Vladimir Lenin
1870–1924 · Russian (Simbirsk / St. Petersburg / Moscow) · Russian Revolution, Early Soviet Union
Known for: Leader of the Bolshevik Revolution who founded the Soviet Union—transformed Marxist theory into revolutionary practice
Lenin was a middle-class lawyer's son who became the most successful revolutionary in history. He led the Bolsheviks to power in the October Revolution of 1917, pulled Russia out of WWI, won a brutal civil war, and founded the Soviet Union—the world's first socialist state.
He was ruthless in pursuit of revolution—creating the Cheka (secret police), establishing labor camps, suppressing all opposition, and ordering the execution of the Tsar's family. He died at 53 after a series of strokes, and his embalmed body is still on display in Moscow.
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