Many men seek to change the world. Few have succeeded as dramatically as Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, the man we know simply as Lenin.
Born into a moderately well off family in Simbirsk on the Volga River, nothing about Lenin’s childhood or family background would suggest the radical revolutionary that he would become. A brilliant student from a large and loving family, one might have expected him to enjoy a comfortable life as a mid-level state bureaucrat or perhaps a successful country lawyer. The execution of his older brother, Alexander, when Lenin was seventeen, for the attempted murder of Tsar Alexander III left a deep and lasting impression on the future dictator.
Author Victor Sebestyen tells Lenin’s life story fluidly and enjoyably. There is nothing stuffy or academic about this 500-page biography, the first serious treatment of Lenin’s life in English since the fall of the Soviet Union. The narrative is broken into 54 tidy little chapters of only several pages each that flow remarkably well together. Sebestyen doesn’t hide his true feeling about the man or his legacy – he calls the Soviet Union “a century-long catastrophe” – but he writes clearly and objectively, often praising Lenin for his passion and unwavering commitment to the cause of global communism.
The character Sebestyen develops is not a warm and fuzzy one. Definitely not a man one would elect to have the proverbial beer with. “Lenin was petulant, ill-tempered, irascible,” he writes “…a single-minded man of iron discipline and unshakeable belief that he was right.” His power, it seems, came from his unwavering commitment to revolution and a Marxist future. “His greatest skill in his early years was his ability was to inspire optimism and hope.” He could be thoughtful and loving to his mother, “But he was nearly always domineering, abusive, combative and often downright vicious.” Indeed, the man Sebestyen describes is a human pit bull.
Sebestyen highlights the important role women played in Lenin’s life. His mother and sisters followed him throughout his life and were critical supporters of his cause. His relationship with his wife, Nadya Krupskaya, was long and unshakeable, if not committed. His relationship with his mistress, Inessa Armand, was, according to the author, “central to Lenin’s emotional life, and highly important to him professionally.” He mourned her death deeply in 1920 and insisted that she have a state funeral and that she be buried at the Kremlin. Interestingly, the relationship between Lenin’s wife and his mistress was close and warm. Krupskaya had only three photos on her desk – her mother, her husband, and her husband’s mistress.
When revolution came to Russia in February 1917 nobody was prepared, least of all Lenin. The man who had dedicated his life to overthrowing Russian autocracy was caught completely off guard by events. “The Revolution had been entirely spontaneous, an outpouring of anger – a classic example of a popular revolt against an incompetent and bankrupt regime.” Lenin may have been surprised by the swift fall of the Romanov dynasty, but he had no doubt about what he needed to do next: seize sole power for his Bolshevik party. Lenin had rivals, but none were as daring or resourceful as he was. “Martov was a decent, erudite, highly clever man,” the author says, “but a hopeless politician, no match for Lenin.” Kerensky, too, lacked Lenin’s ruthlessness and instinct for the jugular. “The regime he created was largely shaped by his personality: secretive, suspicious, intolerant, ascetic, intemperate.”
Sebestyen claims that Lenin only saw three dead bodies in his entire life – his father, his sister Olga, and his mother-in-law. “To Lenin, the blood he would spill was largely theoretical.” He was shielded from the true horror of his regime, which Sebestyen frequently notes was far more barbarous and unforgiving than the tsarist organs of police and terror that it replaced. One sidebar example is illustrative. During a meeting of the Central Committee in the early days of his regime Lenin passed a note to his secret police chief, Felix Dzerzhinsky, asking how many counter-revolutionary prisoners the Bolsheviks were presently holding. Dzerzhinsky passed a note back reading “1,500.” Lenin marked the note with an “x” to show that he read it. Dzerzhinsky mistook the message and had every prisoner executed that evening.
“Lenin” is a highly readable, unflinching narrative of the Bolshevik leader. Sebestyen skims over much of the details of early Bolshevik rule – for instance, War Communism and the New Economic Policy are touched on only briefly – but builds a competent and compelling character analysis of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century.
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Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror
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Top reviews from other countries
Lurie C
Essential reading for History Lovers
Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2024
