Vladimir Ilyich Lenin: biography, activities, interesting facts and personal life. Who was Lenin In what countries was Lenin

😉 Greetings to my regular and new readers! The article "Lenin Vladimir Ilyich: a brief biography, facts" contains information about the life of the Bolshevik leader, the creator of the world's first Soviet state.

Recently, a survey of young people was organized in a number of Russian cities. On the streets, young passers-by were asked only one question: “Who is Vladimir Ilyich Lenin?” The correct answer was given by 10% of the participants!

I was ashamed of the young people who do not know the history of the country in which they live. This fact surprised me greatly and served as the reason for writing this article.

Once Vladimir Ilyich was God for the Soviet people. In every city of the country, the main street is Lenin Street. When I was young, there was a framed picture of him in my home bookcase! Not a photo of relatives or friends, but a photograph of Lenin.

Many years later, it turned out that this is a photo of a real criminal and executioner! Was that all?

Who is Lenin

In short: Lenin (Ulyanov) is the leader of the Bolshevik Party. One of the main organizers and leaders of the October Revolution of 1917. Creator of the world's first socialist state.

By his order, in 1918, the Bolsheviks shot the entire family of the last emperor of Russia. Almost all temples and churches were destroyed. The Bolsheviks made extensive use of violence and the "Red Terror" against "class enemies":

• nobles;
• landlords;
• officers;
• priests;
• fists;
• Cossacks;
• scientists;
• industrialists.

Lenin is a criminal! Lenin is a pseudonym that appeared in December 1901.

Brief biography of Lenin

Vladimir was born in Simbirsk on April 22, 1870. His father was an inspector of public schools in the Samara region. Mother was homeschooled, but was quite educated. Little Volodya had five more brothers and sisters.

When Volodya was 17 years old, his older brother Alexander was executed on charges of attempting to assassinate Emperor Alexander III. After that, he became a zealous opponent of the tsarist regime and a fan of the revolutionaries.

Vladimir received his education at the Simbirsk gymnasium, which he graduated with a gold medal. By the way, the director of the gymnasium was the father of Kerensky (the future head of the Provisional Government in 1917).

Kerensky was very dissatisfied with the gifted student's choice of jurisprudence. He advised to continue his studies in the historical and verbal field.

Ulyanov received his legal education in, but was expelled due to visits to student gatherings. In 1891 he entered the University of St. Petersburg. In 1892 he created a Marxist community among students.

Path to power

In 1895, while abroad, V. Ulyanov met Georgy Plekhanov, the leader of the Emancipation of Labor. And when he returned to Moscow, he organized the Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class. For which he was sentenced to exile in Siberia.

In 1900, Ulyanov went abroad and created the Iskra newspaper, which propagated Marxism. The newspaper spread its ideas on the territory of Russia, where a network of revolutionary organizations soon appeared.

Vladimir Ilyich began writing political works while still in exile. His first work was published in 1895 under the title "The Development of Capitalism in Russia". In 1902, the article "What to do?" is published, which outlines the basic concept of the activities of the revolutionaries.

After the failure of the revolution of 1905, Lenin again leaves the Russian Empire to continue his revolutionary activities. In 1912, he took over the leadership of the Pravda newspaper. In Switzerland, he speaks at political conferences. He defends his ideas on the need for a socialist revolution in the Russian Empire.

Political career

In February 1917, the revolution nevertheless took place. Power passed to the Provisional Government. Lenin returned to his homeland to lead the uprising. And in October of the same year, the young leader managed to convince his supporters of the need for an armed uprising, which he personally led in Petrograd.

Since 1918, the leader of the revolutionaries was elected to the post of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars and chairman of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense. Lenin's policy was quite aggressive. It consisted in the elimination of any political opposition and the destruction of the nobility and clergy as a social enemy.

The policy of "red terror" did not lead to the expected results. Lenin began to introduce new methods for developing the policy of the USSR. In 1922, on the recommendation of Vladimir Ilyich, already stricken with illness, a new state was created - the USSR.

Personal life

Vladimir Ilyich met Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya (the years of her life 1869-1939). In 1894 they organized the activities of the Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class. In 1898, Lenin was sent into Siberian exile, and he registered a marriage with Krupskaya.

The young couple of atheists had to get married in the temple. Without this, the wife was not allowed to follow her husband into exile. There were no children in this single marriage.

Lenin, Krupskaya, Armand

It is known that Lenin had a mistress - Inessa Armand, an activist in the Russian revolutionary movement (years of life: 1874-1920). The wife knew about their relationship, several times she was going to leave, but each time Lenin held her back.

last years of life

In 1918, after a rally at the Zamoskvoretsky plant, the Socialist-Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan tried to shoot Lenin. The attempt ended with a severe wound. He survived thanks to an operation performed by Dr. Vladimir Mints.

On the same day, Moses Uritsky, chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, was killed. It was these events that served as the introduction of the "Red Terror".

In 1922, Lenin fell ill and active political activity was replaced by passive. The disease was caused by nervous strain, which over time only sapped the strength of the leader. On January 21, 1924, the father of the revolution died.

