History Alternative Paper: Vladimir Lenin

Eunbee Kim

History 10E

Mr. Carpenter

April 13, 2015

History Alternative Paper: Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin, born on 22 April 1870 and died on 21 January 1924, was the leader of the Communist Party, Bolshevik Revolution, and Soviet state. His ideology was posthumously called “Leninism” which is the doctrine of Lenin combined with Karl Marx’s ideas of Communism. Lenin is considered as one of the most significant political leaders of the 20th century because the revolution he leaded, the Bolshevik Revolution, is also one of the most significant political events. Not only scholars of the Soviet Union but also by non-Communist scholars call him great political leader and revolutionary. Lenin was born in educated family; his father was government

He went to Europe and got support from Plekhanove. His newspaper was printed in Germany and smuggled into Russia because it was legally banned by the czar. For few years, Lenin traveled in Europe writing the articles, attending meetings, and giving speeches. The Second Congress of the Social Democrats was held by 1903 in London and Lenin became one of the major figures due to his writings, movements, and the newspaper. However, there was the division at the Congress; the ones who are opposed to Lenin and the other ones who support Lenin. The result was twenty-eight to twenty-two and Lenin only obtained the majorities. Lenin’s fraction was called Bolsheviks meaning the majority by Lenin and the other fraction was called Mensheviks meaning the minority. Later, Lenin resigned from Iskra, the board of Marxist newspaper. He was called back to join Iskra but rejected. Instead of going back the Iskra, he called for the other congress party because he could get the majority. However, this suggestion was declined, and Lenin resigned from the Central Committee and founded another journal. But his journal was not successful, thus ended

It dropped the productivity and brought the famine. So he changed it to the socialistic form. The government will take control over the major industries but the farmers and manufactures would be able to trade freely. This shows that Russia did not adopt the Marxism purely economically despite predictions of Lenin. Lenin experienced rapid failing of health. He had some conflicts with Stalin and warned that there would be problem of power between Stalin and Trotsky. When Lenin was about to die, there was the battle between two of them. Thanks to close friendship with Lenin, Trotsky had powerful position, but Stalin allied with the others and attacked. Later, Lenin died because of the brain hemorrhage. Many years after the death of Stalin, the Soviet Union considered the writings of Lenin as philosophical genius. Lenin was not that intelligent but his Bolshevik was. And he unceasingly tried his best and this allowed him to be called a genius. He was respected by many people for his enthusiastic energy and passion. He is said to be called that he is one of the best political leader and philosophical