Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) is a Russian revolutionary, theorist of Marxism, a statesman and political figure of the USSR, the main organizer and leader of the October Revolution, the creator of the world's first socialist state. That is how everyone knows and remembers Lenin. Today we will take a look at the political leader from the other side and find out what he was like in childhood.
Origin
Vladimir Ilyich was born on April 10, 1870 in the small town of Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk), which is located on the banks of the great Volga. His parents were representatives of a mixed intelligentsia. In addition to Vladimir, the family had five more children: Alexander, Dmitry, Anna, Olga and Maria. Lenin's parents tried to raise their children honest, hardworking, versatile and sensitive to others. Perhaps, precisely because of this, subsequently, all the children of the Ulyanovs became revolutionaries.
Father
Ulyanov Ilya Nikolaevich (1831-1886) came from the poor Astrakhan bourgeoisie. From an early age, he faced difficulties that, under tsarist conditions, lay in wait for all people from the people who wanted to get an education. Only thanks to his outstanding abilities and hard work, Ilya Nikolaevich managed to graduate from Kazan University and become a teacher of exact sciences in secondary schools of Nizhny Novgorod and Penza. As a result, over his years of service, he was even awarded the noble title.
Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov for his time was an advanced man close to the ideas of philosophers of the 1860s. High ideals aroused in him dreams of serving the people and their enlightenment.
In 1869 I.N. Ulyanov quit his job as a teacher and became an inspector, and a little later, the director of Simbirsk folk schools. Being a true teacher and enthusiast of public education, he wholeheartedly fell in love with his work, giving it all to himself.
Activities in the field of public education forced Ulyanov to constantly travel around the province. He left home for weeks and months, visiting villages and villages. At any time of the year, regardless of weather conditions, Ilya Nikolayevich went to remote places, created schools there and assisted teachers in arranging the educational process. This is a difficult, albeit a very important matter, took away a lot of his strength. Moreover, the greatest difficulty was not harsh winters, but the need to combat the resistance of landowners, kulaks and officials, which completely impeded the creation of educational institutions. It was also not easy to prove to the backward part of the peasants that it would be extremely useful for them to learn to read and write.
Without transferring to the spirit of bureaucracy with his careerism, servitude and disdain for the people, Ulyanov was a true democrat. Addressing the peasants, he was always friendly. Ilya Nikolaevich paid much attention to the issue of enlightening the non-Russian peoples who inhabited the Volga region. Treating them with respect and understanding, he spent a huge amount of time and effort on organizing schools for a society oppressed by tsarism.
Ulyanov’s efforts have borne fruit: for almost two decades of his activity, the number of schools in the Simbirsk province has increased significantly. He raised many high-class teachers of the people, who began to be called "Ulyanovsk".
Mother
Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova (1835-1916) was the daughter of a doctor. She grew up in a village and could only get a home education. Due to lack of funds, it was not possible to continue her studies, which she greatly regretted. But being very gifted and inquisitive, Maria Alexandrovna easily learned several languages, which she later taught children. In addition, she read a lot and played the piano beautifully. After self-training, Ulyanova managed to externally pass the exam for the title of teacher. She, like her husband, was passionate about the issue of public education. However, Ulyanova was not able to work as a teacher: housekeeping, raising children and caring for the outbreak took her all the time.
Ulyanov family
In the Ulyanov family, love and harmony always reigned. Despite his busyness, Ilya Nikolaevich was an exemplary family man and always found time for his wife and children. They looked at his father and saw how much energy he was ready to devote to public education, how strict he was with regard to the fulfillment of his functions, and how much joy he brought about the opening of new educational institutions. The life of his father, his passion for work, his attention to people, and his modesty in relation to himself, were of great educational importance for the brothers and sisters of Lenin. In the Ulyanov family, the authority of Ilya Nikolaevich was unshakable.
In the upbringing of children, Ulyanov proceeded from the views of the revolutionary democrat N. A. Dobrolyubov - tempered the will in them, taught to understand life, developed a craving for knowledge, and finally, taught a strict approach to himself and his actions. In addition, he taught children truthfulness and sincerity. Reading to children of N. A. Nekrasov, his father instilled in them a love of literature from an early age.
Ilya Nikolaevich was always happy about the successes of his children, and thereby inspired them for more. He could not stand the vanity, and demanded the same from the family. He was a fascinating storyteller and never shied away from children's issues.
Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova had a rare educational talent. Being always friendly and accommodating, she did not constrain the children, but was able to maintain discipline in the family. The woman conveyed to her children her organization, accuracy, frugality and modesty. Despite the external fragility, it was endowed with masculinity, stamina and dedication, and this manifested itself many times during the years of difficult trials.
The situation in the family was favorable for the development of the character and mind of children. Lenin's parents never suppressed the natural liveliness of the children, and even vice versa, encouraged her. If in the summer in the village little Volodya wanted to shorten the path through the window, no one stopped him. Moreover, so that the son would not be hurt, the father made wooden bridges near the window. When older children decided to publish a home journal, everything to the best of their abilities contributed to their enthusiasm. These and many other interesting facts from Lenin's childhood have always been surprising in society.
The Ulyanovs taught children not only to realize their creative abilities, but also to work. From early childhood, they had the opportunity to independently serve and help their elders. They always helped their mother take care of the garden and had a tea party in the gazebo: the boys carried chairs and dishes, and the girls helped to wash the dishes afterwards. In addition, girls were obliged to always monitor their clothes and the clothes of the brothers.
Lenin in childhood
The childhood of the future revolutionary was bright and happy. He grew up a healthy, cheerful and playful boy. Volodya's father inherited appearance and sociability. He was constantly the instigator of children's games. In games, Lenin was fair and could not stand fights. Already at the age of five, Volodya read very well.
Simbirsk Gymnasium
The first place where Lenin studied was the classical Simbirsk gymnasium. Already at that age, his manners and self-discipline were manifested. Every morning Volodya got up at exactly seven o'clock on his own, washed his waist and tidied the bed. Before breakfast, he managed to repeat the lessons. At half-past eight, Ulyanov was in a gymnasium located a few blocks from home. So it has been every day, for eight years.
In the gymnasium, thanks to an inquiring mind and a lively attitude to classes, Lenin immediately became the best student. His composure, ability to bring things to the end, sincerity and ease of communication, as well as his willingness to help at any moment, very attracted comrades. Ulyanov did not lag behind in sports development either - he was a good swimmer, chess player and skater.
The formation of revolutionary views
The childhood and youth of Vladimir Ilyich accounted for years of brutal reaction that reigned in Russia. Any manifestation of free thought was suppressed and persecuted. Later, Lenin called this period "an unbridled, incredibly senseless and brutal reaction." Since in those days, all free-minded people were expelled from educational institutions, the gymnasium did not become a place for developing its social ideals.
The worldview of Lenin in childhood was influenced primarily by family education and a personal example of parents. In addition, the unquestioned authority for Vladimir Ilyich from early childhood was his older brother Alexander. Volodya tried to resemble him in everything, and in any difficult situation he thought: “What would Sasha do?” Over time, the authority of his brother only grew. It was from Alexander that Vladimir learned about Marxism.
Sasha Ulyanov was a very gifted young man. From childhood, he conquered everyone with his high moral qualities and strong will. Like his father, Alexander was serious, thoughtful, strict with himself and fair. In relation to younger brothers and sisters, he was affectionate and sensitive, so it is not surprising that all the children in the family loved him.
Environmental analysis
From early youth, Volodya Ulyanov vigilantly peered into the surrounding reality and analyzed it. Being a sincere person who does not tolerate hypocrisy and lies, he quickly saw the line between faith and religion. The last impetus for this was the scene, which outraged him to the core. Once, Ilya Nikolayevich talked with a guest in his house, and said that his children did not attend church well. An enraged guest, looking at Vladimir, said: “Beat, beat it!” Enraged, the child ran out of the house and tore off the cross. Therefore, the answer to the common question of whether Lenin was baptized is positive, in contrast to his personal attitude to religion.
Looking closely at life, Vladimir saw the need of ordinary people and the anger of the peasants and workers. He listened very carefully to his father's stories about ignorance and darkness that reigned in the villages, as well as about the arbitrariness of power and the situation of peasants. Communicating with hard workers, he noticed in what disenfranchised and humiliating position non-Russian nationalities were: Tatars, Chuvashs, Mordovians, Udmurts and others. Despite Lenin’s poise as a child, his heart was filled with burning hatred for the oppressors of the people.
Help Okhotnikov
The sympathy of the future leader for the nationalities oppressed by tsarism is clearly illustrated by the fact that in high school he helped the teacher of the Chuvash school N. Okhotnikov prepare for the matriculation exam. Chuvash had outstanding mathematical abilities, and passionately dreamed of getting a higher education. To enter the university, he needed a certificate of maturity, which is issued after passing the exam in various subjects, including ancient languages. It was very difficult for Okhotnikov to learn these languages independently, and he did not have funds for a tutor. Having learned about the hopeless situation of the Chuvash, high school student Vladimir Ulyanov decided to help him free of charge. For a year and a half, Lenin studied with Okhotnikov three times a week, as a result of which he received a certificate of maturity and successfully entered a higher educational institution.
