Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Timeline 1870 – 1924

Vladimir Lenin was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov to Ilya Ulyanov and Maria Blank at Simbirsk, Russia. He was the couple’s third child after his sister Anna and brother Alexander.

Vladimir Lenin was baptised into the Russian Orthodox Church.

Lenin’s sister, Olga was born to Ilya Ulyanov and Maria Blank at Simbirsk, Russia.

Lenin’s brother, Dmitry was born to Ilya Ulyanov and Maria Blank at Simbirsk, Russia.

Vladimir began his education.

Lenin’s sister, Maria was born to Ilya Ulyanov and Maria Blank at Simbirsk, Russia.

Lenin began attending the Simbirsk Classical Gimnazia. The school was noted for being conservative and encouraging disciplined study.

Lenin’s father died of a brain haemorrhage. The death of his father affected Lenin badly and he became disruptive at school.

Lenin’s elder brother Alexander, joined the People’s Will party.

Lenin’s elder brother Alexander, was arrested for conspiring to assassinate Tsar Alexander III.

Lenin’s elder brother Alexander, was executed by hanging for conspiring to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. Lenin swore to avenge his brother’s murder.

Vladimir Lenin attended Kazan University where he studied law. He was elected one of the representatives to the university council (zemlyachestvo).

Lenin took part in a demonstration against the government’s order to ban student societies. He was arrested by the police and accused of inciting disorder. He was expelled from university and exiled to his family home.

Vladimir spent much of his exile reading. He was very interested in the ideas expressed in Nikolay Chernyshevsky’s 1863 novel ‘What is to be Done?’

After his mother spoke for him Lenin was allowed to return to Kazan though he was not allowed to return to university. He joined a revolutionary group led by Nikolai Fedoseev. He became interested in Marxism after reading Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’.

Lenin’s mother tried to persuade him to turn his attention to agriculture and even bought a country estate for him to farm, but Lenin was not interested.

Vladimir Lenin and his family moved to Samara. Here, Lenin joined a socialist group led by Alexei Sklyarenko.

Despite being expelled from university, Lenin sat his university exams as an external candidate and passed with a first-class honours degree.

Lenin’s sister, Olga, died of typhoid.

Lenin worked as a legal assistant to a regional court. He devoted his spare time to studying politics and contributing ideas to Skylarenko’s socialist group.

Lenin moved to St Petersburg where he worked as a barrister’s assistant. In his free time he was active in a Marxist group called the Social-Democrats.

Lenin began a relationship with Nadezhda Krupskaya, a schoolteacher who was a committed Marxist.

Vladimir Lenin secretly and illegaly published ‘What the Friends of the People are and how they Fight the Social-Democrats’. The work was a criticism of the Narodnik group.

Lenin secretly led a Marxist workers’ group.

Financed by his mother, Lenin visited Switzerland, Paris and Berlin to learn more about Marxism.

Lenin returned to St Petersburg. He made copies of revolutionary literature he had collected from Europe and gave them out to workers. He was arrested in St Petersburg and charged with sedition. He was imprisoned awaiting trial.

Vladimir Lenin was exiled to Siberia for three years. He had not been given a trial. He served his exile in a peasant’s hut in Sushenskoye.

Nadezhda Krupskaya joined Lenin at Sushenskoye. She had been arrested for organising a strike and had been allowed to move to Sushenskoye after claiming that she and Lenin were engaged to be married.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov married Nadezhda Krupskaya at Sushenskoye.

Lenin’s work ‘Development of Capitalism in Russia, The‘ was published under the name of Vladimir Ilyin.

Lenin was released from exile and settled in Pskov. He began raising funds for a pro Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) newspaper ‘Spark’.

Lenin travelled to Switzerland to meet other Marxists. It was agreed that ‘Spark’ would be produced in Munich.

Lenin moved to Munich to supervise publication of ‘Spark’. His wife Naddezhda (Nadya) joined Lenin in Munich and became his personal secretary.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov began using the pseudonym N. Lenin.

Lenin wrote and published a pamphlet entitled ‘What Is to Be Done?.’ In the pamphlet he argued that trade unionism would not bring about reform alone that only an overthrow of the established Tsarist regime would bring a new reformed Russia.