The official cause of death is progressive atherosclerosis of the vessels. This led to a gradual inhibition of brain activity. Lenin's body is still kept in the Mausoleum, on Red Square in Moscow. His height is 1.65 m, his zodiac sign is .

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich: short biography (video)

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (real name - Ulyanov) is a great Russian political and public figure, revolutionary, founder of the RSDLP party (Bolsheviks), creator of the first socialist state in history.

The years of Lenin's life: 1870 - 1924.

Lenin is known primarily as one of the leaders of the great October Revolution of 1917, when the monarchy was overthrown and Russia turned into a socialist country. Lenin was the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (government) of the new Russia - the RSFSR, considered the founder of the USSR.

Vladimir Ilyich was not only one of the most prominent political leaders in the entire history of Russia, he was also known as the author of many theoretical works on politics and social sciences, the founder of the theory of Marxism-Leninism and the creator and main ideologist of the Third International (an alliance of communist parties from different countries) .

Brief biography of Lenin

Lenin was born on April 22 in the city of Simbirsk, where he lived until the end of the Simbirsk gymnasium in 1887. After graduating from the gymnasium, Lenin left for Kazan and entered the university there at the Faculty of Law. In the same year, Alexander, Lenin's brother, was executed for participating in the assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander 3 - this becomes a tragedy for the whole family, as it is about Alexander's revolutionary activities.

While studying at the university, Vladimir Ilyich is an active participant in the banned Narodnaya Volya circle, and also participates in all student riots, for which he is expelled from the university three months later. A police investigation carried out after the student riot revealed Lenin's connections with forbidden societies, as well as his brother's participation in the assassination of the Emperor - this entailed a ban on Vladimir Ilyich to recover at the university and the installation of close supervision over him. Lenin was included in the list of "unreliable" persons.

In 1888, Lenin again came to Kazan and joined one of the local Marxist circles, where he began to actively study the works of Marx, Engels and Plekhanov, which in the future would have a huge impact on his political self-consciousness. Around this time, Lenin's revolutionary activity begins.

In 1889, Lenin moved to Samara and there he continued to look for supporters of a future coup d'état. In 1891, he externally took exams for the course of the law faculty of St. Petersburg University. At the same time, under the influence of Plekhanov, his views evolved from populist to social democratic, and Lenin developed his first doctrine, which laid the foundation for Leninism.

In 1893, Lenin came to St. Petersburg and got a job as an assistant lawyer, while continuing to conduct an active journalistic activity - he published many works in which he studied the process of capitalization of Russia.

In 1895, after a trip abroad, where Lenin met with Plekhanov and many other public figures, he organized the "Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class" in St. Petersburg and began an active struggle against the autocracy. For his activities, Lenin was arrested, spent a year in prison, and then sent into exile in 1897, where, however, he continued his activities, despite the prohibitions. During the exile, Lenin was officially married to his common-law wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya.

In 1898, the first secret congress of the Social Democratic Party (RSDLP) was held, headed by Lenin. Soon after the Congress, all its members (9 people) were arrested, but the beginning of the revolution was laid.

The next time, Lenin returned to Russia only in February 1917 and immediately became the head of another uprising. Despite being ordered to arrest him pretty soon, Lenin continues his activities illegally. In October 1917, after the coup d'etat and the overthrow of the autocracy, power in the country completely passes to Lenin and his party.

Lenin's reforms

From 1917 until his death, Lenin was engaged in the reformation of the country in accordance with social democratic ideals:

• Makes peace with Germany, creates the Red Army, which takes an active part in the civil war of 1917-1921;
• Creates the NEP - the new economic policy;
• Gives civil rights to peasants and workers (the working class becomes the main one in the new political system of Russia);
• Reforms the church, seeking to replace Christianity with a new "religion" - communism.

He dies in 1924 after a sharp deterioration in health. By order of Stalin, the body of the leader is placed in a mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow.

The role of Lenin in the history of Russia

The role of Lenin in the history of Russia is enormous. He was the main ideologist of the revolution and the overthrow of the autocracy in Russia, organized the Bolshevik Party, which was able to come to power in a fairly short time and completely change Russia politically and economically. Thanks to Lenin, Russia turned from an Empire into a socialist state based on the ideas of communism and the rule of the working class.

The state created by Lenin existed for almost the entire 20th century and became one of the strongest in the world. Lenin's personality is still controversial among historians, but everyone agrees that he is one of the greatest world leaders that ever existed in world history.

The day Lenin died is inscribed in Russian history in black letters. It happened on January 21, 1924, before his 54th birthday, the leader of the world proletariat did not live only three months. Doctors, historians, modern researchers have not yet agreed on a single opinion about why Lenin died. The country was declared mourning. After all, a man who was the first in the world to build a socialist state, and in the largest country, has passed away.

Sudden death

Despite the fact that for a long month Vladimir Lenin was seriously ill, his death was sudden. It happened on the evening of January 21st. It was 1924, Soviet power had already been established on the territory of the entire Land of Soviets, and the day when Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died became a national tragedy for the entire state. Mourning was declared throughout the country, flags were flown at half mast, mourning rallies were held at enterprises and institutions.

