Vladimir ilyich lenin 2
Vladimir ilyich lenin 2Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
"No one nowadays has any reason to doubt the enormous significance of the events connected with the name Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, though for some people these amounted to a catastrophe, or the beginnings of one, whereas for others they created the hope that a new and just society might one day be created." (Medvedev, pg. 12)
Lenin was the leader of the first socialist revolution in the world. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was and still is a very important figure in the Socialist movements across the world. His name is synonymous with the 1917 revolution in Russia, which has many implications for Modern Western Intellectual history.
Lenin was born in central European Russia on April 22, 1870. He was born into the nobility with a cultured family. He had an early love for literature and a serious attitude toward study. Lenin had five brothers and sisters, one of whom would shape Lenin's attitudes and actions throughout his life. Sasha, an older brother to Lenin, was executed when Lenin was finishing high-school. Sasha was involved in a plot to kill the Tsar. Lenin changed from, "an apolitical schoolboy into a radical to be reckoned with." (Reddaway and Schapiro, pg 40) His brother's death influenced his tactics and thoughts about revolution throughout his lifetime.
Lenin was admitted to the University of Kazan but did not stay long. He was expelled for having his name on a petition of grievances. The school authorities looked up his background, and the connection with his brother was made, he was kicked out of school because of it. Not only did they expel him he was exiled from the city too. His mother tried desperately to get him back into school with no avail. (Wolfenstein, pg 104) During this time Lenin continued to study law and political science. In the summer of 1890, three years after his exile he was allowed to take the bar examination. He passed with the highest possible grade. (Wolfenstein, pg106) At this point in time it is unclear why Lenin entered into law at all. He did work on small cases for a short period of time but what he spent most of his time trying to do was find a sure method of revolutionary success. He needed assurance that the method would work without any doubts in his own mind. This need was influenced by his brothers execution.
"Marxism seemed to promise a solution: [Capitalism is progressive because] it AWAKENS THE MIND OF THE WORKER, converts dumb and incoherent discontent into conscious protest, converts scattered, petty, senseless revolt into an organized class struggle . . . a struggle...
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