Vladimir Lenin

From RationalWiki

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (aka Vladimir Lenin) was a Russian Communist and dictator. He was instrumental in overthrowing the monarchy (and it was on his orders that the tsar and his family were put to death). Afterwards, he led the Bolsheviks during the brief democratic government and the uprising that followed. For all that he did, he was punished by having his funeral requests denied and instead put on eternal display in Moscow.

Lenin, as the first person to put Karl Marx's ideas into practice, is especially revered among leftists. Many have claimed that had Lenin lived longer, he would have prevented Joseph Stalin from becoming the next head of the USSR, and the Soviet Union would have been a glorious success. This ignores the barbarity of Lenin's own tenure.

Lenin did have a strong impact on Marxism, to the point where in many Communist countries it is referred to as Marxist-Leninism. Moreover, Lenin came up with one of the first strong critiques of imperialism.

Conservatives in the United States are extremely fond of quoting Lenin, either to tie his words to the tactics of their opponents or to gloat how smart their own tactics are (by saying they come from Lenin). Many non-conservatives find this extremely puzzling.