By exabezian – Wikimedia

Top 10 Surprising Facts about Vladimir Lenin


 

Vladimir Lenin is largely referred to as the architect of the former Union Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Lenin greatly impacted some of the biggest political events of the 20th century.

Born in 1870 in Simbirsk, Lenin grew up during the political revolution in Russia. His brother was executed and his father died of a brain haemorrhage.

He ruled Russia after it had been under Tsars for several centuries. Vladimir Lenin became the head of the Soviet Union in 1917, the nation was founded based on a socialist empire. Lenin was seen as a controversial figure who left an indelible mark in the country.

Find out more about Vladimir Lenin in the top 10 facts below.

1. He had a collection of illegal publications that he took back to Russia

By Pavel Semyonovich Zhukov – Wikimedia

Lenin travelled to western Europe where he met Marxists and socialists outside of Russia.

During the meeting, Lenin got several publications that were considered to be illegal back in Russia. He smuggled them back when he returned and shared them with the people.

This was part of his activism that led to his arrest. Lenin was not allowed to have a lawyer and he was jailed for a year without a sentence. He used this time to write and work on his political theories.

2. Lenin began his activism while at the University

Lenin’s family was well educated. He went to Kazan University to study law in 1887. This was a few months after the execution of his older brother.

It was not long before he led a student protest which led to his expulsion.

He did not give up on his dream to be a lawyer, so he enrolled at Saint Petersburg University as an external law student. Lenin graduated in 1891.  

Lenin then briefly worked as a defence attorney and offered pro-bono services to the needy. He also became interested in following the footsteps of the famed communist thinker Karl Marx.

3. Activism was a family affair

Lenin’s parents were not actively involved in politics but the children were. His older brother Alexander and sister Anna were revolutionists.

Alexander was resolute to bring to an end the rule of tyrannical Tsars. He was a university student studying zoology. In March 1887, he got arrested for taking part in an assassination attempt of Tsar Alexander III.

Unfortunately, Alexander got executed while his accomplices had their sentence reduced after they begged for mercy. Alexander had thought this idea was insincere.

This incident made Lenin want to push for social justice and was his entry point into politics.  

4. Lenin sought asylum in Siberia

By Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova – Wikimedia

Lenin strongly believed in Marxist ideologies; he, therefore, published his first Marxist essay in 1894. This was followed by his campaigns in France, Germany and Switzerland.

When he returned home, he was arrested while working on his inaugural issue of the Marxist newspaper. He spent a year in jail before he was sent to Siberia.

While in jail, he met the love of his life. Since he was to be sent to Siberia, he had to think fast on how to be together. He asked her to let the authorities know that they were married. Convinced, the authorities sent them both to Siberia.

The two spent their time writing, hunting, swimming, and taking long walks. After he completed his sentence, Lenin travelled to other Western European countries for 17 years.

He returned to Russia in 1905. In 1917, the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, was overthrown.

5. Lenin changed his birth name

His birth name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. Growing up he used other names such as K. Tulin and Petrov, he settled for Lenin in 1902.

Historians believe that the name was about Lena River in Siberia where he was exiled to. He used this name to protect his family from the government.

Most Russian revolutionaries used aliases to distract the government while protecting themselves.

6. His government shared power

By Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova – Wikimedia

Lenin’s Bolshevik government initially shared power with the Left Socialist Revolutionaries. These were elected soviets, and a multi-party Constituent Assembly.

In 1918, they had centralised power in the new Communist Party. His administration reallocated land among the peasantry and nationalised banks and large-scale industry.

They also withdrew from World War I by signing a treaty conceding territory to the Central Powers. This way, his government promoted world revolution through Communist International.

Lenin defeated the right- and left-wing armies during the Russian civil war between 1917 and 1922. He died in Gorki, and Joseph Stalin succeeding him as the distinguished figure in the Soviet government.

7. Just like his mother, Lenin was not religious

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

When Lenin was 16 years old, his father died of a brain haemorrhage. It greatly affected him and he became aggressive.

He also embraced atheism for the first time in his life. He could not understand why God would let his father die.

Lenin was, however, not brought up in a strictly religious family. His father was a devout member of the Russian Orthodox Church.

They were baptised as children. His mother, on the other hand, was not religious. She greatly influenced her children even though she was brought up by Lutheran parents.

8. Lenin did not come from an affluent background

Photo by Emma Frances Logan on Unsplash

Lenin came from a middle-class family. His father came from a lineage of serfs, he had done well in life. Lenin’s mother was a well-educated woman whose father was a doctor.

His father, Ilia Nikolaevich Ulianov, was a high official in the area’s educational system. Because of his father’s connection, Lenin grew up fairly privileged.

His background did not stop him from helping the poor with legal aid when he practised as a lawyer.

9. He survived an assassination attempt

Being an activist fighting the Tsars, Lenin became an enemy to many. Fanny Kaplan attempted to assassinate Lenin. Before this, he had survived a shooting.

This happened in 1918 when he was giving a public speech. He was badly injured. Lenin got a lot of public sympathies as well as popularity.

He fell ill a few years later, many believed the illness was caused by metal oxidation from the gunshot.

Several people who were against Lenin’s government were killed after the assassination attempts.  

10. His tomb is accessible at the Red Square

During his funeral, thousands of mourners showed up to pay their last respect. They passed past Lenin’s exposed coffin at his funeral.

The event took place at St. Petersburg which was briefly renamed Leningrad in his honour.

His body was then embalmed, a process that took a month. A permanent mausoleum was built in Moscow’s Red Square.

Lenin’s body has been on display at the mausoleum since. The only time his body was moved was during WWII.

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