=
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==Why did Lenin leave Russia?==
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Once Lenin was released, he continued to work on his views regarding social imbalance passionately and formed the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks would become the preeminent party of Russian Marxists shaped the future Communist Party.<ref>Initially establishing the so-called Russian Social Democratic Worker's Party and later – Communist Party.</ref> The synthesis of Lenin’s views combined with those of Karl Marx created what we now know as “Marxism-Leninism” or the basis of whole Communist doctrine throughout the 20th century.
  
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Once Lenin was released, he continued to passionately work on his views regarding social imbalance and formed the famous Bolsheviks group of supporters – a major faction of Russian Marxists, later shaping the whole Communist Party.<ref>Initially establishing the so-called Russian Social Democratic Worker's Party and later – Communist Party.</ref> The synthesis of Lenin’s views combined together with those of Karl Marx created what we now know as “Marxism-Leninism” or the basis of whole Communist doctrine throughout the 20th century. His teachings attracted more and more passionate followers and were not popular with the Russian authorities at all – he was, after all, against the ruling Tsarist regime and class divisions in society. Vladimir aimed at total state ownership of goods, abolishing Tsarists privileges, equal rights for all and lack of workless personnel - even if that meant going to extremes like poets serving in army or getting involved with peasant work. As the tension grew, Lenin decided to leave the country for security reasons and move to Western Europe. He spent there most of the subsequent decade and a half and continued to play a key role also in the international revolutionary movement.
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[[File:Vladimir_Lenin_plays_chess_with_Alexander_Bogdanov_during_a_visit_to_Maxim_Gorky_(April_,10_(23)_-_April,_17_(30)_1908).jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|Vladimir Lenin plays chess with Alexander Bogdanov in 1908]]
  
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His teachings attracted more and more passionate followers. Unsurprisingly, his writing unpopular with the Russian authorities. Vladimir argued in favor of total state ownership of all property, abolishing Tsarists privileges, equal rights for all, and eliminating unemployment. As the tension grew, Lenin decided to leave the country for security reasons and move to Western Europe. He spent there most of the subsequent 15 in self-imposed exile. After his move to Eastern Europe, he became a prominent member of the international revolutionary movement.
  
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Away from Russia he created his own propaganda means and won even more followers on his side. <ref>E.g. published his legendary newspaper “Iskra” (“Spark”) in Munich with the motto “From Spark to Flame!”</ref> Aided by foreign funds, Lenin actively challenged the established doctrine, policy and institution of the ruling Tsarist regimes. Vladimir quickly learnt, that the real force was within the proletariat – workers, soldiers and peasants – masses who would become his revolution’s weapons and dictatorship’s instruments later.
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Away from Russia, he continued to publish and won more followers on his side. He published his newspaper “Iskra” (“Spark”) in Munich with the motto “From Spark to Flame!” Aided by foreign funds, Lenin actively challenged the ruling Tsarist regimes' doctrine, policy, and institution.
  
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==World War I Fatigue==
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==Why did World War I weaken the Romanov Regieme?==
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In 1917, exhausted by World War One, Tsarist Russia was a wreck. It was the perfect chaotic moment for Lenin to return home. Germany, in an attempt to destabilize Russia, sent Lenin back to Russia. They hoped Lenin would undermine the Russian war efforts. Instead of being arrested and exiled again, Lenin was welcomed home and supported by other radical thinkers such as Leon Trotsky. He quickly became the Marxist movement leader and led the Bolsheviks in the bloody, violent Red October Revolution. Lenin, much to his surprise, effectively ended the Russian Empire rather easily and established the Soviet state. [[Why did the Russian Romanov Dynasty collapse in 1917?|The Romanov Dynasty]] had become brittle and incredibly unpopular and Russians were willing to embrace Lenin's revolution.
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In 1917, exhausted by World War One, Russia was up for a change. It was the perfect chaos moment for Lenin to return home. He was additionally funded by the Germans who hoped that he would undermine the Russian war efforts. Instead of arrested and exiled again, Lenin was warmly welcomed home and supported by other radical thinkers (e.g. Leon Trotsky) he led the Bolsheviks in the bloody violent Red October Revolution. Lenin, much to his own surprise, effectively ended the Russian Empire rather easily and established the Soviet state that would soon become a global superpower. Masses loved him, he had won their full support and devotion with his speeches and “illegal” writings calling for a change. In the following almost three years of civil war, the Bolsheviks assumed total control of the country. Vladimir acted as the first head of this new socialistic regime and was the architect of the USSR itself. Lenin also commanded and led the famous Red Army - established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. <ref>A.k.a. Red October or Bolshevik Revolution </ref>  
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[[File:Russian_prisoners_tannenberg.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|Russian prisoners after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914]]
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In the following three years of civil war, the Bolsheviks successfully assumed total control of Russia. Lenin acted as the first head of this new socialistic regime and was the USSR architect. Lenin also commanded and led the famous Red Army - established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. <ref>A.k.a. Red October or Bolshevik Revolution </ref>  
  
