Question #66549
1 Answer
He was the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution
Explanation:
Lenin was responsible for the Bolshevik Revolution which overthrew the Tsar in Russia in 1917. He aimed at the advent of a socialist regime in Russia which would have promoted equality and collective ownership of production means. He believed in nationalizing industries and collectivize the land.
He was inspired by the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. They both wanted a world revolution which would have overthrown capitalism and replaced it with socialism. This "dictatoship of the Proletariat" would be a transition before the advent of comunism which is a world classless stateless society without any form of private property.
Lenin was a tyrant, though he is often pictured as less violent than Stalin, his first measures consisted in forbiding freedom of speech with massive censorship. The introduction of socialism was such a disaster that he introduced a new form of property with his policy called NEP which was halfway between capitalism and socialism. After the end of the civil war in 1921(between the Whites who were loyal to the Tsar and the Reds who defended the Bolsheviks), Russia was plagued by massive starvation.
He created the USSR in 1922 and died early in 1924. Despite his criticizing Stalin for being too violent, he played a major role in helping him rise to power initially. Lenin was a promoter of totalitarianism and Stalin did not betray his legacy, he clearly perpetuated it.