Literature
The formation of the personality of Vladimir Lenin was greatly influenced by books. Most of all he loved the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Nekrasov, Turgenev and Saltykov-Shchedrin. The revolutionary spirit of Lenin was reinforced by the books of Herzen, Belinsky, Dobrolyubov, Chernyshevsky and Pisarev. Thanks to the writings of revolutionary democrats, young Lenin hated the socio-political structure of tsarist Russia. Vladimir Ilyich in his youth was fascinated by the works of poets of the satirical publication Iskra. This magazine was one of the main organs of the press of a revolutionary direction. In it, various poets spoke out against noble-bourgeois liberalism and feudal reaction.
As a child, it is difficult for Lenin to hide his revolutionary views, so periodically their reflections appeared in his writings. Once, the director of the gymnasium F. Kerensky (father of the later famous Socialist Revolutionary A. Kerensky), who always put Vladimir Ulyanov’s writings as an example to other students, asked him warningly: “What kind of oppressed classes are you writing about?”
Loss of father and brother
In his youth, Lenin had to endure many serious upheavals. So, in January 1886, his 54-year-old father passed away. In March of the following year, when the family was just beginning to recover from a terrible grief, Alexander Ulyanov was arrested for participating in the preparation of the assassination attempt against Alexander the Third. Following him, Anna Ulyanova, who also studied at the university, was arrested.
Nobody knew in the family that Alexander Ilyich took the revolutionary path. He studied brilliantly at the University of St. Petersburg. The achievements of the young man in the field of chemistry and zoology attracted the attention of many prominent scientists. For one of his works written in the third year of the university, he received a gold medal. The teachers read Alexander Ilyich into a professor.
In the last summer, which A. I. Ulyanov spent at home, he devoted himself entirely to writing a dissertation. No one knew that while in St. Petersburg the young man was attending revolutionary circles and conducting political propaganda among the workers.
A relative of the Ulyanovs wrote about the arrest of Alexander and Anna in the city of Simbirsk. Fearing for the reaction of Maria Alexandrovna, she sent a letter not to her, but to a close friend of the family - V.V. Kashkadamova, who worked as a teacher. She immediately called Vladimir and gave him the sad news. According to the memoirs of Kashkadamova, Vladimir was silent for a long time, then said: “But this is a serious matter, it may end badly for Sasha.” It was not an easy task for the young man to prepare his mother for the sad news and her moral support. The news of what happened immediately spread around a small town, after which all the people who had previously visited them, the entire liberal society, renounced the Ulyanovs. At that moment, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) absolutely accurately discerned the true cowardly face of the liberal intelligentsia.
Maria Alexandrovna was present during the trial of her son and his comrades. She listened to his speech, saturated with the deepest conviction and denouncing the tsarist autocracy. Alexander did not in the least doubt the inevitability of the victory of socialism over the old social system. Later, Maria Alexandrovna will tell that she did not expect that her son could speak so openly, eloquently and convincingly about political issues. Together with pride, she was overwhelmed by despair, because of which she could not sit until the end of the meeting and left the courtroom.
May 8, 1887 21-year-old Alexander Ulyanov was executed. This event shocked Vladimir Ilyich, and finally strengthened his revolutionary mood. A. I. Ulyanova wrote exciting words about her brothers: “Alexander Ilyich died as a hero, and his blood lit up the path of his next brother, Vladimir, with the glow of a revolutionary fire.”
Bowing to the courage and dedication of his brother, Vladimir, however, rejected his chosen terrorist path. He firmly decided, “We will go the other way. This is not the way to go. ”
High school graduation
In the tragic days for the Ulyanov family, Lenin's brothers and sisters could not find a place for themselves. Vladimir Ilyich showed incredible stamina: he worked hard and brilliantly passed the exam for the certificate of maturity. Being the youngest in the class, he was also the only one who received a certificate with a medal. The school authorities hesitated for a long time before handing such an award to the brother of the executed "criminal". However, Lenin’s deep knowledge and outstanding abilities were too obvious. Leaving the gymnasium, Vladimir Ilyich received a good description from the director, in which his accuracy, zeal and talent were noted. Thus ended the childhood of Lenin.