Vladimir Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and the founder of the Bolshevik Party.

He adapted Marxist theory to the conditions of Russia, arguing that a revolutionary party of professional revolutionaries could lead the working class.

He was a brilliant political strategist and a ruthless leader.

After being exiled for many years, he returned to Russia in April 1917 and became the driving force behind the Bolshevik seizure of power.

His simple and powerful slogan, 'Peace, Land, and Bread,' perfectly captured the desires of the Russian masses.

As the head of the new Soviet state, he led the Bolsheviks through the brutal Russian Civil War.

He authorized the 'Red Terror,' a campaign of mass arrests and executions against political opponents.

He implemented the policy of 'War Communism' during the civil war, which involved nationalizing all industries and seizing grain from peasants.

After the civil war, he introduced the New Economic Policy (NEP), a temporary retreat to market-based policies to revive the shattered economy.

After suffering a series of strokes, Lenin died in 1924, leading to a power struggle that was eventually won by Joseph Stalin.