Bridges 1

Joshua Bridges

Ms. Keef

English 1

19 May 2016

Vladimir Lenin

“There is not another man who for twenty-four hours of the day is not taken up with the

revolution,… and who even in his sleep, dreams of nothing but revolution.” Pavel Axelrod. Most

men dream of change, but only some men follow that dream. And if the government is failing the

country, what can a man do. Vladimir Lenin with the reign of Tsar Nicholas II and helped his

fellow comrades to set Russia free from the monarchy. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, also known as

Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary whose belief in Marxist ideas led Russia into a violent

rebellion, the abolition of the monarchy, and the establishment of major policies to help the

country recover from years of war.

Vladimir Lenin (whose family’s name was originally Ulyanov) was born in Simbirsk

Russia, on April 10, 1870. His father, Ilia Ulyanov, was a high official in the in the czarist

educational bureaucracy, through which, he rose into the nobility. Vladimir had received an

education that only sons of Russian upper class, but fate would have something else in mind.

Lenin had a relatively good childhood; at age sixteen, his life changed. His father died at age

fifty-four to a cerebral hemorrhage in 1886.One year later his brother, Alexander, was arrested

for plotting to assassinate Czar Alexander II. Even though his mother begged for clemency,

Alexander and his associates were executed by hanging in 1887. Lenin would forever be

changed by his brother’s execution and it would later harden his resolve to end the czar’s rule.
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Sometime later he enrolled as a law student at the University of Kenan but was soon

expelled after being in a demonstration. This would only be a minor setback; he earned his law

degree in 1891. In 1893, Lenin moved to the Russian capital of St. Petersburg. Here, he became

involved in more Marxist movements. His serious demeanor and single-minded focus on the

revolution impressed the others in his circle and began calling him Starik,”the old one”. Then in

1895, Lenin and dozens of other members of his circle were arrested and sent to Siberia to live

their sentences in exile. Among his followers was Nadezhda Krupskaya, fellow Marxist and

Lenin’s fiancée. The two were married in 1898 then moved to Switzerland after their sentence.

In 1903 the leaders of Russian Marxism met for the Second Congress where tempers

flared and the disagreement over the nature and organization of the party grew complicated due

to other conflicts of views. Then, Russian Marxism was split into two factions, Lenin’s faction,

the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. Sources explain,” Bolshevism stressed the need for

revolution and the futility of incremented reforms; it emphasizes the goals of Marxism rather the

process, with its timetable, by which Marx thought the new order was to be reached; in

comparison to Menshevism is impatient, pragmatic, and tough-minded”(Encyclopedia of world).

Lenin then wrote his reaction to the split in the pamphlet “One Step Forward—Two Steps Back,”

in 1904. Then finally, revolution sparked in Russia. The Revolution of 1905 began in January 22,

when soldiers opened fire on defenseless workers while marching to the Czar’s wither palace.

But Lenin did not get back into Russia until November, when the revolution was all but failed.

Moral was low in the ranks of the revolutionaries but he urged his followers to renew their

efforts and to prepare for an armed uprising. Despite his efforts, the revolution failed and he

returned to Switzerland. Even with the failed revolution, Lenin did not give up hope. He soon got

his chance when Europe was thrown into war.

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When World War 1(also called The Great War) began, Lenin saw his opportunity to take

action, but he did not gain the support until 1916. The official start of the revolution was in 1917

with the “bread riots” in Petrograd (St. Petersburg was renamed Petrograd at the start of The

Great War). The riots soon developed into the March Revolution. But Lenin and his followers

had no way to get into Russia through France or Italy. “The German government, looking to

disrupt Russia's war efforts, allowed Lenin to return to St. Petersburg from exile in Switzerland

on April 16, 1917. Lenin received a tumultuous reception and immediately issued his April

Theses, published that some year in Pravda, the Bolshevik Party organ. The Theses denounced

the liberal Provisional Government that had replaced the tsarist regime. It was at this time that

Lenin gained the key support of Leon Trotsky” (Kreis Steven, The History Guide). Once in

Russia, Lenin called for the overthrow of the government and to give power to the soviets

(organizations of workers, peasants, and soldiers). From that day on, soviets began to appear in

many parts of the empire. As the war progressed, demonstrations broke out in the streets. In

response, the government sent in troops to break up the event and then released papers saying

that Lenin and his follow party members were German spies. Leading members of his party,

including Trotsky, were arrested and Lenin was forced into hiding. But in fall, Lenin learned that

was losing favor with the people. The failure to produce land reforms and remaining in the war,

he had the perfect opportunity. He convinced the other Bolshevik party leaders to launch an

assault early in November. The November Revolution (also known as the Red October

revolution) was the breaking point for the government and the Bolsheviks took power after a

week of bloody fighting. The Bolsheviks, renamed the Communists, moved to end the war with

Germany. The only way to end the war quickly was to accept the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. They
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would lose large pieces of the old Russian Empire to Germany but this would end their

involvement in the war.

By the end of 1918, Lenin established a dictatorship with a secret police, the Cheka. But

there were still problems in his system. Those who still want a war with Germany and political

opponents created major problems for Lenin. This would eventually start a civil war, between the

“White” army (opponents of the Communist) and the “Red” army (the communist government).

In September 1918, Lenin was nearly assassinated by a political rival and his followers launched

a “Red Terror”, executing thousands of political enemies. Three years later, the Communists won

the civil war. But the country had suffered greatly from the revolution and civil war. Lenin then

put in place a “New Economic Policy” to help Russia recover from seven years of war.

Lenin’s political career came to end when he suffered a series of strokes at age 52. In his

last few years, leaders such as Trotsky and Joseph Stalin began to seek after Lenin’s seat of

power. Lenin became increasingly distrustful toward Stalin. Lenin wrote about his distain toward

Stalin in his final “Testament”. But, on January 1924, Lenin died from the same illness his father

but his words were not enough to stop Stain’s rise to power. “The death of the great

revolutionary leader quickly led to the creation of a “Lenin cult.” He would likely have been

appalled to see how the story of his life was rewritten to make him appear a flawless

revolutionary leader. From 1924 onward, Communist leaders claimed to be following Lenin’s

guidelines at all times. The sharpest shifts in policy were justified by ransacking Lenin’s huge set

of writing for an appropriate quotation” (DISCovering Biography).

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Works Cited

Kreis, Steven. "Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin), 1870-1924." Lectures on Twentieth Century

Europe (2000): n. pag. The History Guide. 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 6 May 2016.

"Vladimir Ilich Lenin." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. N. pag. Student

Resources in Context. Web. 3 May 2016.

"Vladimir Ilyich Lenin." DISCovering Biography. Detroit: Gale, 2003. N. pag. Student

Resources in Context. Web. 3 May 2016.