Vladimir Lenin By Anthony Cusato Early Life Lenin

Vladimir Lenin By: Anthony Cusato

Early Life • Lenin was born on April 22 nd, 1870 in the town of Simbirk (now Ulyanovsk) • His real name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov • He adopted the name Lenin in 1901, this may refer to the Lena River in Siberia • Lenin had 2 brothers and 3 sister, all of whom became revolutionists (except for one sister who died at age 20) • During Lenin’s childhood Russia was generally quite and peaceful • Lenin’s father died in 1886 • His brother, Alexander was hung in 1887 for taking part in unsuccessful plot to kill Czar Alexander III. He said he wanted to kill the czar to give the Russian people “political freedom” • In 1893 Lenin joined a Marxist group

Young Revolutionist • In St. Petersburg, Lenin soon became the leader of a Marxist revolutionary group • In December 1895, Lenin was arrested by the czar’s police while preparing his revolutionary newspaper, The Workers Cause • After more than a year of questioning he was exiled to Siberia in 1897 • Exile was not all bad because he received some money for food and housing and actually wrote some of his most famous revolutionary writings like The Development of Capitalism in Russia (1899) • On July 22 nd, Lenin married Nadezhda Konstantinova Krupskaya another exiled revolutionist

Revolutionary Leader • Lenin and the Bolsheviks wanted to keep their party membership down to only fulltime revolutionists • The Mensheviks wanted to have less restrictions on membership and wanted democratic practices not dictatorship

Revolt • In the early 1900 s, the Russian people started to have a sprit of revolt against Czar Nicholas II • The citizens wanted political freedom, more land, higher wages, and more representation in the government. They also wanted to end the war between Russia and Japan (1931) • World War I started in the summer of 1914 • Lenin went to Switzerland where he hoped the Russians would lose so that it would bring around a revolution • The Germans were secretly financing Lenin’s party hoping that this would weaken the Russian war effort

Road to Power (October Revolution • Czar Nicholas II gave up the throne on March 15 th, 1917 and a democratic government was established. For a time the Petrograd soviet shared control of Russia but soon the Bolsheviks demanded that all government power be given to the soviets. • In 1917 Lenin returned to Petrograd. He urged the Bolsheviks to start a revolt. He had some government troops from Trotsky (who was the Bolshevik president of the Petrograd soviet) and the support of a few Russian Navy crews • The Bolsheviks seized Petrograd on November 7 th, 1917 with little violence • The struggle for Moscow was more bloody but the Bolsheviks captured the city November 15 th

Lenin’s Rule • Lenin found himself battling to stay in power because of the German advance through Russia and gathering opposition to his rule • Lenin believed that he had to end the war at any cost to have the Bolsheviks stay in power. On March 3 rd, 1918 Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This treaty made Russian give up a good portion of their European land but was left in charge of all the other land • Lenin moved the capital from Petrograd to Moscow to keep his government away from the Germans. Russia got all it’s lands back when Germany lost the war in November, 1918 which made the treaty invalid • In 1918 the Bolsheviks the name of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party to the Russian Communist Party • In December 1917 establish the Cheka, political police force that ruled by terror. Opponents of the Bolsheviks were imprisoned, murdered, or sent to a labor camp • On August 30 th, 1918 Lenin was shot by Dora Kaplan, a member of the Social Revolutionary Party. He was shot twice but recovered. Kaplan was executed and to discourage more attempts the Bolsheviks executed hundreds of “hostages”

Civil War / Lenin’s Death • In January 1918 Lenin created the Red Army. Those who opposed them were known as Whites. The Whites could not organize and the Bolsheviks quickly won the civil war • The Russian economy had collapsed and people were starving • The New Economic Plan helped keep Russia going and the Communist government alive • In the last two years of Lenin’s life he had three strokes • He appointed Stalin general secretary of the party • Lenin planed to remove Stalin from power but his third stroke took his ability to speak. His illness kept him from removing Stalin • Lenin died on January 20 th, 1924 of a brain hemorrhage

1925 -1934 • 1925: Benito Mussolini took dictatorial powers over Italy • 1925: Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes first female governor in the U. S. • 1926 -1989: Hirohito was Emperor of Japan • 1927: First Trans-Atlantic flight made by Charles Lindbergh

1925 -1934 • 1928: President, Alvaro Obregon, of Mexico is assassinated • 1929: Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Union • 1929 -1933: Herbert Hover is President of the United States • 1929: forced collectivization takes place in the U. S. S. R

1925 -1934 • • • 1929: Black Friday, The Wall Street Crash 1929: First Academy Awards held 1930: The Salt March of Gandhi 1930: Revolution in Brazil 1930: The Nazi part become second largest in Germany • 1930: First World Cup held in Uruguay

1925 -1934 • 1931: Japanese invasion of Manchuria • 1931: Peoples Republic of China declared by Mao Tse Tung • 1931: Al Capone (aka: Scarface) is indicted and convicted • 1932: French President, Paul Doumer was assassinated • 1932: Massive riots between Hindus and Muslims in Bombay

1925 -1934 • 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany • 1933: End of Probation in the U. S. • 1933 -1945: FDR President of the U. S. • 1933: First Nazi concentration camp opened in Dachau • 1934: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed • Hitler becomes ruler of Germany

Bibliography • Marrin, Albert. "Lenin, V. I. " World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. [Place of access. ] 20 Nov. 2008 <http: //worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id =ar 319460>. • http: //www. historyexplorer. net/? World_History_Tim eline: 1921_AD_-_1930_AD