Vejas Liulevicius

And here you have to step back and think about the nature of czarism. which had maintained still into the 20th century the notion of a divine right to rule, that God had ordained the Tsarist system and its hierarchies, and that to question these was sinful and politically not advisable. And the restrictive nature of Russian society at this point dominated by the Tsarist establishment.

its harshness, its reactionary nature meant that people who in another context, in another country, might have been reformers could instead very easily be provoked into becoming revolutionaries. And Lenin is a perfect example of this because his older brother was executed as a result of being in a radical revolutionary movement who was arrested and executed for association with terrorism.

its harshness, its reactionary nature meant that people who in another context, in another country, might have been reformers could instead very easily be provoked into becoming revolutionaries. And Lenin is a perfect example of this because his older brother was executed as a result of being in a radical revolutionary movement who was arrested and executed for association with terrorism.

its harshness, its reactionary nature meant that people who in another context, in another country, might have been reformers could instead very easily be provoked into becoming revolutionaries. And Lenin is a perfect example of this because his older brother was executed as a result of being in a radical revolutionary movement who was arrested and executed for association with terrorism.

And earlier generations of Russian radicals had founded populist groups that would aim to engage in terrorism and resistance against the Tsarist regime. And this included people who called themselves nihilists.

And earlier generations of Russian radicals had founded populist groups that would aim to engage in terrorism and resistance against the Tsarist regime. And this included people who called themselves nihilists.

And earlier generations of Russian radicals had founded populist groups that would aim to engage in terrorism and resistance against the Tsarist regime. And this included people who called themselves nihilists.

And these nihilists were materialists who saw themselves ushering in a new age by absolute rejection of earlier religious traditions and aiming for material answers to the challenges of the day. Among them was Nikolai Chernyshevsky, who wrote a what's been called the worst book ever written. It was, in fact, one of Lenin's favorite books. In Russian, it's Shtodielat.

And these nihilists were materialists who saw themselves ushering in a new age by absolute rejection of earlier religious traditions and aiming for material answers to the challenges of the day. Among them was Nikolai Chernyshevsky, who wrote a what's been called the worst book ever written. It was, in fact, one of Lenin's favorite books. In Russian, it's Shtodielat.

And these nihilists were materialists who saw themselves ushering in a new age by absolute rejection of earlier religious traditions and aiming for material answers to the challenges of the day. Among them was Nikolai Chernyshevsky, who wrote a what's been called the worst book ever written. It was, in fact, one of Lenin's favorite books. In Russian, it's Shtodielat.

In English, it gets translated, What is to be done? And it's a utopian novel about revolutionaries and how revolutionaries should act with one another in open ways, new ways, non-traditional ways, in order to help usher in the coming revolution. Lenin loved the work. and said it had the great merit of showing you how to be a revolutionary.

In English, it gets translated, What is to be done? And it's a utopian novel about revolutionaries and how revolutionaries should act with one another in open ways, new ways, non-traditional ways, in order to help usher in the coming revolution. Lenin loved the work. and said it had the great merit of showing you how to be a revolutionary.

In English, it gets translated, What is to be done? And it's a utopian novel about revolutionaries and how revolutionaries should act with one another in open ways, new ways, non-traditional ways, in order to help usher in the coming revolution. Lenin loved the work. and said it had the great merit of showing you how to be a revolutionary.

So there's the Marxist influence, and then there's Russian populist nihilist influence, which is also a very live current in Lenin's thinking. And when you add these things together, you get an explosive mix, because Lenin, as a result and part of this family trauma of his brother, becomes a

So there's the Marxist influence, and then there's Russian populist nihilist influence, which is also a very live current in Lenin's thinking. And when you add these things together, you get an explosive mix, because Lenin, as a result and part of this family trauma of his brother, becomes a

So there's the Marxist influence, and then there's Russian populist nihilist influence, which is also a very live current in Lenin's thinking. And when you add these things together, you get an explosive mix, because Lenin, as a result and part of this family trauma of his brother, becomes a

absolutely irreconcilable enemy of the Tsarist regime and sets about turning himself into what you might call a guided missile for revolution. He turns himself into a machine to produce revolutionary change. And I mean that with little hyperbole.

absolutely irreconcilable enemy of the Tsarist regime and sets about turning himself into what you might call a guided missile for revolution. He turns himself into a machine to produce revolutionary change. And I mean that with little hyperbole.

absolutely irreconcilable enemy of the Tsarist regime and sets about turning himself into what you might call a guided missile for revolution. He turns himself into a machine to produce revolutionary change. And I mean that with little hyperbole.

Lenin at one point shared with friends that he loved listening to music, but he tried not to listen to beautiful music like Beethoven because it made him feel gentle. What the revolution demanded was realism, hardness, absolute steely resolve. So Lenin worries even fellow revolutionaries by the intensity of his single-minded focus to revolution. He spends his days thinking about the revolution.