Lenin and the publication of ‘Spark’ moved to London to evade the Bavarian police.

In London, Lenin met Leon Trotsky, a fellow Marxist.

Second RSDLP Congress
This meeting of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was held in London over a period of two weeks. The Social Democrats split into Bolsheviks led by Lenin and Mensheviks led by Martov. Lenin and the Bolsheviks wanted a full revolution while the Mensheviks were prepared to work with liberal groups to bring about reform. Bolsheviks wanted to restrict membership to the party and lead from a central core while the Mensheviks wanted an open membership and a democratic run party.

Lenin became leader of the Bolshevik Faction at the Social Democratic Labour Party Conference in London.

Lenin published ‘Development of Capitalism in Russia‘ a criticism of the Mensheviks.

The Bolsheviks founded a new newspaper ‘Vpered’ meaning Forward.

Bloody Sunday
Father Georgy Gapon had organised a peaceful march to present a petition to the Tsar to ask for measures to be put in place to treat the Russian people more fairly. The marchers included men, women and children carrying banners of the Tsar singing religious hymns. However, when the marchers reached the Winter Palace they were met by a line of armed Cossacks who opened fire on the demonstrators. More than 200 demonstrators were killed and more than 500 injured. Father Gapon escaped and left Russia.

1905 Revolution
The events of Bloody Sunday had sparked a wave of protests, demonstrations, strikes and unrest across the Russian Empire.

Third RSDLP Congress
This meeting of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was held in London. Although they had split, the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks attended the congress. Lenin made a speech arguing that the Tsarist regime could only be overthrown if the peasants rose up against the monarchy.

October Manifesto
Tsar Nicholas II responded to the 1905 Revolution by agreeing a number of reforms including: freedom of speech, freedom to hold meetings and no laws to be introduced without the agreement of the Duma. Furthermore, political parties were no longer banned and elections to the Duma were agreed.

Lenin returned to St Petersburg.

Fourth RSDLP Congress
Lenin and Joseph Stalin attended this Congress in Stockholm. There were further disagreements with the Mensheviks.

Fifth RSDLP Congress
This was held in London and was attended by both Lenin and Stalin. The Bolsheviks dominated this congress.

Lenin learned that the Second Duma in Russia had been disbanded and that the Okhrana (secret police) were actively looking for revolutionaries. He decided to move to Switzerland to avoid arrest.

Lenin reluctantly moved to Paris after a majority of Bolsheviks, including Alexander Bogdanov, wanted to relocate there.

Lenin published ‘Materialism And Empirio Criticism‘ a criticism of the policies of Alexander Bogdanov.

Alexander Bogdanov was voted off the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. This caused a split in the party between Bogdanov’s supporters and Lenin’s supporters.

Lenin did not support a move to reunite the Bolsheviks but was outvoted.

Eighth International Socialist Congress
Lenin attended this conference in Copenhagen as representative of the RSDLP.

Lenin returned to Paris.

Vladimir began an extra-marital relationship with Inessa Armand.

The RDSLP decided that they should once again focus attention on Russia.

The sixth Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party was held in Prague. During the conference, Lenin and the Bolsheviks decided to form their own party independent to the Mensheviks. Kamenev and Zinoviev supported the split. Following the conference, Lenin moved to Krakow to conduct further research.

Joseph Stalin visited Lenin to discuss the role of ethnic groups in the Russian Empire.

World War One
Germany declared war on Russia. Following the assassination of heir to the Austro-Hungarian Emprie, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, by Serbian nationalists, Austria-Hungary shelled the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Russia then backed Serbia and mobilised troops. Germany was allied to Austria-Hungary and declared war on Russia to support its ally.

St Petersburg was renamed Petrograd because St Petersburg was considered too German.

As a Russian citizen in Krakow which was part of Austria-Hungary, Lenin was not safe and moved back to Switzerland.

Lenin attended the Zimmerwald Conference where he urged socialists to use the war to foment a revolution against the aristocracy.

Lenin’s mother, Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, died

Lenin published ‘Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism‘ in which he argued that imperialism was a product of capitalism.