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Lenin proved decisive and ruthless from the very beginning: he neglected his fellow countrymen sufferings and mercilessly crushed any opposition or riots. The Red Army or as it was also commonly referred to - The Great Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army - was raised by Lenin’s Bolsheviks to oppose the various military collectively known as the White army during the Russian Civil War. After 1922 the Red Army became the army of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established by the new regime. In February 1946 it effectively transformed, embodied and led the Soviet Armed Forces or Soviet Army. Historically, the Red Army is also credited as being the decisive land force in the Allied victory in World War II during the operations on the Eastern Front.
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Lenin proved decisive and ruthless from the very beginning. He neglected his fellow countrymen's sufferings because he was focused on crushing any internal opposition or riots. The Red Army or as it was also commonly referred to - The Great Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army - was raised by Lenin’s Bolsheviks to oppose the various military collectively known as the White army during the Russian Civil War. After 1922, the Red Army was transformed into the Army of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the new regime.
  
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=Lenin’s Cult of Personality=
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==Did Lenin create a Cult of Personality?==
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Lenin was a powerful and gifted orator. From an early age, Vladimir was capable of effectively communicating complicated concepts and ideas to his audience. Lenin could effectively communicate with Russians who had limited education. Unfortunately, Lenin was more interested in building a country around his persona instead of improving Russian citizens' lives. Lenin was fairly ruthless with any opposition to his rule. Millions of free-will poets, philosophers, or priests lost their lives or were forced to emigrate. The orthodox church was almost entirely banned.
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Lenin had an amazing power over the crowds – he was a great orator with truly inspirational power. From early age Vladimir was capable of effectively transmitting and simplifying any complicated matter to the masses until people lost their will and eventually got their minds enslaved. But make no mistake: some may celebrate Lenin as a defendant of workers’ rights, but he was much more decisive and prepared to cause horrific mass suffering and sacrifice countless human lives in the pursuit of Communist goals. Millions of free-will poets, philosophers or priests lost their life or were forced to emigrate.<ref>Church was almost completely banned.</ref>
 
 
 
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Lenin’s absolute authoritarian regime soon gained lots of opponents and he narrowly survived a few assassination attempts. In one of these attempts, Vladimir was severely wounded and his long term health was affected. However, Lenin was a true workaholic, which in effect further ruined his health. In May 1922 he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He lost his power of speech and his right arm and leg were paralyzed. In December came another stroke. The third followed in March 1923 and turned him into a living corpse. Lenin died on 24 January 1924. His corpse was embalmed and emblematically placed in a mausoleum in his memoriam on Moscow's Red Square. St Petersburg was named Leningrad (The City of Lenin).  
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Lenin’s authoritarian regime generated opposition, and he narrowly survived a few assassination attempts. In one of these attempts, Lenin was severely wounded, and his long-term health was affected. Lenin's injury and workaholic nature eroded his health. In May 1922, he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He lost his power of speech, and his right arm and leg were paralyzed. In December, he had another stroke. The third followed in March 1923 and turned him into a living corpse. Lenin died on 24 January 1924. His body was embalmed and emblematically placed in a mausoleum on Moscow's Red Square. St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad in his honor.
  