Expert opinions

When Lenin died, a medical council was immediately assembled, in which the leading doctors of that time participated. Officially, doctors published this version of premature death: acute circulatory disorders in the brain and, as a result, cerebral hemorrhage. Thus, the cause of death could be a repeated massive stroke. There was also a version that for many years Lenin suffered from a venereal disease - syphilis, with which a certain French woman infected him.

This version is not excluded from the causes of death of the proletarian leader to this day.

Could syphilis be the cause?

When Lenin died, an autopsy was performed. Pathologists found that extensive liming was observed in the vessels of the brain. Doctors could not explain the reason for this. Firstly, he led a fairly healthy lifestyle and never smoked. He was not obese or hypertensive and had no brain tumor or other obvious lesions. Also, Vladimir Ilyich did not have any infectious diseases or diabetes, in which the vessels could suffer so.

As for syphilis, this cause could have been the cause of Lenin's death. Indeed, at that time this disease was treated with very dangerous medicines that could give complications to the entire body. However, neither the symptoms of the disease nor the results of the autopsy confirmed that the cause of death could be a venereal disease.

Bad heredity or severe stress?

53 years - that's how old Lenin died. For the beginning of the twentieth century, it was a fairly young age. Why did he leave so early? According to some researchers, the bad heredity of the leader could also be the cause of such an early death. After all, as you know, his father died at exactly the same age. According to the symptoms and descriptions of eyewitnesses, he had the same disease that his son later suffered. Yes, and other close relatives of the leader had a history of cardiovascular disease.

Another reason that could affect Lenin's health was his incredible workload and constant stress. It is known that he slept very little, practically did not rest and worked quite a lot. Historians describe a well-known fact when, in 1921, at one important event, Lenin completely forgot the words of his own speech. He had a stroke, after which he had to learn to speak again. He could hardly write. He had to spend a lot of time on rehabilitation and recovery.

Unusual seizures

But after Ilyich had a hypertensive stroke, he came to his senses and recovered quite well. In the early days of 1924, he was so fit that he even went hunting.

It is not clear how the last day of the leader passed. According to the diaries, he was quite active, talked a lot and did not complain about anything. But a few hours before his death, he had several severe convulsive seizures. They didn't fit into the picture of a stroke. Therefore, some researchers believe that an ordinary poison could become the cause of a sharp deterioration in health.

Stalin's hand

When Lenin was born and died, not only historians know today, but also many educated people. And before these dates, every schoolboy remembered by heart. But the exact reason why this happened, neither doctors nor researchers can name so far. There is another interesting theory - Lenin, they say, was poisoned by Stalin. The latter sought to gain absolute power, and Vladimir Ilyich was a serious obstacle on this path. By the way, even later Joseph Vissarionovich resorted to poisoning as a sure way to eliminate his opponents. And it makes you think seriously.

Lenin, who initially supported Stalin, abruptly changed his mind and staked on the candidacy of Leon Trotsky. Historians claim that Vladimir Ilyich was preparing to move Stalin away from governing the country. He gave him a very unflattering description, called him cruel and rude, noted that Stalin was abusing his power. We know Lenin's letter addressed to the congress, where Ilyich sharply criticized Stalin and his style of leadership.

By the way, the poison story has a right to exist also because a year earlier, in 1923, Stalin wrote a memorandum addressed to the Politburo. It talked about the fact that Lenin wanted to poison himself and asked him to get a dose of potassium cyanide. Stalin said that he could not do this. Who knows, maybe Vladimir Ilyich Lenin himself suggested to the future successor the scenario of his death?

By the way, for some reason, doctors did not conduct a toxicological study at the time. Well, then it was too late to do such analyzes.

And one moment. At the end of January 1924, the 13th Party Congress was to be held. Surely Ilyich, speaking at it, would again raise the question of Stalin's behavior.

eyewitness accounts

In favor of poisoning, as the true cause of Lenin's death, some eyewitnesses also speak. The writer Elena Lermolo, who was exiled to hard labor, in the 30s of the twentieth century communicated with the personal chef of Vladimir Ilyich, Gavriil Volkov. He told such a story. In the evening he brought dinner to Lenin. He was already in a bad condition and could not talk. He handed the cook a note in which he wrote: "Gavryushenka, I was poisoned, I am poisoned." Lenin understood that he would die soon. And he asked to inform Leon Trotsky and Nadezhda Krupskaya about the poisoning, as well as members of the Politburo.

By the way, for the last three days, Lenin complained of constant nausea. But at the autopsy, doctors saw that his stomach was in almost perfect condition. He could not have had an intestinal infection either - it was winter outside, and such diseases are not typical for this time of year. Well, only the freshest food was prepared for the leader and it was carefully checked.

Chief's funeral

The year when Lenin died is marked in the history of the Soviet state with a black mark. After the death of the leader, an active struggle for power began. Many of his associates were repressed, shot and destroyed.