150,000 workers took to the streets of Petrograd (Saint Petersburg had been renamed) on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday to protest at the desperate situation many were in – lack of food, poor living conditions and Russia’s continued participation in a war that was going from bad to worse.

February Revolution
Strikes and unrest continued in Petrograd amid calls for the Tsar to be overthrown.

February Revolution
20,000 workers from the Putilov Ironworks went on strike.

February Revolution
The annual International Women’s Day march from the suburbs to the centre of Petrograd turned increasingly political as they were joined by students, Putilov strikers and other disgruntled factory workers swelling the numbers of protesters to nearly a quarter of a million people.

February Revolution
People continued to demonstrate on the streets. Statues of the Tsar were toppled, people waved the red flags of the revolutionaries and called for an end to the Tsarist system. Many also sang the anthem of the French Revolution, the ‘Marseillaise’, sympathising with its call for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

February Revolution
Tsar Nicholas ordered troops onto the streets to remove protesters by force. Although some complied killing around 40 protestors, Nicholas’s move worsened the matter by inflaming the mood of the protestors even more. Moreover, around 65,000 of the soldiers ordered onto the streets were new recruits who sympathised with the masses and they simply refused to fire on the demonstrators and joined them instead.

February Revolution
A meeting of the Duma discussed the future of Russia. They established a Provisional Committee of The Duma and demanded that the Tsar abdicate immediately. At the same time the army generals ordered the soldiers off the streets telling them to support the Provisional Committee instead.

February Revolution
A meeting took place and a Provisional Executive Committee was elected.

February Revolution
Nicholas II reluctantly abdicated as Tsar. He named his younger brother Mikhail as the new Tsar, a position which Mikhail refused. The Royal family were placed under virtual house arrest.

The First Provisional government was formed, led by Prince Lvov, a member of the Kadet party.

Stalin came third in the Bolshevik elections to the Bolshevik Central Committee after Lenin and Zinoviev.

Lenin returned to St Petersburg, Russia. He had wanted to return earlier but had been unable to do so due to routes being closed due to the war. He had managed to negotiate safe passage through Germany in a sealed train.

Lenin’s April Theses published in the Communist newspaper ‘Pravda’. It stated:
Russia’s involvement in WWI should end immediately
The Revolution needed to move to a second stage where power was given to the proletariat and peasants
Lenin did not support the Provisional Government
The people should be persuaded that the Soviet is the only possible revolutionary government Landed estates should be confiscated
There should be a single national bank
Police, army and bureaucracy should be abolished.
Production of goods should be controlled by the soviet
International organisations should spread the revolution worldwide

Lenin attempted to effect a new revolution and the overthrow of the Provisional Government but only a small number of people turned out onto the streets in support.

Lenin’s health was not good so he went to Finland to recuperate.

The Provisional Government lost popularity because it had not taken Russia out of World War One.

Workers saw no improvement in their working conditions and were becomming increasingly dissatisfied. 175,000 workers went on strike.

Leon Trotsky joined the Bolsheviks.

July Days
Stalin helped to organise a series of demonstrations against the government. Workers were joined on the streets by soldiers and the Kronstadt sailors calling for power to the Soviets.

Prince Lvov, head of the Provisional government resigned.

Lenin returned to Petrograd to try to diffuse the situation.

The Government blamed the July days on Bolshevik leaders and many, including Trotsky, were arrested. Lenin managed to remain hidden.

The Socialist Alexander Kerensky took over as head of the Provisional government.

The Russian royal family were moved to Tobolsk in Western Siberia.

Lenin returned to Finland.

Lenin established the Narrow Composition to direct the Revolution. There were just seven members, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Stkolnikov and Bubnov.

Alexander Kerensky was persuaded to release those Bolsheviks that had been imprisoned following the July Days.

Leon Trotsky became leader of the Petrograd Soviet. He worked closely with Lenin to plan a Bolshevik takeover.

Throughout the late Summer and early September support for the Bolsheviks had grown and by the end of September membership had reached 200,000.

Lenin returned to Petrograd.

The Bolsheviks established a Military Revolutionary Committee led by Trotsky.

Lenin attended a meeting of the Bolshevik Central Committee and called for a Bolshevik Revolution.

The Narrow Composition set up in August, was renamed the Political Bureau (Politburo).

