Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin is a Revolutionary and leader of The Soviet Union.
Early Life and Revolutionary Beginnings
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Lenin, was born on April 22, 1870, in Simbirsk, Russia. His life was profoundly shaped by the execution of his older brother, Alexander, for participating in a plot to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. This event radicalized young Lenin, driving him toward revolutionary Marxism.
After studying law and becoming a Marxist activist, Lenin was exiled to Siberia in 1897 for revolutionary activities. Upon his release, he spent years abroad, writing extensively, organizing, and developing his vision of Marxism adapted to Russian conditions, which would later be known as Leninism.
This not without conflict from the Mensheviks, resulting Russian Social Democratic Labour Party to split.
However, former Mensheviks did end up switching sides like Taushev Aleskeevich and Leon Trotsky, Who were at first hesitant, but by the time of the February revolution they sided more with Lenin. As both men later joined, the Bolsheviks during the outbreak of civil war.
Role in the October Revolution and Civil War
Lenin's leadership was instrumental in the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917, which overthrew the Provisional Government and established Soviet power. As leader of the new Soviet state, Lenin navigated the challenges of the Russian Civil War (November 1917– Dec 1918) against the White Army.
During this time, he was dealing with growing infighting between Stalin and Taushev, as both were high figures in the party and political commissars. Including, a split was starting to occur between him and Trotsky, as Lenin was more cautious to Trotsky's idea of promotion of "permeant revolution". Despite the factionalism and Lenin was able to defeat the White's consolidating his control over new The Soviet Union.
The Polish-Soviet War
In the beginning of 1919, Lenin launched an innervation in Ukraine and the Caucasus's to back Communist's and won by February 1919. With the Soviets becoming more powerful, Poland intervened and The Polish-Soviet War broke out. Luckily, thanks to Trotsky's success in handling the front, they emerged victorious.
With that, The Soviet Union reclaimed all its former imperial land's. However, occupied Poland faced deep resistance, as many did not to prolong the conflict by complete annexation. Stalin's calls to fully annex it and integrate it as an SSR were met with disapproval from Taushev, Lenin and Bukharin.
Instead, Trotsky's proposal to instead reduce Poland and establish a temporary regime to "Sovietize the population" to integrate later to the Soviet Union was popular among many within the party. When Lenin approved this idea and ordered the creation of The Polish Socialist Republic to serve the interests of Moscow, it was applauded as a necessary and pragmatic choice.
Spreading Communism
With the war over, around July 1919, Lenin starting interfering with Europe, sending arms into the Weimar Republic to back the KDP, and Czechslovakian Communists march though and to link up with The Hungarian Soviet Republic that was trying to hold off a Romanian innervation.
Bulgaria, hoping to regain territory, came to a deal with Moscow. They offered to save The Hungarian Soviet Republic on two conditions. To subject Romania under Bulgarian rule and take all their lands lost in the Great War. Lenin, eventually, accepted, hoping this would be a temporary compromise to later crush both states, but this came at the cost of worsening division's within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union including between him and Trotsky, who disapproved of the deal.
In 1920, a German civil war broke out, falling successful Kapp Putsch, and The Soviet’s backed the communist’s lead by Paul Lavi recognizing, “The German Soviet Republic ” in the German east. Lenin authorized sending arm's to East Germany hoping to overthrow the newly declared The German Empire led by Wolfgang Kapp that overthrew the Weimar Republic and were making moves to restore the monarchy.
In mid 1921, with the German Civil War still ongoing, Czechoslovakia fell to Communist Revolution under Klement Gottwald. Since Czechoslovakia and Hungary were now both communist, now both sides held a ceasefire and calling on the Soviets to mediate.
Lenin, worried about ethic tension’s between the Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarian’s, travelled to Prague expressing his supported the idea of Czechoslovakia state. He persuaded Béla Kun to withdraw from Slovakia and give it to Czechoslovakia. In exchange, he promised Bela the Hungarian lands under Yugoslavia rule, if war broke out when them and the Yugoslavians.
Austria Crisis
The German Empire, marched into Austria in response of the peace between Czechoslovakia and The Hungarian Soviet Republic, under the guise of stopping a communist revolution within Vienna. The Franco-British Union then sent the “Threat” telegram, in it, they pledge if The German Empire fell to The German Soviet Republic, all will, would unite to declare war on the "Bolshevik plague".
Lenin was fearful, knowing a full war, with destroyed economy of Soviet state, something they couldn't handle. In response, he tried, to inform the German Soviet Republic to be more “defensive” in their attack's, with all of his request’s being refused.
In 1922, with no progress, The German Civil War enter into a ceasefire do to both states being exhausted.
Peace In Europe At Last:
The dust has settled in Europe by 1923, but this peace might be temporary, as tension is still high. Every nation is either devastated from 9 years of wars, revolution's and with ongoing conflict's in the Middle East like Turkey and Iran. Another world war may be on the horizon between all of Europe and The Soviet Union's puppets in Europe.
However, despite the grim reality, Lenin himself is prideful that seemly every went to plan, as they now have a strong position to one day spread the revolution to the whole world and end capitalism once for all.
Sadly, Lenin's health is falling him, and he might not make it pass 1925 with the factions within the party knowing it.
Everyone is moving their moves to secure more influence, to take his place if and when he passes.
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