Lenin died in Gorki near Moscow on January 24 at 18:50. His body was delivered to the capital on a steam locomotive, the coffin was installed in the Hall of Columns. Within five days, the people could say goodbye to the leader of the new country, which had just begun to build socialism. Then the coffin with the body was installed in the Mausoleum, which was specially built for this purpose on Red Square by the architect Shchusev. Until now, the body of the leader, the founder of the world's first socialist state, is there.

VI Lenin is the leader of the world proletariat, who changed the fate of millions of people. One can guess what prompted the offspring of an intelligent and non-poor family to revolutionary activity, but his short life was filled with events that turned the tide of history.

The leader of the world proletariat Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) was born in Simbirsk on April 22, 1870. He lived a relatively short life, which, however, was enough for him to forever change the fate of millions of people.

Volodya grew up in a wealthy noble family. His father, Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov, served as inspector of public schools throughout the Simbirsk province.

Over time, he received the rank of real state councilor, which gave him the right to the nobility. Mother, Maria Alexandrovna, devoted all her time to children. From 1879 to 1887 Volodya Ulyanov studied at the gymnasium of his native city. The life of a young high school student flowed calmly and measuredly. All teachers noted the special giftedness and diligence of the student.

Therefore, no one was surprised by the fact that Vladimir Ulyanov graduated from high school with a gold medal. For all the time of study, no one has noticed revolutionary ideas and moods behind this serious and concentrated boy. After graduating from the gymnasium in 1887, Vladimir entered the law faculty of Kazan University. This year, the life of a young man has changed dramatically. His brother Alexander was executed for participating in a conspiracy against Emperor Alexander III. This event shocked the Ulyanov family, the parents did not even know about the revolutionary activities of their eldest son.

Already at the beginning of his studies at the university, Vladimir began to take part in student riots, for which he was soon expelled from the university. But this circumstance only prompted him to actively study the works of Plekhanov, Marx, and Engels.

In 1891, Vladimir again passed the exams for a lawyer. Previously, this was impossible to do due to the opposition of the authorities. Since 1892, the young lawyer received the position of assistant lawyer, and quite successfully coped with his duties. But the thirst for active work made itself felt. The rebellious spirit of the Ulyanov family called the young man to the revolutionary struggle. By 1894, Vladimir had already formulated his basic revolutionary principles. A period of underground work, struggle with the authorities, arrests and exiles began.

The first arrest took place in 1895. And two years later, Vladimir Ilyich was sent into exile. During this time, he managed to get married to his common-law wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya. Despite their atheism, the couple had to make a deal with their conscience, since only a church marriage was considered official.

After ending his exile in 1900, Ulyanov moved to Switzerland. There he is actively working on the idea of ​​creating a printed organ that reflects revolutionary sentiments. As a result, the Iskra newspaper and the Zarya magazine appeared. In these publications, for the first time, Vladimir Ilyich's articles were published with the signature "N. Lenin. During the entire period of emigration from 1900 to 1905, Lenin and Krupskaya changed their place of residence several times. Together with them, the editorial office of the newspaper changed its address. At the same time, the RSDLP party split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.

During the first conference of the RSDLP in December 1905, Lenin met Joseph Stalin. This meeting was significant. At the beginning of the 20th century, revolutionary terrorism flourished in Russia, which Lenin encouraged in every possible way. In the person of Stalin, he acquired a reliable executor of terrorist acts and expropriations.

The revolution of 1905-1907 was not successful. Vladimir Ilyich was forced to go abroad again. The second emigration continued until 1917. During this period, Lenin managed to live in Geneva, Paris, Bern, Zurich, on the territory of Austria-Hungary. There he was arrested on suspicion of espionage, but was soon released from prison.

The news of the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia found Vladimir Ilyich in Switzerland. Taking advantage of the first opportunity, with other people's documents and disguised, Lenin arrived in Russia. He believed that he should personally lead the course of the uprising of workers and peasants.

And he fully succeeded on November 7, 1917. The provisional government was overthrown, a new socialist state was born on the territory of Russia, called the RSFSR, and, after the accession of other powers to it, the USSR. Lenin became the first chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR.

In 1918, an assassination attempt was made on Vladimir Ilyich, which seriously affected his health. In 1922, health problems began to manifest themselves more and more, paralysis followed one after another. Death came on January 21, 1924.

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich- Russian revolutionary, organizer and leader of the October Revolution of 1917, the largest theoretician of Marxism, the first chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, the creator of the world's first socialist state.

Childhood, family, education

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) was born on April 22, 1870 in the city of Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk).

Father - Ulyanov Ilya Nikolaevich- an educator, paid great attention to the education of non-Russian peoples of the Volga region, organized public schools for children. He rose to the rank of real councilor of state, which allowed him to receive the title of nobility.

Mother - Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova(née Blank) - externally passed the exams for the title of elementary school teacher. She devoted herself entirely to raising children, of whom there were four in the family.

