That title was just to capture your attention and has nothing to do with my topic.
So today we have a brief reintroduction to pre Cold War Russia and Lenin was brought up. I have a question that might be a little off from the Cold War per se, but a good question nonetheless.
Do you think he was a good or bad person? Also a good or bad leader? Why?
Obviously someone liked him if historians never put him on the same plane as Stalin or Mao or Castro and if everyone in Russia went to see his dead body and grieved. Moreover once famously said "As influenctial in life as he was in death."
Short Question: Was Lenin good or bad? As a person AND as a leader.
He was ruthless, intelligent, deceptive and headstrong. He may not have been a great person but he was an effective politician, a strong leader, and made the best of his situation while helping Russia becoming a growing world power. He was a good leader, but a not so good person.
ReplyDeleteHe could've been worse. Certainly Stalin, who preceded him, was a much more twisted, ruthless leader. However Stalin and Lenin were both incredibly intelligent men. What I don't like about Lenin is how he gained power in a secretive, underground way. He used a secret police force to overthrow the provisional government. He didn't have the best interests of the Russian people in mind.
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