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[[File:683px-Lenin.jpg|thumbnail|270px200px|left|Vladimir Lenin]]
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (later known as Lenin as he solely nicknamed himself) was one of the leading political figures in the course of the 20th century. He was the revolutionary thinker behind the USSR idea (a.k.a. The Great Soviet Union), fought to materialize it and masterminded the Bolshevik bloody takeover of power in Russia after World War One. Although Lenin's reign as the head of the newly created Soviet Union was extraordinarily his influence stretched throughout the 20th century.
====Lenin’s Early Life====
[[File:Lenin-circa-1887.jpg|thumbnail|220px|left|Vladimir Lenin in 1887]]
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born on 22 April 1870 in Simbirsk on the Volga River into a well-educated family. He excelled at school and chose to pursue a law studies and career. However, while he was at university his brother, Aleksandr Ulyanov, was involved with “Narodovoltsy” – a revolutionary terrorist society and in 1891 he was arrested and executed for taking part in an assassination plot against Tsar Alexander III. His brother's execution radicalized Vladimir. He turned his anger towards =the ruling Tsarist regime. His brother's execution along with his father’s death marked a turning point in his life and shaped his path in the future.
[[File:Lenin-circa-1887.jpg|thumbnail|150px|left|Vladimir Lenin in 1887]]
Soon after his brother execution, Lenin was expelled from the university for his active participation in student protests against Tsarist regime. He was forced to continue his law studies as an external student at St. Petersburg University. Around this time he also became passionately interested in Karl Marx’s works. He joined Marxists groups when he was 21 and in essence became a professional revolutionary. Lenin became involved with various Marxist societies and radical groups and published his writings on politics and Marxism.
Almost all of his writing were immediately banned and restricted by the Tsarist regime. The only way to get a hold of his writings was to passed them by hand from person to person. His writings quickly caught the eye of other Russian radicals and he was declared an “enemy of the state” by the Russian police. He was arrested by Tsarists police in St. Petersburg and imprisoned for a year for sedition. After his release, he was again arrested in 1897 for his radical views and ideas and sent to exile in Siberia for 3 years. Lenin and family were sent to Siberia where he lived in Shushenskoye. During his Siberian exile, Vladimir adopted the famous moniker “Lenin.” While in Siberia, Lenin wrote constantly with his wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya. His exile did little to damper his revolutionary zeal.
===Lenin - the Young Revolutionary== [[File:Vladimir_Lenin_plays_chess_with_Alexander_Bogdanov_during_a_visit_to_Maxim_Gorky_(April_,10_(23)_-_April,_17_(30)_1908).jpg|thumbnail|325px|left|Vladimir Lenin plays chess with Alexander Bogdanov in 1908]]= Once Lenin was released, he continued to passionately work on his views regarding social imbalance and formed the famous Bolsheviks group of supporters – a major faction . The Bolsheviks would become the preeminent party of Russian Marxists, later shaping shaped the whole future Communist Party.<ref>Initially establishing the so-called Russian Social Democratic Worker's Party and later – Communist Party.</ref> The synthesis of Lenin’s views combined together with those of Karl Marx created what we now know as “Marxism-Leninism” or the basis of whole Communist doctrine throughout the 20th century. [[File:Vladimir_Lenin_plays_chess_with_Alexander_Bogdanov_during_a_visit_to_Maxim_Gorky_(April_,10_(23)_-_April,_17_(30)_1908).jpg|thumbnail|325px|left|Vladimir Lenin plays chess with Alexander Bogdanov in 1908]]His teachings attracted more and more passionate followers. Unsurprisingly, he writing unpopular with the Russian authorities. Vladimir argued in favor at total state ownership of all property, abolishing Tsarists privileges, equal rights for all and the elimination of unemployment. As the tension grew, Lenin decided to leave the country for security reasons and move to Western Europe. He spent there most of the subsequent 15 in self-imposed exile. After his move to Eastern Europe, he became a prominent member of the international revolutionary movement.
His teachings attracted more Away from Russia, he continued to publish and won more passionate followers and were not popular with the Russian authorities at all – he was, after all, against on his side. He created the ruling Tsarist regime and class divisions published his newspaper “Iskra” (“Spark”) in society. Vladimir aimed at total state ownership of goods, abolishing Tsarists privileges, equal rights for all and lack of workless personnel - even if that meant going to extremes like poets serving in army or getting involved Munich with peasant work. As the tension grewmotto “From Spark to Flame!” Aided by foreign funds, Lenin decided to leave actively challenged established the country for security reasons doctrine, policy and move to Western Europe. He spent there most institution of the subsequent decade and a half and continued to play a key role also in the international revolutionary movementruling Tsarist regimes.