Vladimir Lenin's paternal grandfather Nikolai Vasilievich Ulyanov- was the son of a serf. He died when Ilya Nikolaevich was still a child. In the orphaned family of the younger brother, Ilya was raised and taught by the elder brother Vasily, the clerk of the Astrakhan company Brothers Sapozhnikovs.

Maternal grandfather - Alexander Dmitrievich Blank- Trained as a doctor. He married Anna Grigoryevna Grosskopf(the Grosskopf family had Swedish and German roots). Dr. Blank, after retiring, was assigned to the Kazan nobility. Soon he acquired the Kukushkino estate and became a landowner. Maria Alexandrovna lost her mother early and she and her sisters were raised by her mother's sister. The aunt taught the children music and foreign languages.

Having married Ilya Nikolaevich, Maria Alexandrovna devoted herself completely to her family. And although she was an emancipated woman, at the same time she impeccably led the household. Being highly educated, Maria Alexandrovna studied music and foreign languages ​​with children. Vladimir was fluent in German, French, spoke English worse. Living surrounded by Russian nature, Vladimir Ulyanov loved his native culture, but also paid tribute to Western thought.

Father died when Vladimir Ulyanov was 16 years old. Maria Alexandrovna managed the family budget until her death in 1916.

Vladimir was the third child in the family. In the gymnasium, Volodya was the first student. By the way, the director of the gymnasium was Fyodor Mikhailovich Kerensky, father Alexander Kerensky, the future head of the Provisional Government.

The gymnasium gave young Vladimir Lenin a solid foundation of knowledge. Vladimir Ilyich treated his studies with truly German pedantry. Notebooks, books - everything is in the neatest condition. Of the subjects, the high school student Vladimir Ulyanov was most interested in philosophy and political economy, although he also had excellent marks in the exact sciences.

In 1887, Vladimir Ulyanov graduated from the gymnasium with a gold medal. But for the family, these last years were a difficult test. Recently my father died (1886), and then a new misfortune fell - they arrested Alexandra Ulyanova, the elder brother of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in connection with the attempt on the life of the king. In 1887, Alexander was executed as a member of the Narodnaya Volya conspiracy, this was a deep tragedy for the entire Ulyanov family.

Formation of views

After graduating from high school, Lenin Vladimir Ilyich entered the law faculty of Kazan University. After the tragic death of his brother, as they say in the biography of the future leader of the proletariat, Vladimir Ulyanov began to think about his views, and also became involved in politics. Of course, the young Vladimir Lenin was already under the control of the authorities because of his brother, so he was expelled from the university for participating in liberal meetings.

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich was exiled to the estate of his mother Kukushkino. It was here that the revolutionary consciousness of the young man began to take shape. He read a lot Pisarev, Nechaev, Chernyshevsky. Years later, Lenin said: "The novel Chto Delat deeply plowed me."

In 1889 the Ulyanov family moved to Samara. The so-called pointer fell into the hands of Vladimir Ilyich Fedoseeva- one of the first propagandists of Marxism in Russia. It was a list of Marxist literature recommended for self-education.

In September 1891, Vladimir Ulyanov passed an external course at the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University, and in 1892 got a job as an assistant to a barrister in Samara. However, Lenin was bored with this work, Vladimir Ilyich did not prove himself as a lawyer, and, having not worked for even a year, left in 1893 for St. Petersburg. There, Vladimir began to attend the Marxist student association of the Technological Institute.

There was a remarkable quality in the character of Vladimir Lenin: he knew how to listen and easily learned new things. Except Marx, Ulyanov-Lenin for some time admired the ideas Plekhanov, however, even then he felt a certain political strength in himself and began to criticize the former populist-black peredelist. When, in 1895, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin met abroad with members of the Emancipation of Labor group, Plekhanov, after listening to the young revolutionary's passionate speeches, called him "rather a Blanquist than a Marxist."

Political activity and party work

In the same 1895, Lenin, together with Martov organized the St. Petersburg Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class. Naturally, after a while, many members of the "Union" were arrested. Vladimir Ilyich was also arrested. At first, Ulyanov was kept in prison for more than a year, and in March 1897 he was exiled for three years to the village of Shushenskoye. Here in July 1898 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin married Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya, also exiled in the case of the St. Petersburg Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class.

In exile, Ulyanov-Lenin could use the rich Krasnoyarsk library of a Russian bibliophile and merchant of the 2nd guild Gennady Yudin. Lenin Vladimir Ilyich wrote more than 30 articles, as well as a solid work, The Development of Capitalism in Russia.

After the end of his exile in 1900, Lenin went abroad. Vladimir Ilyich lived in Germany, visited London and Geneva. The future leader of the world proletariat came up with a plan to create a Social Democratic Party as an organization of professional revolutionaries. Ulyanov perfectly understood the role of the mass media, so he made the all-Russian newspaper Iskra the core of the party. It was then that articles appeared in the newspaper, signed by the pseudonym Lenin.

