Vladimir Lenin and his Rise to Power
Vladimir Lenin and his Rise to PowerEventually, empires and nations all collapse. The end can be
brought about by many causes. Whether through becoming too large for
their own good, being ruled by a series of out of touch men, falling
behind technologically, having too many enemies, succumbing to civil
war, or a combination: no country is safe. The Russia of 1910 was in a
tremendously horrible situation. She had all of these problems.
Russia would not have existed by 1920 were it not for Vladimir Ilich
Lenin, the only man capable of saving the failing nation.
Russia in 1910 was a very backwards country. Peasants who lived
in absolute poverty made up the vast majority of Russia�s population
(Haney 19). Russia�s version of the feudal system had ended a mere 49
years earlier, but in effect it meant that peasants now owned the
meager parcels of land upon which their survival rested. Their ruler,
Czar Nicholas II, ruled aloof of his disorganized nation. His
government of appointed officials and men in inherited positions did
not represent the people (The Tyranny of Stupidity 120). Even though
all of Europe had experienced the Industrial Revolution, Russia had
precious little machinery. To obtain more advanced machines, the
government traded grain to other countries in exchange for machinery,
even though it meant that more people would starve (Haney 17).
Compound this with the devastation and desperation brought on shortly
thereafter by the First World War, and there was no confidence left in
the government. Different political factions formed, and none got
along (U.S.S.R. 63). Liberal constitutionalists wanted to remove the
czar and form a republic; social revolutionists tried to promote a
peasant revolution; Marxists promoted a revolution among the
proletariat, or urban working class. The people were fed up with
Russia�s state of affairs and ready for change.
Change was presented in the form of Vladimir Lenin, a committed,
persuasive visionary with a grand plan. Lenin became hardened in his
quest at an early age when his older brother Aleksandr, a
revolutionary, was executed in 1887 for plotting to kill then-Czar
Alexander III. �I�ll make them pay for this!� he said, �I swear it!�
(Haney 28) By 1888, at the age of 18, he had read Das Kapital by Karl
Marx, a book about socialism and the evils of capitalism. A superb
speaker, he could hold audiences at rapt attention with his powerful
speeches (New Generation). People became convinced of his socialist
views. He formed his own political party, the Bolsheviks, a split off
of the earlier Marxists. Unlike other parties of his time, Lenin
limited membership to a small number of full-time revolutionaries
(Haney 41). This dedication and tight organization later proved both
useful and effective. From 1897 to 1917, he traveled all over Europe
writing propaganda, organizing strikes, and encouraging revolution
among the working class, especially in Russia (Lenin, V.I. 191). Lenin
knew what he wanted, knew how to...
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