Lenin As He Was

From the Soviet Magazine Socialism: Theory and Practice, January 1984. A moving look at the final months of Lenin's life.

Sixty years have passed since the death of Lenin (January 21, 1924), a brilliant thinker and revolutionary, the founder and leader of the Communist Party and the Soviet state. The number of people left who knew him personally, who worked alongside him is diminishing with every passing year. However, quite a few reminiscences of his contemporaries have come down to us, reflecting the many aspects of his busy and interesting life and diverse activities.

Extracts from the reminiscences of Lidia Fotieva, Lenin's secretary, are published below. Fotieva (1881 -1 975) took part in the 1905-1907 Revolution, in the February bourgeois democratic revolution of 1917 and the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 and was Lenin's secretary from 1918-1924:

Lenin fell seriously ill in the summer of 1 922. The long years spent in emigration, the serious wound inflicted on him on August 30, 1918 by Kaplan, an SR terrorist (the SRs or socialist revolutionaries was the name of a petty-bourgeois party which existed in Russia in 1901 -1923; after the October Revolution the party fought against Soviet government), the constant and strenuous work, almost without a break, were taking their toll on him. Lenin was in Gorki (1) when he fell ill and ill health forced him to spend 4 months there.

He returned to Moscow in October and took up his daily routine once again.

However, he was in bad health. All the symptoms of overwork appeared once again in late November–blinding headaches. sleepless nights on end. However, disregarding his doctor's remonstrances, Lenin kept on working at the same breathtaking pace. His iron will power and the awareness of his great responsibility to the Party and the people helped him overcome his physical suffering.

December 12 was, for us, like any other of V.I. Lenin's working days. It did not occur to any of us that this would be the last day that Lenin would work in his study in the Kremlin.

Despite the fact that he had two attacks on December 13, his doctors had great difficulty in persuading him to give up work completely for a while, to go to Gorki to rest and take a course of treatment. He agreed in the end.

Lenin worked at home for 3 days in a row, sent for me several times, giving me various instructions. He wanted to tie up the affairs which he considered the most important as quickly as possible.

Realizing that his condition was deteriorating Lenin said: ''We must hurry so that my illness does not catch me unawares.'’ Hurry he did, dictating letters, talking on the phone, receiving people at home.

Lenin took a turn for the worse on the night of December 16. However, the next morning, he dictated a note to his wife, Nadezhda Konstantinovna, before his doctor arrived.

He dictated another two short notes on December 21 -22, despite his poor condition.

Lenin got much worse on the night of December 23 -- he awoke to find that he was unable to move his right arm or leg. Shortly afterwards, his sister Maria llyinichna broke the bad news to us -- Lenin’s condition was deteriorating rapidly. His right arm and leg were paralyzed.

Lenin was physically unable to write from that day onwards.

The greatness of his spirit shone through in those grim days. Though bed-ridden. he devoted his last remaining strength to the great cause which he had selflessly served his whole life long. When he felt better, he dictated letters and articles, spoke about his plans for the future development of the Soviet state.

On December 23, Vladimir Ilyich asked for his doctor to allow him to dictate his thoughts for some 5 minutes. He said that he was concerned about one thing and that he was afraid that he could not sleep until he had got his thoughts on this matter down on paper. His doctor agreed and Vladimir Ilyich's mind was at rest.

On December 24. between 6 and 8 in the evening Vladimir Ilyich called for his short-hand typist and dictated his thoughts to her for 10 minutes.

Maria llyinichna told how Lenin gave his doctors the following ultimatum in reply to their demands to end his talks with his secretary and short-hand typist: they either allow him to dictate for even just a few minutes every day or he would refuse to follow his course of treatment. This highlighted Lenin’s most typical feature–working for the revolution was the whole purpose of his life. Now bed-ridden, ill, suffering from blinding headaches and wracked by insomnia, he stubbornly strove to do his utmost for the Party, for the cause of the working class.

Lenin insisted that his doctors allow him to dictate his ''diary’'. He probably thought that such an innocent-sounding name would make it easier for him to get their permission.

On December 24, at a meeting of Vladimir Ilyich's doctors and the members of the Politburo of the Central Committee it was decided to allow him to dictate for 5-10 minutes every day.

Putting this decision to good use, Vladimir Ilyich dictated letters and articles of priceless value for our Party at the end of December 1922 and in January-February 1923.

During these sessions Lenin sometimes read back the notes he had dictated earlier and which had already been typed out. He sometimes read before he went to sleep. I can say without fear of contradiction that Vladimir Ilyich spent many of his days and sleepless nights turning over in his mind what he considered had to be said urgently to the Party and what he managed to squeeze into the restricted dictation time imposed on him by his doctors.

In dictating his last letters and articles Lenin pronounced the phrases which arose in his mind quickly with short intervals between each of them.

His short-hand secretary would type his words immediately, then give him the pages to read for himself.

