Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Russian: ????????? ?????? ?????? {{Audio|Ru-Lenin.ogg|listen}}), original surname Ulyanov (????????) (April 22 (April 10 (O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Russian revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the main theorist of Leninism, which he described as an adaptation of Marxism to "the age of imperialism".

Early life

Born in Simbirsk, Russia, Lenin was the son of Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov (1831 - 1886), a Russian civil service official who worked for increased democracy and free universal education in Russia, and his liberal wife Maria Alexandrovna Blank (1835 - 1916). Like many Russians, he was of mixed ethnic and religious ancestry. He had Kalmyk ancestry through his paternal grandparents, Volga German ancestry through his maternal grandmother, who was a Lutheran, and Jewish ancestry through his maternal grandfather (converted to Christianity). Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin) himself was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church.

Related Topics:
Simbirsk - Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov - 1831 - 1886 - Maria Alexandrovna Blank - 1835 - 1916 - Kalmyk - Volga German - Lutheran - Jew - Russian Orthodox Church

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Vladimir distinguished himself in the study of Latin and Greek. Two tragedies occurred in his early life: in 1886, his father died of a cerebral hemorrhage. The following year, in May of 1887 his eldest brother Alexander Ulyanov was hanged for participation in a plot threatening the life of Tsar Alexander III. This radicalized Vladimir (his official Soviet biographies have this event as central to Lenin's revolutionary exploits) and later that year he was arrested, and expelled from Kazan University for participating in student protests. He continued to study independently and by 1891 had earned a license to practice law.

Related Topics:
Latin - Greek - 1886 - Cerebral hemorrhage - 1887 - Alexander Ulyanov - Tsar - Alexander III - Kazan University - 1891 - License - Law

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