In July-August 1903, the second congress of the Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDLP) was held, prepared by Lenin, Plekhanov and Martov. Meetings of the congress began to be held in Brussels, but then, after a ban by the Belgian police, they were moved to London. It was at this congress that the party split into two factions - the Bolsheviks (those who were attracted by Lenin's idea of ​​seizing power by force of arms) and the Mensheviks (Plekhanov, Martov and their supporters leaned towards classical European social democracy). But Lenin Vladimir Ilyich did not want to follow the parliamentary path. He was sure that tsarism would not give up power voluntarily, and therefore it could be taken away only with the help of an armed uprising. According to N.A. Berdyaeva Vladimir Lenin was a revolutionary theorist, unlike Georgy Plekhanov, a Marxist theorist.

Like-minded people of Vladimir Ilyich considered him an unbalanced person by nature. Maksim Gorky characterized him as "the creator of constant squabbling in the party." Yes, and his colleague Leon Trotsky spoke about some of Lenin's actions "... a squabble that master Lenin systematically stirs up these affairs." Indeed, for example, in 1907, Lenin's resolution of the Fifth Congress of the RSDLP led to confrontation with almost all Russian parties. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin fought resolutely against the Mensheviks, the Bolshevik liquidators, the Bolshevik otzovists, the God-seekers, the God-organizers, the Trotskyists. The factional struggle of the pre-October period reached its apogee at the Prague Conference (1912), at which, in the words of Vladimir Lenin, "they put an end to the liquidationist and otzovist bastards." From that moment on, the word "Bolsheviks" - RSDLP (b) was added to the name of the party. Also, Lenin Vladimir Ilyich managed to reorient the non-factional newspaper Pravda (published by L.D. Trotsky since 1908), becoming the de facto editor. Since May 5, 1912, a legal Bolshevik newspaper was published under the same name.

Revolutionary Situation, "April Theses"

When the February Revolution took place, Lenin was not in Russia. Upon learning of the revolution, Vladimir Ilyich immediately telegraphed to a member of the Petrograd committee of the RSDLP (b) A.G. Shlyapnikov: "No contact with other parties!". During this period, he wrote "Letters from afar", in which he analyzed the situation in Russia. Vladimir Ilyich spoke with conviction about the inevitable development of the bourgeois revolution into a socialist revolution. Many did not agree with him. Central Committee members Kamenev, And Joseph Stalin headed for an alliance with the Mensheviks, as they believed that Lenin's "Letters from afar" speak of Vladimir Ilyich's isolation from Russian realities. Only four out of five letters were published in the Pravda newspaper, and even those with cuts. By the way, despite his long absence, Lenin Vladimir Ilyich was well versed in the revolutionary situation in Russia and in his letters he foresight predicted the result.

April 3, 1917 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin arrived in Russia. The Petrograd Soviet, the majority of which were Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries, organized a solemn meeting for him, according to Lenin's biography on Wikipedia. Seeing the guard of honor lined up, Vladimir Ilyich said to his wife: "Nadya, they will arrest me now." But, seeing that people greeted him, Lenin climbed onto an armored car and made a fiery speech, ending it with glory: "Long live the world socialist revolution!"

Then Vladimir Ilyich proposed a program for the transition from the bourgeois-democratic revolution to the socialist revolution under the slogan "All Power to the Soviets" ("April Theses"). The April Theses, published in Pravda, seemed too radical even to close associates. In his report, Lenin sharply opposed the expansion of the bourgeois-democratic revolution, announced the slogans: "No support for the Provisional Government" and "All power to the Soviets." Vladimir Ilyich Lenin proclaimed a course towards the development of the bourgeois revolution into a proletarian one, with the subsequent liquidation of the army, police and bureaucracy.

Without Lenin there would be no October 1917

On July 7, the Provisional Government ordered the arrest of Lenin and a number of prominent Bolsheviks on charges of treason and organizing an armed uprising. Lenin changed 17 safe houses, then, together with Zinoviev hid not far from Petrograd - in a hut on Lake Razliv. In August, he fled to the territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland, where he lived until the beginning of October in Yalkala, Helsingfors and Vyborg.

In early autumn, Lenin was in Finland. From there, in letters, he urged his comrades-in-arms to prepare an armed uprising. Famous words: “Procrastination is like death!” frightened by their radicalism. However, in October Vladimir Ilyich returned to Petrograd to lead the uprising organized by the chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, Leon Trotsky.

On the morning of October 25 (November 7, NS), Lenin wrote an appeal “To the Citizens of Russia”: “The Provisional Government has been overthrown!”, although at that moment the Provisional Government was still meeting in the Winter Palace. But Lenin was not interested in such trifles. Vladimir Ilyich wrote decrees about the world, about the land. On the night of October 25-26, the Provisional Government was arrested.

Lenin described his condition with the following words: "Es Schwindelt" (dizziness). Leon Trotsky noted: "If there were no Lenin, there would be no October."

After the revolution

It was during this period that the most difficult times came. Political maneuvers began among Lenin's associates. Vladimir Ilyich was elected chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. One of the first steps of the Leninist government was the abolition of freedom of speech (opposition newspapers were closed). And the promises related to bread and peace could not be fulfilled at that moment.