Away from ====World War I Fatigue====In 1917, exhausted by World War One, Tsarist Russia he created his own propaganda means and won even more followers on his sidewas a wreck. <ref>EIt was the perfect chaos moment for Lenin to return home.g. published his legendary newspaper “Iskra” (“Spark”) Germany, in Munich with the motto “From Spark effort to Flame!”</ref> Aided by foreign fundsdestabilize Russia, helped send Lenin back to Russia. They hoped Lenin actively challenged would undermine the established doctrineRussian war efforts. Instead of arrested and exiled again, policy Lenin was warmly welcomed home and institution supported by other radical thinkers such as Leon Trotsky. He quickly became the leader of the ruling Tsarist regimesMarxist movement and led the Bolsheviks in the bloody violent Red October Revolution. Vladimir quickly learntLenin, much to his own surprise, that effectively ended the real force was within Russian Empire rather easily and established the Soviet state. The Tsar had become incredibly unpopular and were willing to embrace Lenin's revolution. [[File:Russian_prisoners_tannenberg.jpg|thumbnail|350px|left|Russian prisoners after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tanneburg in 1914]]In the proletariat – workersfollowing three years of civil war, soldiers the Bolsheviks successfully assumed total control of the Russia. Lenin acted as the first head of this new socialistic regime and peasants – masses who would become his revolution’s weapons was the architect of the USSR itself. Lenin also commanded and dictatorship’s instruments laterled the famous Red Army - established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. <ref>A.k.a. Red October or Bolshevik Revolution </ref>
==World War I Fatigue==[[File:Russian_prisoners_tannenbergLenin proved decisive and ruthless from the very beginning.jpg|thumbnail|350px|Russian prisoners after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Tanneburg in 1914]]In 1917He neglected his fellow countrymen sufferings, exhausted by World War One, Russia because he was up for a changefocused crushing any internal opposition or riots. It The Red Army or as it was the perfect chaos moment for Lenin also commonly referred to return home. He - The Great Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army - was additionally funded raised by Lenin’s Bolsheviks to oppose the various military collectively known as the Germans who hoped that he would undermine White army during the Russian war effortsCivil War. Instead of arrested and exiled againAfter 1922, Lenin was warmly welcomed home and supported by other radical thinkers (e.g. Leon Trotsky) he led the Bolsheviks in the bloody violent Red October Revolution. Lenin, much to his own surprise, effectively ended Army was transformed into the Russian Empire rather easily and established the Soviet state that would soon become a global superpower. Masses loved him, he had won their full support and devotion with his speeches and “illegal” writings calling for a change. In the following almost three years Army of civil war, the Bolsheviks assumed total control Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the country. Vladimir acted as the first head of this new socialistic regime and was the architect of the USSR itself. Lenin also commanded and led the famous Red Army - established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. <ref>A.k.a. Red October or Bolshevik Revolution </ref>
Lenin proved decisive and ruthless from the very beginning: he neglected his fellow countrymen sufferings and mercilessly crushed any opposition or riots. The Red Army or as it was also commonly referred to - The Great Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army - was raised by ====Lenin’s Bolsheviks to oppose the various military collectively known as the White army during the Russian Civil War. After 1922 the Red Army became the army Cult of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established by the new regime. In February 1946 it effectively transformed, embodied and led the Soviet Armed Forces or Soviet Army. Historically, the Red Army is also credited as being the decisive land force in the Allied victory in World War II during the operations on the Eastern Front.Personality====
==Lenin’s Cult of Personality== Lenin had an amazing power over the crowds – he was a great powerful and gifted orator with truly inspirational power. From early age Vladimir was capable of effectively transmitting communicating complicated concepts and simplifying any complicated matter ideas to the masses until people lost their will and eventually got their minds enslavedhis audience. But make no mistake: some may celebrate Lenin as a defendant of workers’ rightscould effectively communicate with Russians who had limited education. Unfortunately, but he Lenin was much more decisive and prepared interested in building a country around his persona instead of trying to cause horrific mass suffering and sacrifice countless human improve the lives in the pursuit of Communist goalsRussian citizens. Lenin was fairly ruthless with any opposition to his rule. Millions of free-will poets, philosophers or priests lost their life lives or were forced to emigrate.<ref>Church The OrthodoxChurch was almost completely banned.</ref>
Lenin’s absolute authoritarian regime soon gained lots of opponents generated opposition and he narrowly survived a few assassination attempts. In one of these attempts, Vladimir Lenin was severely wounded and his long term health was affected. However, Lenin was a true 's injury and workaholic, which in effect further ruined nature eroded his health. In May 1922 he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He lost his power of speech and his right arm and leg were paralyzed. In December came , he had another stroke. The third followed in March 1923 and turned him into a living corpse. Lenin died on 24 January 1924. His corpse was embalmed and emblematically placed in a mausoleum in his memoriam on Moscow's Red Square. St Petersburg was named renamed Leningrad (The City of Lenin)in his honor.
====Conclusion====
If we measure greatness by the power of will and the scale of damage, then Lenin was truly by all means one of the most remarkable politicians. He destroyed one powerful empires transformed himself from imprisoned radical to create another based on extreme violencean absolute ruler in three decades. In many ways he defined Lenin's shadow hung over the development of world history throughout the 20th centurySoviet Union and Europe for another 70 years. Certainly, While Lenin was the founder of the idea remarkable orator and the guiding spirit of the Soviet Republics for many decades that followed - a communist philosopherwriter, disciple his takeover of Karl Marx, Russia was a leader of the Bolshevik (Communist) Party and the mastermind of the fluke. In 1917 Red October Revolution. Some may consider him a defender, others - a tyrant; some call him a saint, many more – the Russian Empire was a devildisaster. But all in all Lenin played an enormous role in It was led by the history of the 20th centuryRomanov's who were unpopular, foolish and incompetent. He applied communist ideas to real life and his “experiment” forever changed the face of World War I had also fatally weakened the worldRussian Empire. Not only did he reshape all Russia but also Lenin's revolution would have been quickly snuffed out if had millions of people bent to his will, changing the very course of occurred at any other time in Russian history in his own regard. Lenin was 's timing could not have been better. Lenin's luck allowed him to become the first revolutionary dictator of the century with influence on a global scale. He was not the last and paved the way for Stalin, Hitler, Mao and many others that followed as his Marxism-Leninism ideas and works were refreshed and broadly adopted afterwards during the Cold War. Nonetheless, it took over 70 years and millions of lives to put an end to Lenin’s era and forced utopia.
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