October Revolution
Armed workers, Bolshevik Red Guards and the Kronstadt sailors occupied key buildings around the city of Petrograd.

October Revolution
Armed Bolshevik supporters entered the Winter Palace and arrested members of the Provisional Government.

October Revolution
A congress of Soviets was held which appointed the first Soviet government and appointed Lenin as Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars. Joseph Stalin was made Commissar for Nationalities and given an office close to Lenin’s. Leon Trotsky was made People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs.

Stalin countersigned many of Lenin’s decrees which included the closing of newspapers that were critical of Communism.

Lenin published ‘The State and Revolution (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)‘ which discussed the role of the State after a revolution.

Alexander Kerensky rallied those loyal to the Provisional Government and there was fighting between the two factions especially around Moscow. However, Lenin agreed to talk to other party members and Kerensky lost much support. He eventually fled firstly to France and then to the USA.

Lenin and his wife moved into a flat in the Smolny Institute.

Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia
This gave non-Russian ethnic groups the right to set up their own independent states.

Russian Civil War
Although Lenin had taken control of the country there were still many opponents that sought to overturn the new regime. These were known as whites. The fighting between the whites and the red army was often violent.

The election that had been promised by the Provisional Government after the February revolution took place. The Socialist Revolutionaries received the most votes but they were not a fully united party. They were split between the left Socialist Revolutionaries who supported Lenin and joined him in forming a coalition government and the moderate Socialist Revolutionaries led by Viktor Chernov. Lenin needed to formulate a plan to prevent the moderate Socialist Revolutionaries challenging the Bolshevik rule.

Lenin took a short holiday in Finland.

Lenin had resisted a coalition government but relented and offered the Socialist Revolutionaries posts in the cabinet.

Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia
Finland and Lithuania declared their independence from Russia.

Lenin created the Supreme Council of National Economy (Vesenkha). His aim was to bring the economy under central government control.

The Cheka (Communist secret police) was established. Its main purpose was to arrest, imprison and execute opponents to Lenin.

Lenin used the Red Army to take control of all the banks.

A Bolshevik peace delegation led by Alfred Joffe began negotiating a peace with Germany to take Russia out of World War One.

Lenin changed the name of the Bolshevik party to the Russian Communist Party.

Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia
Latvia and Ukraine declared their independence from Russia.

The newly elected constituent assembly met in the Tauride Palace, Petrograd. The Bolsheviks proposed that the assembly should be subservient to decrees passed by the Soviet. This proposal was rejected. In response to the rejection of the proposal the Bolsheviks and left Socialist Revolutionaries walked out of the assembly. Red Guards and armed troops loyal to Lenin forcibly dispersed the remainder of the assembly.

The harsh demands placed on Russia by Germany were not well received. Germany wanted to take the Baltic states as well as Poland and Ukraine from Russia, a move that would result in the loss of one third of Russia’s population and agricultural land as well as half of its industry. Lenin faced opposition in his government over the continuation of the peace negotiations but eventually won the opposition over.

Lenin declared all debts owed to foreign powers by the Romanovs and the Provisional Government would not be repaid.

Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia
Estonia declared independence from Russia.

Trotsky formed the Red Army. It was comprised of workers and peasants.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
This treaty ended Russian involvement in World War One. The signing of the treaty ended the left Socialist Revolutionary’s support of Lenin.

Fearing a possible foreign invasion in support of the Romanovs, Lenin moved the capital of Russia to Moscow. The royal family were moved to Yekaterinburg.

Lenin’s government was facing opposition from a number of forces collectively known as the ‘White’ forces. Based in the south, they had been led by Kornilov but following his death were led by Deniken. Another ‘White’ force led by General Yudenich were forming near Petrograd.

Compulsory military service was introduced for all workers and peasants that did not hire labour.

There were food shortages in Russia which Lenin blamed on kulaks (wealthy peasants) hoarding grain to increase its value. Lenin issued an order for grain to be confiscated from kulaks.

The Russian Congress of the Soviets renamed the Russian Republic the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

The Romanov family were executed at Yekaterinburg and buried in shallow graves. Historians are divided as to whether the execution was sanctioned by Lenin.