Under these conditions, Germany entered into negotiations with Russia, but put forward territorial demands. These requirements were discussed by the new government. The signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany (March 1918) was not accepted by many. However, despite the fact that Lenin was in the minority, the so-called "shameful" Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed.

Vladimir Ilyich found himself alone. But he didn't give up. He firmly stated that he would leave if his proposals were not accepted. And he won, as he was a generally recognized leader.

Professor at Harvard University Richard Pipes wrote*: “By perspicaciously accepting a humiliating peace, which gave him the necessary time to win, and then collapsed under the influence of his own gravity, Lenin earned the broad confidence of the Bolsheviks. When, on November 13, 1918, they tore up the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, following which Germany capitulated to the Western Allies, Lenin's authority in the Bolshevik movement was raised to an unprecedented height.

Civil War, War Communism

So, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin became the head of the Russian state. After the victory in the revolution, Lenin enjoyed great prestige among his comrades-in-arms. He was elected chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, chairman of the Council of Labor and Defense. He achieved the seizure of power - the former state structure was completely destroyed. To build a new system, peace is needed, but there was none.

Economic devastation, a deep social, national, political and ideological split in Russian society caused the outbreak of a civil war throughout Russia between the armed forces of the Soviet government, the White movement and separatists with the intervention of the Central Powers and the Entente. The Bolsheviks were merciless towards their enemies. However, the enemies did not show mercy to them.

August 30 at the Michelson plant in Moscow Fanny Kaplan committed a terrorist act - she shot at Lenin. True, there were rumors that it was not she who shot at the leader of the world revolution, but she was punished for the crime. Who actually shot Vladimir Ilyich is still not known for certain. In response to this and to the assassination of the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka Uritsky The Red Terror began.

It was announced by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of September 05, 1918 "On the Red Terror", terminated on November 6, 1918. In an atmosphere of growing terror, the construction of the first concentration camps began, and forced mobilization into the army. In such a difficult situation, Vladimir Ilyich tried to solve his main task - to move towards the construction of communism in Russia.

On November 21, 1918, Lenin signed the decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On organizing the supply of the population with all products and items for personal use and household." Trade was banned, commodity-money relations were replaced by barter (for example, a sewing machine was exchanged for a bag of flour). In the state, a surplus appraisal was introduced.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin introduced labor service: free public works. Everyone, except for members of the RSDLP (b), in parallel with the main work, had to take part in the restoration of roads, the preparation of firewood, etc. The poet also participated in such work Alexander Blok, and academician Sergei Oldenburg. People worked for 14-16 hours.

Vladimir Ilyich did not trust the intelligentsia, although he himself belonged to this estate. There are documents that confirm that it was on the instructions of Lenin that many figures of science and culture were sent abroad.

As for national policy, Vladimir Ilyich insisted on the democratic "right of nations to self-determination." In December 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created.

Creation of the Red Army

With the outbreak of the Civil War and intervention, Lenin personally took part in the creation of a regular Red Army. He understood that the seized power must be saved. Vladimir Ilyich followed the course of mobilization, weapons and equipment, and managed to organize work in the rear (supplying food). He managed to persuade some of the tsarist specialists to go over to the side of the Bolsheviks. The Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces, Lev Trotsky, appointed by him, competently conducted military operations.

Despite the difficult situation, the mutiny of the sailors in Kronstadt, the peasant uprisings against the policy of war communism in 1921, the Bolsheviks were able to stay in power.

New economic policy

English writer H. G. Wells called Vladimir Ilyich Lenin "the Kremlin dreamer", but in fact the proletarian leader was not like that. He saw that the economy in the country was in a catastrophic situation. At the 10th Party Congress in March 1921, at the insistence of Lenin, "war communism" was abolished, the food distribution was replaced by a food tax.

Lenin put forward a program of "new economic policy", a special GOELRO commission was created to develop a project for the electrification of Russia. Vladimir Ilyich believed that in anticipation of a world proletarian revolution, the state should keep all large-scale industry in its hands and build socialism, according to Lenin's biography on Wikipedia.

Vladimir Ilyich wanted to stabilize the situation in Russia at all costs. The NEP gave immediate positive results. The process of rapid restoration of the national economy began.

Disease. "Lenin's Testament"

On May 25, 1922, Lenin suffered his first stroke. The right side of his body was paralyzed and he could not speak. However, in October 1922, he gradually returned to business. Lenin's last public speech took place on November 20, 1922, at the plenum of the Moscow Soviet.

The next stroke occurred in December 1922. And the third stroke, which occurred in March 1923, was the most severe. On May 15, 1923, due to illness, Vladimir Ilyich moved to the Gorki estate near Moscow.

What happened among his associates? There was a fierce struggle for leadership between the party members. The main rivals were Trotsky and Stalin.

By the way, as early as the beginning of 1923, Lenin was seriously concerned about a possible split in the Central Committee. In his "Letter to the Congress" (the so-called "Lenin's Testament"), he gave characteristics to the leading figures of the Central Committee. Vladimir Ilyich proposed to remove Joseph Stalin from the post of general secretary. The letter was read out in 1924 before the XIII Congress of the RCP (b) N.K. Krupskaya.

