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Vladimir Lenin

Revolution and political theory · Russia · 1870–1924

Vladimir Lenin Life & Career Timeline

Exile, party organisation, revolution and the creation of Soviet one-party rule.

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VLVladimir LeninRevolution and political theory · Russia
Born in Simbirsk1870Born in Simbirsk22 April 1870 · Simbirsk, Russian Empire
Brother Alexander executed1887Brother Alexander executed20 May 1887 · St Petersburg, Russian Empire
Expelled from Kazan University1887Expelled from Kazan UniversityDecember 1887 · Kazan, Russian Empire
Completes law degree externally1891Completes law degree externally1891 · St Petersburg, Russian Empire
Joins Marxist circles1893Joins Marxist circles1893 · St Petersburg, Russian Empire
Arrested for revolutionary organising1895Arrested for revolutionary organisingDecember 1895 · St Petersburg, Russian Empire
Exiled to Siberia1897Exiled to SiberiaFebruary 1897 · Shushenskoye, Russian Empire
Marries Nadezhda Krupskaya1898Marries Nadezhda Krupskaya22 July 1898 · Shushenskoye, Russian Empire
Iskra first published1900Iskra first published24 December 1900 · Leipzig, Germany
What Is to Be Done?1902What Is to Be Done?March 1902 · Stuttgart, Germany
Bolshevik–Menshevik split1903Bolshevik–Menshevik splitJuly–August 1903 · Brussels and London
Prague Conference1912Prague ConferenceJanuary 1912 · Prague, Austria-Hungary
Imperialism written in exile1916Imperialism written in exile1916 · Zurich, Switzerland
Returns to Petrograd1917Returns to Petrograd16 April 1917 · Petrograd, Russia
April Theses1917April Theses17 April 1917 · Petrograd, Russia
Bolsheviks seize government1917Bolsheviks seize government7 November 1917 · Petrograd, Russia
Civil War and coercive rule1918Civil War and coercive rule1918–1921 · Former Russian Empire
Dies at Gorki1924Dies at Gorki21 January 1924 · Moscow region, Soviet Union

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About this timeline

About Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik faction, headed the government formed in the October Revolution and shaped the early Soviet state.

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Choose any Moment on the timeline to read its story, see why it matters and continue to the original source. Connected Moments open the other person’s timeline.

This public timeline is created and maintained by Memmie Editorial Team.

Vladimir Lenin biography

Vladimir Lenin timeline: key events

Explore 18 documented Moments in chronological order. Read the dates, locations and source references below. Where available, additional context explains why a milestone matters.

Simbirsk, Russian Empire

Born in Simbirsk

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born into an educated provincial family.

Source: tile.loc.gov

St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Brother Alexander executed

Alexander Ulyanov was hanged for involvement in a plot against Tsar Alexander III.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Kazan, Russian Empire

Expelled from Kazan University

Authorities arrested Ulyanov after a student protest and barred him from the university.

Source: tile.loc.gov

St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Completes law degree externally

He passed examinations as an external student and qualified in law.

Source: tile.loc.gov

St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Joins Marxist circles

Ulyanov moved to the capital and became active in revolutionary study groups.

Source: tile.loc.gov

St Petersburg, Russian Empire

Arrested for revolutionary organising

Police detained him for work with the League of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Shushenskoye, Russian Empire

Exiled to Siberia

A three-year administrative exile gave him time to write and organise.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Shushenskoye, Russian Empire

Marries Nadezhda Krupskaya

Krupskaya became his lifelong political collaborator.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Leipzig, Germany

Iskra first published

The newspaper sought to connect Russian Marxist organisations across exile and empire.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Stuttgart, Germany

What Is to Be Done?

Lenin argued for a disciplined revolutionary party of professional organisers.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Brussels and London

Bolshevik–Menshevik split

Disputes at the party congress divided Russian Social Democrats into rival factions.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Prague, Austria-Hungary

Prague Conference

Lenin’s supporters consolidated an effectively separate Bolshevik organisation.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Zurich, Switzerland

Imperialism written in exile

He analysed imperial rivalry as a stage of capitalist development.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Petrograd, Russia

Returns to Petrograd

Lenin arrived from Swiss exile after the February Revolution.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Petrograd, Russia

April Theses

He called for no support to the Provisional Government and for power to the soviets.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Petrograd, Russia

Bolsheviks seize government

Armed forces aligned with the Bolsheviks displaced the Provisional Government; Lenin became head of the new government.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Former Russian Empire

Civil War and coercive rule

The Bolshevik government used War Communism and Red Terror during civil war, producing severe repression and hardship.

Source: tile.loc.gov

Moscow region, Soviet Union

Dies at Gorki

Lenin died after multiple strokes, leaving a one-party state and a contested global legacy.

Source: tile.loc.gov
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Quick answers

About the Vladimir Lenin timeline

Who is Vladimir Lenin?

Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik faction, headed the government formed in the October Revolution and shaped the early Soviet state.

How many moments are included?

This public timeline currently contains 18 sourced moments spanning 1870–1924.

Who maintains this timeline?

This public timeline is created and maintained by Memmie Editorial Team. Schools, clubs and cultural organisations can apply to become timeline partners.

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