Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian statesman and politician, the founder of the Soviet state and the Communist Party. Under his leadership, the October Revolution took place . The date of birth of Lenin and the death of the leader is 1870, April 22, and 1924, January 21, respectively.
Political and state activities
In 1917, after arriving in Petrograd, the leader of the proletariat led the October uprising. At the Second Congress of Soviets, he was elected Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Council of People's Commissars) and the Council of Peasant and Worker Defense. The leader of the Bolsheviks was a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Since 1918, Lenin lived in Moscow. In concluding the Brest Peace, the leader of the proletariat played a key role. Since 1922, his political activity was discontinued due to a serious illness. The date of birth of Lenin and the death of the politician, thanks to his active work, went down in history.
Events of 1918
In 1918, on August 30, a coup d'etat began. Trotsky was absent from Moscow at that time - he was on the Eastern Front, in Kazan. Dzerzhinsky was forced to leave the capital in connection with the murder of Uritsky. In Moscow, a very tense situation. Companions and relatives insisted that Vladimir Ilyich not go anywhere, did not attend any events. But the leader of the Bolsheviks refused to violate the routine of speeches of the regional authorities. A performance was planned in the Basmanny district, at the Bread Exchange. According to the memoirs of the secretary of the district district committee of Yampolskaya, the protection of Lenin was entrusted to Shablovsky, who was then to carry out Vladimir Ilyich to Zamoskvorechye. However, two or three hours before the alleged start of the rally, it was reported that the leader was not asked to speak. But the leader still arrived at the Bread Exchange. Shablovsky guarded him, as expected. But at the Michelson plant there was no protection.
Who killed Lenin?
Kaplan (Fanny Efimovna) was the performer of the attempt on the life of the leader. Since the beginning of 1918, she actively collaborated with the Right Social Revolutionaries, who were then in a semi-legal position. Kaplan was brought to the place of speech of the leader of the proletariat in advance. She shot from browning almost point blank. All three bullets fired from a weapon hit Lenin. The witness of the assassination was the leader’s driver - Gil. He did not see Kaplan in the dark, and when he heard shots, as some sources testify, he was confused and did not shoot back. Later, averting his suspicions, Gil during interrogations said that after the leader’s speech, a crowd of workers came into the factory yard. This is precisely what prevented him from opening fire. Vladimir Ilyich was wounded, but not killed. Subsequently, according to historical evidence, the performer of the attempt was shot and her body burned.
Leader's health deterioration, moving to Gorki
In 1922, in March, Vladimir Ilyich began to have quite frequent seizures, accompanied by loss of consciousness. The following year, paralysis and speech damage developed on the right side of the body. However, despite such a serious condition, the doctors hoped to improve the situation. In May 1923, Lenin was transported to Gorki. Here his state of health has improved markedly. And in October, he even asked to be transported to Moscow. However, he did not stay in the capital for long. By winter, the state of the Bolshevik leader became so good that he began to try to write with his left hand, and during the Christmas tree, in December, spent the whole evening with his children.
Events of the last days before the death of the leader
As Semashko, the People’s Commissar of Health, testified, Vladimir Ilyich went hunting two days before his death. This was confirmed by Krupskaya. She said that on the eve of Lenin was in the forest, but, apparently, was very tired. When Vladimir Ilyich was sitting on the balcony, he was very pale, and fell asleep all the time in an armchair. In recent months, he has not slept at all during the day. A few days before the death of Krupskaya already felt the approach of something terrible. The leader looked very tired and exhausted. He turned very pale, and his look, as Nadezhda Konstantinovna recalled, became different. But, despite the alarming signals, a hunting trip was planned on January 21. According to the doctors, all this time the sclerosis of the cerebral vessels continued to progress, as a result of which the brain sections "switched off" one after the other.