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==Conclusion==
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==How did Lenin become the leader of the Soviet Union? ==
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Lenin transformed himself from an imprisoned radical to an absolute ruler in three decades. Lenin's shadow hung over the Soviet Union and Europe for another 70 years. While Lenin was a remarkable orator and writer, his takeover of Russia was a fluke. In 1917, the Russian Empire was a disaster. It was led by the Romanov's who were unpopular, foolish, and incompetent. World War I had also fatally weakened the Russian Empire. Lenin's revolution would have been quickly snuffed out if it had occurred at any other time in Russian history. Lenin's timing could not have been better. Lenin's luck allowed him to become the first revolutionary dictator of the century with global influence.  
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If we measure greatness by the power of will and the scale of damage, then Lenin was truly by all means one of the most remarkable politicians. He destroyed one powerful empires to create another based on extreme violence. In many ways he defined the development of world history throughout the 20th century. Certainly, Lenin was the founder of the idea and the guiding spirit of the Soviet Republics for many decades that followed - a communist philosopher, disciple of Karl Marx, a leader of the Bolshevik (Communist) Party and the mastermind of the 1917 Red October Revolution. Some may consider him a defender, others - a tyrant; some call him a saint, many more – a devil. But all in all Lenin played an enormous role in the history of the 20th century. He applied communist ideas to real life and his “experiment” forever changed the face of the world. Not only did he reshape all Russia but also had millions of people bent to his will, changing the very course of history in his own regard. Lenin was the first revolutionary dictator of the century with influence on a global scale. He was not the last and paved the way for Stalin, Hitler, Mao and many others that followed as his Marxism-Leninism ideas and works were refreshed and broadly adopted afterwards during the Cold War. Nonetheless, it took over 70 years and millions of lives to put an end to Lenin’s era and forced utopia.
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<div class="portal" style="width:85%;">
  
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=Bibliography=
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====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====
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{{#dpl:category=Russian History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=16}}
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#http://www.biography.com/people/vladimir-lenin-9379007#young-revolutionary
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====References====
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#http://www.britannica.com/biography/Vladimir-Ilich-Lenin
 
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#http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Vladimir_Ilyich_Lenin.aspx
 
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#http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ki-Lo/Lenin-Vladimir.html
 
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=References=
 
 
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[[Category:Wikis]]
 
[[Category:Wikis]]
 
[[Category:Russian History]] [[Category:Military History]] [[Category:World War One History]][[Category:Political History]][[Category:European History]]
 
[[Category:Russian History]] [[Category:Military History]] [[Category:World War One History]][[Category:Political History]][[Category:European History]]
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Updated November 30, 2020

Latest revision as of 16:35, 17 September 2021

Vladimir Lenin

In 1917, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (alias Lenin) seized Russia's control in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, created the Soviet Union, and ruled it until his death in 1924. Lenin was one of the leading political figures in the 20th century. He was the revolutionary thinker behind the USSR idea (a.k.a. The Great Soviet Union), fought to materialize it, and masterminded the Bolshevik bloody takeover of power in Russia after Russia's withdrawal from World War One. Lenin's reign as the head of the newly created Soviet Union was brief, but his influence stretched throughout the 20th century.

How did Lenin become a Marxist?

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born on 22 April 1870 in Simbirsk on the Volga River into a well-educated family. He excelled at school and chose to pursue law studies and a career. However, while he was at university, Aleksandr Ulyanov was involved with “Narodovoltsy” – a revolutionary terrorist society. In 1891, he was arrested and executed for taking part in an assassination plot against Tsar Alexander III. His brother's execution radicalized Vladimir. He turned his anger towards =the ruling Tsarist regime. His brother's execution, along with his father’s death, marked a turning point in his life and shaped his path in the future.

Vladimir Lenin in 1887

Soon after his brother's execution, Lenin was expelled from the university to participate in student protests against the Tsarist regime. He was forced to continue his law studies as an external student at St. Petersburg University. Around this time, he also became passionately interested in Karl Marx’s works. He joined Marxist groups when he was 21 and, in essence, became a professional revolutionary. Lenin became involved with various Marxist societies and radical groups and published his writings on politics and Marxism.

Almost all of his writing was immediately banned and restricted by the Tsarist regime. The only way to get a hold of his writings was to pass them by hand from person to person. His writings quickly caught the eye of other Russian radicals, and he was declared an “enemy of the state” by the Russian police. Tsarists police arrested him in St. Petersburg and imprisoned him for a year for sedition. After his release, he was again arrested in 1897 for his radical views and ideas and sent to exile in Siberia for three years. Lenin and their family were sent to Siberia, where he lived in Shushenskoye. During his Siberian exile, Vladimir adopted the famous moniker “Lenin.” While in Siberia, Lenin regularly wrote with his wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya. His exile did little to damper his revolutionary zeal.

Why did Lenin leave Russia?