Another concern of the leader was an exorbitantly enlarged and useless apparatus - unprofessional and illiterate.

In his last works, Lenin Vladimir Ilyich soberly raised the question of the need to "recognize the fundamental change in our whole point of view on socialism" ("we failed"). But Lenin's condition worsened also because of the political isolation into which he fell through the efforts of Stalin and other party comrades. Perhaps, having rethought a lot, Vladimir Ilyich wanted to have time to correct his mistakes.

Researchers from the University of California at Sacramento came to the conclusion that Vladimir Lenin suffered from a rare genetic disease, which resulted in "petrification" of the vessels of the brain. An unusual disease could have been transmitted to Vladimir Ilyich from his father, who also died at the age of 53.

"More than alive"

Such a person as Lenin Vladimir Ilyich cannot be described in a short essay. Huge volumes, both documentary and fiction, have been written about his life and work. Being a politician, of course, of a global scale, Vladimir Ilyich determined the vector of development of the world history of the 20th century. In 1917, Lenin achieved a brilliant victory, but, as the future showed, his cause was ultimately lost.

Vladimir Lenin was respected even by ideological opponents.

“Among a number of historians there are two opposing views on Lenin. Some present him as a soft, purely civilian person, completely devoid of military organizational abilities, others show him as a tough, ruthless leader, a fan of violence. It is perhaps difficult to fully agree with both views, although Trotsky, in his decisive actions at the post of the drug warlord, received Lenin's full support in organizing iron military discipline in the army, ”wrote Jan Schwartz.

Many scientists looked for the reason for Lenin's genius in the special properties of his brain. World-famous neurophysiologist, academician Natalia Bekhtereva wrote:

— Scientists have repeatedly tried to explain the phenomenon of genius. They even wanted to create a research institute in Moscow to study the brain of gifted people during their lifetime. But neither then nor now have they found any differences between a genius and an ordinary person. I personally think it's a special biochemistry of the brain. As for Pushkin, for example, it was natural to "think" in rhyme. This is an "anomaly", most likely non-heritable. They say that genius and madness are similar. Madness is also the result of a special biochemistry of the brain. A breakthrough in the study of this phenomenon will most likely occur in the field of genetics.

The question of the reburial of Vladimir Lenin

Almost a hundred years after Lenin's death, the topic of his burial remains relevant. From time to time, there are active speeches in the media about the reburial of Vladimir Lenin, and even the demolition of the Mausoleum in general.

LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky called for the burial of the body of the leader of the socialist revolution. In the spring of 2017, deputies from the LDPR and United Russia parties submitted to the State Duma a draft law that provides for a legal mechanism for burying the body of Vladimir Lenin. According to parliamentarians, the document should fill the legal gap that prevents the reburial of the remains of historical figures, and thus "put an end to the case of Lenin."

It became more active on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia. In particular, the speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko noted that the burial of the body of the founder of the Soviet state will be possible when society comes to a consensus on this issue. The head of Chechnya also proposed to betray the body of the leader of the world proletariat Ramzan Kadyrov.

- Despite the fact that in different strata of society the attitude towards Lenin is very contradictory, up to a purely negative one, one cannot but admit that in general a positive attitude towards him still dominates in society. And this is the historical memory and historical consciousness of the people.

Moreover, it is impossible to deny that Vladimir Lenin is one of the major political figures of the 20th century. He undoubtedly influenced the course of world history, and the evidence that it is exclusively negative is rather inconclusive.

Finally, it is generally recognized that the Lenin Mausoleum is an architectural masterpiece created by one of the best architects of the first half of the 20th century - Alexey Shchusev. And this masterpiece is very tactfully and harmoniously inscribed in the historical ensembles of Red Square and the side of the Moscow Kremlin facing it," says V. Tretyakov.

The President of Russia spoke several times about the activities of Vladimir Lenin in recent years. Vladimir Putin. In 2016, at a meeting of the Presidential Council for Science and Education, Putin said that the actions of the leader of the revolution ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

During the event, the head of the Kurchatov Institute Mikhail Kovalchuk, recalling Lenin, said that "he controlled the flow of thought and only because of this - the country." To this, the president noted that it was right to control the flow of thought, but in the case of Vladimir Ilyich, this thought "led to the collapse of the Soviet Union." “There were many such thoughts: autonomy and so on. They laid an atomic bomb under a building called Russia, and then it exploded. And we did not need a world revolution. This is the idea there, ”the president was quoted in the news.

In January 2018, the head of the Russian state compared the body of Vladimir Lenin, lying in the mausoleum on Red Square, with the relics of saints that are stored on Mount Athos, and noted that there were many borrowings from Christianity in the communist ideology. In particular, according to Putin, the Code of Builders of Communism was a primitive excerpt from the Bible.

*) Pipes Richard. Russian Revolution: In 3 books. Book. 2. Bolsheviks in the struggle for power. 1917−1918.