Vladimir Lenin is a notorious historical figure, so 15 facts about the man are not hard to come by. The man was highly influential in founding the Soviet Union, and he had a singular impact on the shape of history. You’ve already read seven facts about the life of Vladimir Lenin – so here are eight more.
Number Eight: He Avenged His Brother’s Death. Not only did he honor his brother’s revolutionary life by ousting the czarist regime of Russia and replacing it with a Marxist one, he also executed the czar.
Number Seven: He and Stalin Weren’t Always on the Same Page. After appointing Stalin to General Secretary of the Communist Party, Lenin soon came to regret this decision. He thought Stalin was too impatient, disloyal and intolerant. History came to strongly agree with him.
Number Six: He Survived an Assassination Attempt. Unfortunately, part of the reason that he came to reject the idea of a democracy being placed in charge of the Russian nation was because of an attempt on his life. In 1918, a woman shot Lenin three times after a speech he gave in a Moscow factory.
Number Five: Lenin Was Pretty Unpopular From the Start. After he and some of his comrades overthrew the Constitutional Assembly, Lenin quickly began to make enemies – even among fellow revolutionaries.
Number Four: He Grew Up Middle Class. Despite his Marxist rhetoric, which was all about empowering the working classes, he himself grew up in a solid, educated, middle class home.
Number Three: He Enjoyed Classic Art. Even though he espoused a revolutionary view on politics and government, Lenin was a traditionalist. He disliked the new movements such as expressionism and futurism and preferred classic literature instead.
Number Two: He Spoke Multiple Languages. Because of his relatively privileged upbringing, Lenin was able to learn English, German and French as well as Russian.
Number One: He Became a Mummy. Lenin was mummified after he died. His body was then placed in a mausoleum in Moscow, where visitors can still see him on display to this very day. We hope you enjoyed our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Vladimir Lenin!