VLADIMIR ILYICH LENIN
1870 - 1924

Lenin's original name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. He was the founder of the Bolshevik Party.

Lenin was a Russian revolutionary leader and statesman. Although he was a lawyer, he came to dislike the profession. He especially detested the class favoritism he observed while working as a lawyer.

He was well read, had an excellent memory, and was noted for his incredible energy and directness.

LENIN'S FAMILY
Lenin's father was Ilya Ulyanov. His mother was Maria Ulyanova, nee Blank. His siblings were Anna, Alexandr, Olga, Dmitry, Maria.

In 1898, Lenin married Nadezhda Krupskaya in Siberia where both were exiled. They had no children.


EARLY YEARS
Lenin went to Kazan University and practiced law in Samara and St. Petersburg. He became a Marxist and was exiled to Siberia for his revolutionary activities.

THE REVOLUTION
After his exile, he left Russia and became the main leader of the Bolsheviks, later known as the Russian Communist Party. The Russian word Bolshevik stands for members of the majority.

In the Revolution of 1917 Czar Nicholas II was replaced by a Provisional Government. The Provisional Government, in turn, was overthrown by the Bolsheviks six months after Lenin’s return to Russia.

Counterrevolutionary forces gained momentum and the country erupted into a civil war. The Bolsheviks consolidated their power and set up a dictatorship by the Communist party.

Land was taken away from private owners and distributed among the people. Workers were put in control of factories, traditional religion was abolished, opposition was ruthlessly suppressed, and the death penalty became common.

As Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars, Lenin was the head of the state.

LENIN'S DEATH
After falling seriously ill, Lenin dictated his final notes stating the need for changes within the government. He also criticized several government members, Stalin in particular.

After a series of strokes, Lenin died on January 21, 1924. Aleksey Rykov succeeded him as Chairman of the Council of Commissars. Lenin’s “Last Testament” was concealed until 1956.

LENIN'S BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
1870 April 22 - Birth in Simbirsk, Russia
1887 Kazan University
1892 Practicing law in Samara
1893 Move to St. Petersburg
1895 Arrested, exiled to Siberia (until 1900)
1900 Goes abroad
1917 Bolshevik Revolution
1918 Civil War (until 1920)
1919 Comintern founded
1922 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) founded
1924 January 21 - Death in Gorki, Russia

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Timeline

LENIN FACTS
He adopted the pseudonym Lenin during his underground party work after his exile in Siberia. The word Lenin is believed to have been derived from the Russian river Lena.

Lenin survived an assassination attempt in August 1918. In April 1922 one of the bullets was extracted from his neck.

He was noted for his unemotional rationality.

Lenin advocated extremely cruel revolutionary measures. He often doubted, however, whether the Russian character was capable of this. He said, “Soft, too soft is the Russian.”

Lenin and all his siblings became revolutionaries. His brother Aleksandr was hanged for his involvement in a conspiracy against the life of Czar Alexander III in 1887.