“We want to achieve a new and better order of society: in this new and better society there must be neither rich nor poor; all will have to work. Not a handful of rich people, but all the working people must enjoy the fruits of their common labour.” – Vladimir Lenin
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ Russian Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of Russia’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
Among the leaders of the 20th century, arguably none shaped the course of history as much as Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), the Communist revolutionary and political theorist who led the Bolshevik Revolution that established the Soviet Union. In addition to shaping the Marxist-Leninist political thought that steered Soviet ideology, he was the first Soviet premier until his death and set the Soviet Union on its way to becoming one of the world’s two superpowers for most of the century, in addition to being the West’s Cold War adversary.
Given the Red Scare and the nature of the Cold War, Lenin has always been a divisive and controversial figure in Western society, especially among those who equate the Soviets with brutal repression and human rights abuses. Lenin also has his champions, who point to the fact that he got Russia out of World War I, was the first to successfully implement a modern socialist state, and worked tirelessly to elevate the working classes.
As it turned out, the creation of the Soviet Union came near the end of Lenin’s life, as he worked so hard that he had burned himself out by his 50s, dying in 1924 after a series of strokes had completely debilitated him. Since his life before the Soviet Union naturally gets less focus, Lenin remains a bit of an unknown among many, and he is likely a lesser known or notorious figure than his successor, Joseph Stalin. Russian Legends: The Life and Legacy of Vladimir Lenin explores Lenin’s life and work before the Bolshevik Revolution, as well as the crucial role he played in establishing the Soviet Union. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the founder of Communist Russia like you never have before, in no time at all.