The last day of life
Professor Osipov, who was treating Lenin, describes this day, testifying to the general malaise of the leader. On the 20th, he had a poor appetite, his mood was sluggish. On this day, he did not want to engage. At the end of the day, Lenin was put to bed. He was prescribed a light diet. This state of lethargy was noted the next day, the politician remained in bed for four hours. He was visited in the morning, in the afternoon and evening hours. During the day, an appetite appeared, the leader was given a broth. By six o'clock, an increase in malaise was observed, convulsions appeared in the legs and arms, the politician lost consciousness. The doctor testifies that the right limbs were very tense - it was impossible to bend the leg at the knee. Convulsive movements were observed in the left side of the body. The seizure was accompanied by increased cardiac activity and increased breathing. The number of respiratory movements approached 36, and the heart contracted at a speed of 120-130 beats per minute. Along with this, a very threatening sign appeared, consisting in a violation of the correct breathing rhythm. This brain type of breathing is very dangerous and almost always indicates the approach of the fatal end. After some time, the state stabilized somewhat. The number of respiratory movements decreased to 26, and the pulse to 90 beats per minute. The body temperature of Lenin at that moment was 42.3 degrees. A convulsive continuous state, which gradually began to weaken, led to such an increase. Doctors began to harbor some hope for a normalization of the condition and a favorable outcome of the seizure. However, at 18.50, blood suddenly surged to Lenin's face, it turned red, turned purple. Then the leader took a deep breath, and the next moment he died. After that, artificial respiration was applied. Doctors tried to bring Vladimir Ilyich back to life within 25 minutes, but all the manipulations were unsuccessful. He died of paralysis of the heart and breathing.
The mystery of the death of Lenin
In an official medical report, it was indicated that the leader progressed to widespread cerebral arteriosclerosis. At one point, due to a violation of blood circulation and hemorrhage in the soft membrane, Vladimir Ilyich died. However, a number of historians believe that Lenin was killed, namely: he was poisoned. The condition of the leader worsened gradually. As the historian Lurie testifies, Vladimir Ilyich suffered a stroke in 1921, as a result of which the right side of the body was paralyzed. However, by 1924 he was able to recover so much that he was able to go hunting. The neurologist Winters, who studied the medical history in detail, even testified that several hours before his death the leader was very active and even talked. Shortly before the fateful end, several seizures occurred. But, according to the neurologist, it was just a manifestation of a stroke - these symptoms are characteristic of this pathological condition. However, the situation was not only and not so much in the disease. So why did Lenin die? According to the conclusion of the toxicological examination, which was carried out during the autopsy, traces of toxic substances were found in the leader's body . Based on this, experts concluded that the cause of death was poison.
Researchers Versions
If the leader was poisoned, then who killed Lenin? After a while, various versions began to advance. The main "suspect" was Stalin. According to historians, it was he who more than anyone else benefited from the death of the leader. Joseph Stalin strove to become the leader of the country, and only by eliminating Vladimir Ilyich could he achieve this. According to another version about who killed Lenin, suspicion fell on Trotsky. However, this conclusion is less plausible. Many historians are of the opinion that Stalin was still the customer of the murder. Despite the fact that Vladimir Ilyich and Joseph Vissarionovich were associates, the first was against the appointment of the second as the leader of the country. In this connection, realizing the danger, Lenin, on the eve of his death, tried to build a tactical alliance with Trotsky. The death of the leader guaranteed Joseph Stalin absolute power. In the year of Lenin's death, quite a lot of political events took place. After his death, a personnel reshuffle in the management apparatus began. Many figures were eliminated by Stalin. In their place came new people.
