Vladimirr Lenin

He became one of the maximum influential figures

of the 20 th century,

all the time changing the route

of one of the world's largest countries.

however became he a hero

who toppled an oppressive tyranny

or a villain who replaced it with some other?

it is time to place Lenin at the stand

in records vs. Lenin.

"Order, order, hmm.

Now, wasn't it your fault that the band broke up?"

"Your honor, this is Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov,

AKA Lenin, the rabblerouser

who helped overthrow the Russian tsar Nicholas II in 1917

and founded the Soviet Union,

one of the worst dictatorships of the twentieth century."

"Ohh."

"The tsar become a bloody tyrant

beneath whom the masses toiled in slavery."

"this is rubbish.

Serfdom had already been abolished in 1861."

"And changed by way of some thing worse.

The manufacturing facility bosses treated the humans

far worse than their former feudal landlords.

And unlike the landlords,

they were usually there.

Russian workers toiled for eleven hours a day

and were the lowest paid in all of Europe."

"however Tsar Nicholas made laws to protect the employees."

"He reluctantly did the naked minimal to ward off revolution,

and even there, he failed.

recollect what occurred in 1905

after his troops fired on non violent petitioners?"

"sure, and the tsar ended the rebellion

by means of introducing a charter

and an elected parliament, the Duma."

"whilst keeping absolute energy and dissolving them

every time he wanted."

"possibly there could've been extra reforms in due time

if radicals, like Lenin,

were not always stirring up hassle."

"Your Honor, Lenin had seen his older brother Aleksandr

performed by way of the preceding tsar for modern activity,

and even after the reforms,

Nicholas endured the equal mass repression and executions,

as well as the unpopular involvement

in global war I,

that cost Russia so many lives and sources."

"Hm, this tsar does not sound like

this kind of capital fellow."

"Your Honor, perhaps Nicholas II did doom himself

with horrific choices,

however Lenin deserves no credit score for this.

when the February 1917 uprisings

eventually pressured the tsar to abdicate,

Lenin became still exiled in Switzerland."

"Hm, so who came to strength?"

"The Duma fashioned a provisional authorities,

led by means of Alexander Kerensky,

an incompetent bourgeois failure.

He even released another failed offensive in the battle,

in which Russia had already lost a lot,

in place of finishing it like the people desired."

"It became a constitutional social democratic authorities,

the maximum modern of its time.

And it is able to have succeeded in the end

if Lenin hadn't lower back in April,

despatched with the aid of the Germans to undermine the Russian war effort

and instigate riots."

"Such slander!

The July Days were a spontaneous and justified reaction

in opposition to the government's failures.

And Kerensky confirmed his actual colorations

while he blamed Lenin

and arrested and outlawed his Bolshevik birthday celebration,

forcing him to flee into exile once more.

some democracy!

it's a good aspect the government collapsed

beneath their personal incompetence and greed

after they attempted to degree a army coup

then had to ask the Bolsheviks for assist

whilst it backfired.

After that, all Lenin had to do

became go back in October and take rate.

The government became peacefully overthrown in a single day."

"however what the Bolsheviks did

after gaining electricity

wasn't very non violent.

how many human beings did they execute without trial?

And turned into it in reality necessary

to homicide the tsar's whole family, even the children?"

"Russia changed into being attacked with the aid of foreign imperialists,

trying to restore the tsar.

Any royal heir that was rescued

would be recognized as ruler through overseas governments.

it'd've been the quit

of the entirety the humans had fought so tough to reap.

except, Lenin may not have given the order."

"but it turned into now not best imperialists

that the Bolsheviks killed.

What about the purges and executions

of other socialist and anarchist events,

their vintage allies?

What approximately the Tambov rebellion,

where peasants, resisting grain confiscation,

have been killed with poison gas?

Or sending the military

to overwhelm the employees in Kronstadt,

who have been disturbing democratic self-control?

become this nonetheless combating for the human beings?"

"sure! The measures had been tough,

but it become a difficult time.

the brand new government had to cozy itself

while being attacked from all sides,

so that the socialist order will be established."

"And what proper came of this socialist order?

Even after the civil struggle become received,

there were famines, repression

and thousands and thousands achieved or sent to die in camps,

even as Lenin's successor Stalin installed

a cult of personality and absolute strength."

"That wasn't the plan.

Lenin by no means cared for personal profits,

even his enemies admitted

that he absolutely believed in his purpose,

living modestly and running tirelessly

from his pupil days till his too early demise.

He saw how power-hungry Stalin become

and tried to warn the celebration,

but it changed into too past due."

"And the many years of totalitarianism that followed after?"

"you may call it that,

however it become Lenin's efforts that modified Russia

in a few many years

from a backward and undeveloped monarchy

full of illiterate peasants

to a modern-day, commercial superpower,

with one of the global's fine educated populations,

unparalleled opportunities for ladies,

and a number of the maximum crucial medical advancements

of the century.

lifestyles won't had been high priced,

but almost anybody had a roof over their head

and meals on their plate,

which few international locations have executed."

"however those advances could still have happened,

even with out Lenin

and the repressive regime he set up."

"sure, and that i ought to've been a well-known rock and roll singer.

however how might i've sounded?"

we are able to in no way make sure how things may want to've opened up

if special human beings had been in power

or special choices were made,

however to avoid the mistakes of the beyond,

we should always be willing

to place historical figures on trial.