1. Vladimir Lenin
Name: Vladimir Lenin
Born: Simbursk, 22nd April 1870
Death: Petrograd, 24th January 1924
Life until Bolshevism:
Excelled in school
Elder brother executed in plot to kill Tsar
Completed a law degree
Life during Bolshevism:
Exiled to Siberia
Married Nadezhda Krupskaya
Escaped to Europe between 1901 and 1917
Famous speech at Finland Station gained him support
Took power with Bolsheviks in 1917 Oct Revolution
Set up War Communism and NEP
Suffered three strokes and the defiance of Stalin in his final years
Adjectives:
Strong leader
Ruthless
Pragmatic
Jealous
Determined
Joseph Stalin
Name: Joseph Stalin
Born: 18th December 1878 in Gori
Died: 5th March 1953 in
Life until Bolshevism:
Very clever
Father a cobbler, mother a peasant, both of whom would repeatedly
beat him
Went to Georgian Orthodox Seminary
Rebelled against the Imperialist and Religious order
Expelled in 1899
Life during Bolshevism
Became an activist in the Caucasus area after converting to Marxism
Exiled to Siberia 8 times (escaped 7 times)
Started at the bottom of the Bolshevik ladder doing all the worst jobs but slowly worked his
way up
Strong supporter of Lenin until he was on his deathbed
2. Regarded as stupid by other party members
Took control upon Lenin’s death by pushing Trotsky out
Adjectives:
Indecisive
Intelligent
Sneaky
Rude (Lenin)
Quiet
Leon Trotsky
Name: Leon Trotsky
Born: 7th October 1879, Yanovka
Died: 20th August 1940, Mexico
Life until Bolshevism:
Father was a prosperous farmer
Joined underground activities as a teenager
Was exiled to Siberia where he became a Social Revolutionary
Escaped to Europe
Life during Bolshevism:
Initially a member of the Menshevik Party but switched after Feb 1917
Made Foreign Commissar (ended war with Germany)
Built up Red Army (won Civil War)
Pushed out by Stalin after Lenin’s death and escaped to Mexico
Adjectives:
Intelligent
Arrogant
Administrative
Determined
Rallying
Disciplined
Advocate