Once Lenin was released, he continued to work on his views regarding social imbalance passionately and formed the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks would become the preeminent party of Russian Marxists shaped the future Communist Party.[1] The synthesis of Lenin’s views combined with those of Karl Marx created what we now know as “Marxism-Leninism” or the basis of whole Communist doctrine throughout the 20th century.

Vladimir Lenin plays chess with Alexander Bogdanov in 1908

His teachings attracted more and more passionate followers. Unsurprisingly, his writing unpopular with the Russian authorities. Vladimir argued in favor of total state ownership of all property, abolishing Tsarists privileges, equal rights for all, and eliminating unemployment. As the tension grew, Lenin decided to leave the country for security reasons and move to Western Europe. He spent there most of the subsequent 15 in self-imposed exile. After his move to Eastern Europe, he became a prominent member of the international revolutionary movement.

Away from Russia, he continued to publish and won more followers on his side. He published his newspaper “Iskra” (“Spark”) in Munich with the motto “From Spark to Flame!” Aided by foreign funds, Lenin actively challenged the ruling Tsarist regimes' doctrine, policy, and institution.

Why did World War I weaken the Romanov Regieme?

In 1917, exhausted by World War One, Tsarist Russia was a wreck. It was the perfect chaotic moment for Lenin to return home. Germany, in an attempt to destabilize Russia, sent Lenin back to Russia. They hoped Lenin would undermine the Russian war efforts. Instead of being arrested and exiled again, Lenin was welcomed home and supported by other radical thinkers such as Leon Trotsky. He quickly became the Marxist movement leader and led the Bolsheviks in the bloody, violent Red October Revolution. Lenin, much to his surprise, effectively ended the Russian Empire rather easily and established the Soviet state. The Romanov Dynasty had become brittle and incredibly unpopular and Russians were willing to embrace Lenin's revolution.

Russian prisoners after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914

In the following three years of civil war, the Bolsheviks successfully assumed total control of Russia. Lenin acted as the first head of this new socialistic regime and was the USSR architect. Lenin also commanded and led the famous Red Army - established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. [2]

Lenin proved decisive and ruthless from the very beginning. He neglected his fellow countrymen's sufferings because he was focused on crushing any internal opposition or riots. The Red Army or as it was also commonly referred to - The Great Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army - was raised by Lenin’s Bolsheviks to oppose the various military collectively known as the White army during the Russian Civil War. After 1922, the Red Army was transformed into the Army of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the new regime.

Did Lenin create a Cult of Personality?

Lenin was a powerful and gifted orator. From an early age, Vladimir was capable of effectively communicating complicated concepts and ideas to his audience. Lenin could effectively communicate with Russians who had limited education. Unfortunately, Lenin was more interested in building a country around his persona instead of improving Russian citizens' lives. Lenin was fairly ruthless with any opposition to his rule. Millions of free-will poets, philosophers, or priests lost their lives or were forced to emigrate. The orthodox church was almost entirely banned.

Lenin’s authoritarian regime generated opposition, and he narrowly survived a few assassination attempts. In one of these attempts, Lenin was severely wounded, and his long-term health was affected. Lenin's injury and workaholic nature eroded his health. In May 1922, he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He lost his power of speech, and his right arm and leg were paralyzed. In December, he had another stroke. The third followed in March 1923 and turned him into a living corpse. Lenin died on 24 January 1924. His body was embalmed and emblematically placed in a mausoleum on Moscow's Red Square. St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad in his honor.

How did Lenin become the leader of the Soviet Union?

Lenin transformed himself from an imprisoned radical to an absolute ruler in three decades. Lenin's shadow hung over the Soviet Union and Europe for another 70 years. While Lenin was a remarkable orator and writer, his takeover of Russia was a fluke. In 1917, the Russian Empire was a disaster. It was led by the Romanov's who were unpopular, foolish, and incompetent. World War I had also fatally weakened the Russian Empire. Lenin's revolution would have been quickly snuffed out if it had occurred at any other time in Russian history. Lenin's timing could not have been better. Lenin's luck allowed him to become the first revolutionary dictator of the century with global influence.

Related DailyHistory.org Articles

References

  1. ↑ Initially establishing the so-called Russian Social Democratic Worker's Party and later – Communist Party.
  2. ↑ A.k.a. Red October or Bolshevik Revolution


Updated November 30, 2020

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