The Death of Vladimir Lenin and the Historical Implications of Disease
by Konrad Katterle
Image source: Unsplash
It can be overwhelming to consider the complex role that diseases have had in shaping the history of humanity. Illness can have widespread, enigmatic effects through the affliction of just one individual. One such figure is Vladimir Lenin, undoubtedly one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. His accomplishments were extraordinary in their scope, but his premature death was possibly even more impactful than his life as a whole.
Lenin was born in 1870 in the city of Simbirsk, Russia. He became a Marxist while studying law, and afterwards found himself engaged in a lifestyle typical for left-wing radicals in Tsarist Russia: forming clandestine networks with other socialists, agitating workers, organizing strikes, and writing articles for illegal publications, all the while avoiding the Tsarist secret police.
Lenin would have had no opportunity to wield political power if it were not for World War I. Horrific military defeats, enormous casualties, and governmental incompetence made the war extremely unpopular with the Russian people. During what is now known as “The October Revolution”, Lenin helped to overthrow the Provisional Russian Government.
Joseph Stalin (Image source: Wikipedia)
During the next few years, Lenin established a one-party dictatorship by purging the new Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (“USSR”) of any political party that challenged his policies. By creating a one-party state, Lenin laid the foundations for a totalitarian government. In early 1922, Lenin decided to give a certain Joseph Stalin the position of General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party. Seven weeks after Stalin had been made General Secretary, Lenin had his first stroke.
Lenin had a long history of health problems that he had carefully kept a secret. He regularly experienced episodes of severe migraines, sleeplessness, and blackouts that interfered with his ability to work. These symptoms were greatly exacerbated following his first stroke.
In December 1922, Lenin suffered a second stroke that confined him to his estate outside of Moscow. Lenin was greatly depressed by his inability to work and contemplated suicide, at one point asking Stalin to bring him cyanide. Nonetheless, Lenin remained interested in the political affairs of the Soviet Union and dictated letters to the Soviet Politburo that highlighted his opinions on state policy.
During this time, Lenin made the controversial decision to dictate his so-called Testament. In Lenin’s Testament, he described the problems he had with many of the leaders of the USSR, particularly Stalin. Lenin went so far as to recommend Leon Trotsky, Stalin’s political rival, for the General Secretary position. Historians still debate the reason behind Lenin’s decision to dictate the Testament, though one theory is that Lenin, aware that he might not live much longer, was trying to designate his successor.
In March 1923, Lenin suffered a third stroke. As a result, he was paralyzed on his right side and lost the ability to speak. He also displayed symptoms of Wernicke’s Aphasia, as he did not appear to understand any written or spoken words directed towards him. Finally, on January 21, 1924, Lenin experienced convulsions, fell into a coma, and died.
Lenin’s Funeral by Isaak Brodsky (Image source: Wikipedia)
The nature of Lenin’s neurological disease and death still elicit debate today. Lenin was 53 at the time of his death, much younger than most stroke victims. He also led a fairly healthy lifestyle, maintaining a good weight and avoiding smoking, which rules out major risk factors for strokes. At a University of Maryland School of Medicine conference in 2012, UCLA neurologist Dr. Harry Vinters argued that Lenin’s strokes were most likely caused by a genetic predisposition to arterial hardening (Lenin’s father died at a similar age from a stroke) and stress, the latter being a risk factor that Lenin had in abundance.
Following Lenin’s death, a succession crisis broke out over the leadership of the USSR. Joseph Stalin would emerge triumphant, exiling Trotsky to Mexico and eventually having him assassinated. Taking the reins of the USSR state apparatus, Stalin proceeded to transform Russia into a totalitarian Communist nightmare. He created an extensive system of forced labor camps for political prisoners, set up an efficiently brutal police state, and engaged in ethnic cleansing of non-Russian ethnic groups.
Had Lenin been in better health, world history would undoubtedly have been much different. However, we will never know how Lenin would have led the USSR beyond his 1923 death. All that can be said is that Stalin would never have come into power if not for Lenin’s premature death, which demonstrates that diseases play a major role in molding the course of human events.
Sources
Boyle, Alan. (2012). What killed Lenin? Stress… and maybe poison. NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna47296099.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2013). Lenin's Testament. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lenins-Testament
Kotkin, Stephen. (2014). Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928. Penguin Books, 2014.
Service, Robert. (2000). Lenin: A Biography. Macmillan.
Konrad Katterle is a second-year medical student at the UTCOMLS.