Opinions of some scholars
Vladimir Ilyich died while in middle age (how many years Lenin died is easy to calculate). Scientists say that the walls of the brain vessels of the leader for his 53 years were less durable than necessary. However, the causes of damage to brain tissue remain unclear. There were no objective provoking factors for this: Vladimir Ilyich was young enough for this and did not belong to the risk group for pathologies of this kind. In addition, the politician did not smoke himself and did not allow smokers to himself. He had neither overweight nor diabetes. Vladimir Ilyich did not suffer from hypertension or other cardiac pathologies. After the death of the leader, rumors appeared that his body was affected by syphilis, but no evidence was found. Some experts talk about heredity. As you know, the date of Lenin's death is January 21, 1924. He lived a year shorter than his father, who passed away at the age of 54. Vladimir Ilyich could have a predisposition to vascular pathologies. In addition, the party leader was in a state of stress almost constantly. He was often haunted by fears for his life. There was more than enough excitement both in youth and in adulthood.
Events after the death of the leader
There is no exact information about who killed Lenin. However, Trotsky in one of the articles claimed that he poisoned the leader Stalin. In particular, he wrote that in February 1923, during a meeting of members of the Politburo, Joseph Vissarionovich announced that Vladimir Ilyich urgently required him to come. Lenin asked for poison. The leader began to lose his ability to speak again, and considered his situation hopeless. He did not believe doctors, suffered, but kept clarity of thoughts. Stalin told Trotsky that Vladimir Ilyich was tired of suffering and wanted to have poison with him, so that when it became completely unbearable, he would end everything. However, Trotsky was categorically against (in any case, he said so then). This episode has confirmation - Lenin's secretary told the writer Beck about this incident. Trotsky claimed that in his own words, Stalin was trying to secure an alibi for himself, having in fact planned to poison the leader.
Several facts refuting that the leader of the proletariat was poisoned
Some historians believe that the most reliable information in the official opinion of doctors is the date of Lenin's death. The autopsy was carried out in compliance with the necessary formalities. The Secretary General - Stalin took care of this. At the time of the autopsy, the doctors did not look for poison. But if there were insightful experts, then most likely they would put forward a version of suicide. It is assumed that the leader did not receive poison from Stalin. Otherwise, after the death of Lenin, the successor would have destroyed all the witnesses and people who were close to Ilyich so that not a single trace was left. In addition, by the time of his death, the leader of the proletariat was almost helpless. Doctors did not predict significant improvements, so the likelihood of recovery was low.
Evidence of Poisoning
However, it should be said that the version according to which Vladimir Ilyich died of poison has many supporters. There are even a number of facts confirming this. So, for example, the writer Solovyov devoted many pages to this issue. In particular, in the book "Operation Mausoleum" Trotsky's argument confirms a number of arguments:
- The autopsy began with a delay of 16 hours 20 minutes.
- Under the conclusion there is no signature of one of the doctors - personal doctor Trotsky and the leader himself - Guetier. The specialist referred to the dishonesty of the autopsy.
- There were no pathologists among the specialists.
- No chemical analysis of gastric contents has been performed.
- Vital organs, including heart, lungs, were in good condition. In this case, the gastric walls were destroyed.
There is also evidence of the doctor Gabriel Volkov. It should be said that this doctor was arrested shortly after the death of the leader. While in isolation, Volkov told Elizabeth Lesotho, his cellmate, about what happened on the morning of January 21. The doctor brought Lenin a breakfast at 11 o’clock. Vladimir Ilyich was in bed, and when he saw Volkov, he tried to rise and extended his hands to him. However, the forces left the politician, and he fell on the pillows again. At the same time, a note fell out of his hand. Volkov managed to hide her before the doctor Elistratov entered and made a calming injection. Vladimir Ilyich fell silent, closed his eyes, as it turned out forever. And only in the evening, when Lenin was already dead, Volkov could read the note. In it, the leader wrote that he was poisoned. Soloviev believes that the politician was poisoned with mushroom soup, in which dried poisonous mushroom cortinarius ciosissimus was present, which caused Lenin's quick death. The struggle for power after the death of the leader was not stormy. Stalin received absolute power and became the leader of the country, eliminating all people who were objectionable to him. The year of the birth and death of Lenin became memorable for the Soviet people for a long time.