Lenin survived an assassination attempt by Fanya Kaplan but was badly injured. Stalin told Lenin that there should be a ‘mass terror’ against those responsible.

Lenin moved to Gorki Leninskiye, an estate on the outskirts of Moscow, to recuperate.

Red Terror
Lenin ordered the Cheka to put down political opposition. He also introduced the Gulag system of labour camps to contain opponents of his regime.

Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia
Poland declared independence from Russia.

Russo-Polish War
Polish and Russian troops clashed over land on the former Eastern Front.

The role of the Politburo was formalised and was to operate with the Central Committee to formulate policy.

Russian Civil War
The Red Army had virtually defeated the White forces.

Lenin introduced labour conscription for all 16 to 50 year olds.

Russo-Polish War
The Polish leader, Jozef Pilsudski, formed an alliance with the Ukranian leader, Symon Petlyura

Russo-Polish War
The Polish army took Kiev from the soviet army.

Russo-Polish War
The Soviet Red Army launched a counter-offensive against the Poles and marched to the Polish border.

Russo-Polish War
Soviet forces had reached the outskirts of Warsaw. Western European powers fearing a Communist takeover of Poland, sent a military force to help the Poles.

Russo-Polish War
The Red Army were forced to retreat from Poland and a peace treaty was signed at Riga.

Second Congress of the Communist International
This was held in Petrograd and Lenin urged foreign Communists to seize power in their countries.

There was conflict between Stalin and Trotsky. Trotsky blamed Stalin for failures in his handling of the Russo-Polish war while Stalin blamed Trotsky for signing a peace with Poland.

Lenin’s long-time mistress, Inessa Armand, died from cholera.

Famine of 1921-22
There was widespread famine in Russia due to flooding, the effects of the Civil War and grain requisitioning.

Lenin announced his New Economic Policy (NEP).

Menshevik and Socialist Revolutionary workers went on strike. They were angry at the continual decrees of Lenin’s government and the lack of freedom they had.

Stalin supported Lenin’s New Economic Policy.

The Tenth meeting of the Communist Party was held. Lenin announced an end to War Communism and introduced a New Economic Policy whereby peasants only had to give a portion of the produce to the government, the rest they could sell and pay tax on the income. Private trading was also to be allowed in a bid to to increase availability of goods.

Due to ill health, Lenin went to the Gorki Estate to rest and get well.

In a bid to combat rising inflation a new Russian Ruble was introduced. 1 new ruble was worth 10,000 old rubles.

Lenin created a new post, General Secretary and chose Joseph Stalin for the post. Although often critical of Stalin, leading members of the Politburo supported Stalin’s appointment since they presumed that the post would be insignificant.

Lenin suffered a stroke while recovering from surgery to remove a bullet that had been lodged in his neck since a failed assassination attempt in 1918.

Lenin’s health began to recover.

Lenin began a part-time return to work.

Lenin suffered a second stroke that left him paralysed on his right side. He withdrew from politics though he remained leader of the Communist Party. The effective leader of the party was Kamenev who took the Chair of the Politburo. Kamenev worked with Stalin and Zinoviev to sideline Trotskyism.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was created. It comprised the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Social Republic, the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The Testament
Lenin completed his Testament. A document that proposed changes to the structure of Communism and also gave his thoughts on his possible successors. Lenin indicated that he was uncomfortable with Joseph Stalin and suggested that he be replaced as General Secretary. The document was to be read out at the 12th Party Congress.

Lenin suffered a third stroke that left him totally paralysed and unable to speak.

Although Lenin remained the leader of the Communist Party he could take no part in the actual government of the country. There emerged a power struggle between the Right and Left of the party. Stalin formed an alliance with Zinoviev and Kamenev known as the Triumvirate which became the dominant faction. Trotsky who was left wing opposed the Triumvirate.

The Testament
Lenin’s wife kept the Testament secret in the hope’s that Lenin would recover and be able to deliver it himself.

Declaration of the Forty Six
This was a document written by forty-six left-wing communists expressing their concern about the lack of democracy in the party.

Vladimir Lenin died. Stalin took control of Lenin’s funeral arrangements.

Petrograd was renamed Leningrad to honour Lenin.