Vladimir Lenin: Russian Revolutionary
“There is no other man who is absorbed by the
revolution twenty-four hours a day, who has no other
thoughts but the thought of revolution, and who even
when he sleeps, dreams of nothing but revolution.”--
another Communist, speaking of Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was one of the century's
most important leaders. Unhappy and
disillusioned with the Russian monarchy, he led
a group called the Bolsheviks in a revolution that
gave him control of the largest nation in the
world.
Born in 1870, Lenin was raised by two
educated parents in a happy family. He showed
intelligence and skill with classical languages.
While in his teens, two shocks jolted his world.
First, his father was threatened with losing his
job by the government. Second, Lenin's older
brother was hanged for conspiring against the
czar. Within two years, Lenin had read the work
of Karl Marx and believed that Russia needed a
Communist revolution.
Lenin then began to write and to recruit
new followers. He was arrested and served 15
months in prison followed by three years of
exile in Siberia. When that ended in 1900, he
traveled abroad, where he spent much of the next
17 years. During this time, he sharpened his
ideas about Marxism
Marxism said that industrial workers,
called the proletariat, were in a struggle against
capitalists, the people that owned businesses.
Eventually, Marx said, the workers would
overthrow the capitalists and form a new society
called communism. However, Russia consisted
mainly of peasants and only had a small number
of industrial workers. Marxists wondered how a
workers' revolution could occur.
Lenin saw the role of the party as
essential, and his group became known as the
Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks, he said, would lead
the people to the revolution they needed.
However, many Marxists found it difficult to
accept Lenin's iron rule. In 1912, he forced
those who disagreed with him out of the party.
World War I brought another crisis.
Communists all over Europe ignored class
loyalty and chose to fight for their country
instead. They joined their nations' armies to
fight each other-not the capitalists. Lenin said
that the war would help capitalists profit while
workers suffered. He urged that Communists
"transform the imperialist war into a civil war."
As the war continued, the Russian
people suffered terribly. In March 1917, hungry,
angry workers and soldiers overthrew the czar.
Lenin and his supporters won permission from
Germany to travel through German lands back
to Russia.
Lenin accepted the new temporary
government but said that it was not revolutionary
enough. He urged that power go to the soviets,
which were councils of workers set up in many
cities. His position grew dangerous. He was
branded a German agent and was forced to live
in hiding in Finland. From that base, he issued a
stream of writings urging immediate Russian
withdrawal from the war and for the government
to give land and bread to the people. These cries
gained popularity. In late October, he returned to
Russia, disguised for his safety. He persuaded
the party's leaders that it was time to overthrow
the provisional government but watched with
alarm as no steps were taken. Finally, on
November 7, 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the
temporary government. The soviets chose the
47-year-old Lenin as their leader.
Lenin quickly made peace with
Germany, giving up large chunks of Russian
territory A civil war, though, still raged in Russia
between the Bolsheviks and their opponents.
However, Lenin's leadership ensured that the
new government would survive.
With peace came the question of bow to
rule the new state. The country was named the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the
Bolsheviks renamed themselves the Communist
Party. In Lenin's last years, he struggled to
prevent Stalin from gaining power. Lenin
became ill and died in 1924.
“There is no other man who is absorbed by the
revolution twenty-four hours a day, who has no other
thoughts but the thought of revolution, and who even
when he sleeps, dreams of nothing but revolution.”--
another Communist, speaking of Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was one of the century's
most important leaders. Unhappy and
disillusioned with the Russian monarchy, he led
a group called the Bolsheviks in a revolution that
gave him control of the largest nation in the
world.
Born in 1870, Lenin was raised by two
educated parents in a happy family. He showed
intelligence and skill with classical languages.
While in his teens, two shocks jolted his world.
First, his father was threatened with losing his
job by the government. Second, Lenin's older
brother was hanged for conspiring against the
czar. Within two years, Lenin had read the work
of Karl Marx and believed that Russia needed a
Communist revolution.
Lenin then began to write and to recruit
new followers. He was arrested and served 15
months in prison followed by three years of
exile in Siberia. When that ended in 1900, he
traveled abroad, where he spent much of the next
17 years. During this time, he sharpened his
ideas about Marxism
Marxism said that industrial workers,
called the proletariat, were in a struggle against
capitalists, the people that owned businesses.
Eventually, Marx said, the workers would
overthrow the capitalists and form a new society
called communism. However, Russia consisted
mainly of peasants and only had a small number
of industrial workers. Marxists wondered how a
workers' revolution could occur.
Lenin saw the role of the party as
essential, and his group became known as the
Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks, he said, would lead
the people to the revolution they needed.
However, many Marxists found it difficult to
accept Lenin's iron rule. In 1912, he forced
those who disagreed with him out of the party.
World War I brought another crisis.
Communists all over Europe ignored class
loyalty and chose to fight for their country
instead. They joined their nations' armies to
fight each other-not the capitalists. Lenin said
that the war would help capitalists profit while
workers suffered. He urged that Communists
"transform the imperialist war into a civil war."
As the war continued, the Russian
people suffered terribly. In March 1917, hungry,
angry workers and soldiers overthrew the czar.
Lenin and his supporters won permission from
Germany to travel through German lands back
to Russia.
Lenin accepted the new temporary
government but said that it was not revolutionary
enough. He urged that power go to the soviets,
which were councils of workers set up in many
cities. His position grew dangerous. He was
branded a German agent and was forced to live
in hiding in Finland. From that base, he issued a
stream of writings urging immediate Russian
withdrawal from the war and for the government
to give land and bread to the people. These cries
gained popularity. In late October, he returned to
Russia, disguised for his safety. He persuaded
the party's leaders that it was time to overthrow
the provisional government but watched with
alarm as no steps were taken. Finally, on
November 7, 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the
temporary government. The soviets chose the
47-year-old Lenin as their leader.
Lenin quickly made peace with
Germany, giving up large chunks of Russian
territory A civil war, though, still raged in Russia
between the Bolsheviks and their opponents.
However, Lenin's leadership ensured that the
new government would survive.
With peace came the question of bow to
rule the new state. The country was named the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the
Bolsheviks renamed themselves the Communist
Party. In Lenin's last years, he struggled to
prevent Stalin from gaining power. Lenin
became ill and died in 1924.
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