Vladimir Lenin

Who was Lenin?

Lenin was the leader of the Russian Communist Party and the USSR. He developed the political theory of Marxism-Leninism. His full name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov.

When did Lenin join the Communist Party?

Lenin joined the Communist Party in 1903 and became the leader of the USSR after the October Revolution of 1917 until his death in 1924.

Where was Lenin during the February Revolution?

Lenin was in exile in Switzerland. This meant he did not play a part in the February Revolution.

When did Lenin return to Russia?

Lenin returned to Russia on 3rd April, 1917 but fled to Finland in July 1917. He returned again on 10th October, 1917.

Why did Lenin return to Russia?

Lenin was helped by the Germans to return to Russia. The Germans wanted to cause unrest in Russia in the hope the country would pull out of the First World War. They believed Lenin would cause that unrest.

What were Lenin's April theses?

Lenin's manifesto, his 'April Theses' had 4 main demands.

• ❖ Peace: He demanded that Russia pull out of the war.
• ❖ Bread: Lenin claimed the Bolsheviks could solve the food shortages.
• ❖ Land: Lenin wanted land to be given to the peasants and to end the social hierarchies that had existed under the tsar.
• ❖ All power to the Soviets: Lenin demanded all cooperation with the Provisional Government and any other party should end, and all power should be with the Soviets.

What was Lenin's 'State and Revolution' pamphlet about?

The 'State and Revolution' pamphlet was:

• ❖ Written by Lenin while he was in Finland.
• ❖ Stated that after taking power in a revolution, there would be a period of rule known as the 'dictatorship of the proletariat'.
• ❖ Its aim would be to create stability in the nation before the transition to full communism.

What part did Lenin play in the Sovnarkom?

Lenin did the following on the Sovnarkom, or the Council of People's Commissars:

• ❖ He was its chairman.
• ❖ He used the Sovnarkom to develop a dictatorship, rather than Russia becoming a genuinely equal socialist society.

When did Lenin die?

Lenin died on 21st January 1924 after suffering three strokes. The first was in May 1922, the second in December 1922 and the final one in March 1923.

Who were Lenin's potential successors?

After Lenin's death in 1924, there was a power struggle over who would succeed him:

• ❖ There were several potential leaders - Stalin, Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin.
• ❖ Each candidate had their own strengths: Stalin was general secretary of the Communist Party, Trotsky had led the Red Army, and Zinoviev and Kamenev had led the party in Petrograd and Moscow.

Who succeeded Lenin?

By 1929, Stalin emerged as leader of the Communist Party and of the country.

How did Lenin's successor become leader?

There were 2 main methods Stalin used to become Lenin's successor:

• ❖ He manipulated his rivals, who were also competing to become leader of the party, so he was able to remove them as competitors.
• ❖ He appeared to be the most moderate candidate and rose above the arguments and egos of his rivals.

What were Lenin's achievements?

Lenin was the communist leader of Russia and the USSR between 1917 and 1924. He achieved 7 important things:

• ❖ He adapted Karl Marx's theory of communism to create Marxism-Leninism. This was a theory on how to achieve a communist society in Russia in a shorter period of time than Marxism would allow.
• ❖ He created the 'April Theses' which enabled the Bolsheviks to get their message across more easily and gained them more support.
• ❖ He had led a successful communist revolution in Russia in October 1917.
• ❖ He led the Bolsheviks to victory in the Russian Civil War.
• ❖ He introduced War Communism which centralised Bolshevik control of the economy, increased centralisation of the party and enabled them win the civil war.
• ❖ He ended Russia's war with Germany through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918.
• ❖ He created a one-party state, or a dictatorship.