A small ledge, something akin to a music stand, was set up on Lenin’s bed. He would place the typed articles on it, checking them, turning the pages over with his left hand, and sometimes making small corrections. When he was feeling better he would joke, smile and ask us if we weren’t too tired. But often he was wracked by headaches.

These grim days will remain with me always. Our whole life seemed to be centred around those few moments that we spent around Lenin’s bed, trying to catch every word, every expression, however fleeting, on his face.

On December 29, Nadezhda Konstantinovna told us that the doctors had allowed Ilyich to read and that he had asked us to compile a list of the new books under subject headings, except fiction for he had no time to read that genre just then.

Lenin was now allowed to dictate his ideas to his secretary in two 10 minute sessions every day, although he often overstepped that time limit. Maria Ilyinichna said that he wanted to get better, that he did everything the doctors told him concerning his medicines, but that, where his work was concerned, he overstepped the permitted bounds.

He also tried to play an active part in current affairs at this time, even though he was bed-ridden.

The First Congress of USSR Soviets convened on December 30, 1922. It adopted the Declaration on the Formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Union Treaty. The congress decision to send its warmest regards to V. I. Lenin, its honorary chairman, leader of the world revolution, was rapturously applauded and cheered by all those in attendance.

That same day Lenin dictated his letter on The Question of Nationalities or "Autonomisation" in two 15 minute sessions. In addition, he read for two 20 minute periods. Dr. Kozhevnikov said that Lenin was extremely satisfied with the first session, but that he could not quite get his ideas together at first in the 2nd session and was somewhat put out by this.

Was it a mere coincidence that Lenin dictated this letter while the congress endorsed the decision on the formation of the USSR? Knowing that the congress was in session, Lenin was most probably anxious that the right solution be found to the nationalities question, and this anxiety was reflected in his letter.

This letter is of tremendous fundamental importance.

Lenin dwelt on the nationalities policy of the Communist Party and on genuine proletarian internationalism at length. He stressed, in particular, the need for a considerate attitude of the major nations towards the national minorities.

Lenin examined questions of the country's nationalities policy in the context of its internationalist duty. At the end of his letter he emphasized that even the slightest injustice done towards our '’small’' nations would undermine our prestige among the peoples of the East. This would be unforgivable, especially as hundreds of millions of the peoples of Asia were beginning to awaken to the struggle for their freedom.

Lenin continued to work prolifically throughout January and February 1923, creating a number of works in which he outlined the building of socialism in our country.

On January 2, he dictated the article known as ''Pages from a Diary'’, devoted to the major problems of the building of socialism–that of guaranteeing a sharp rise in the cultural level of urban and rural workers and of strengthening their alliance.

On January 4, Lenin began work on his article entitled “On Cooperation".

On January 5, he did not call for any of us, asking for a list of new books instead.

On January 6, Lenin finished dictating his article ’'On Cooperation". In it he comprehensively showed that under the dictatorship of the proletariat, cooperation would become the only reliable, the only true path of building socialism in the village. This article was published in ''Pravda’' on May 26 and 27, 1923.

Lenin read for two short periods on January 8.

The next day he began dictating his article on “How We Should Reorganize the Workers' and Peasants’ Inspection.“ (2)

Lenin called for his short-hand typist on January 23, between midday and 1 p.m. He gave the above-mentioned article a cursory reading, making some small changes. and asked that a copy be sent to Pravda.

Proceeding from the view that the Soviet state was a mighty tool for building socialism, Lenin called on the Party to pay particular attention to improving the work of the Soviet bodies of government and administration. He proposed reorganizing the Workers' and Peasants’ Inspection as the first step in this direction. He considered it essential for the work of this institution to be organized in such a way that would allow it to serve as a model for all Soviet institutions, and to teach the scientific organization of labour. In this article, Lenin expounded his idea of the creation of a united party, state and public control.

He wrote: ”Our Central Committee has grown into a strictly centralized and highly authoritative group, but the conditions under which this group is working are not commensurate with its authority” (3). Lenin's proposals on reorganizing the Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection would diminish ’'the influence of purely personal and incidental factors in our Central Committee ...'’, would create conditions which "should not allow anybody’s authority without exception" to prevent the Inspection from "exercising the strictest control over the proper conduct of affairs"...

On March 2, Lenin looked over his article entitled '’Better Fewer, But Better“ for the last time before sending it off to be printed. It was published in Pravda on March 4, 1923. This article is the logical continuation of the article on '’How We Should Reorganize the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection”, and together with it, makes up an integral whole.

On March 5, Lenin called for his short-hand typist about midday and dictated 2 letters to her. He felt very bad indeed.

Shortly afterwards, he began to shiver all over.

He called for me later and gave me some instructions.

The next morning he called for his short-hand typist and had her read back the letter he had dictated the previous day.

He then dictated a telegram.

His condition began to deteriorate rapidly from March 6 onwards. He could not work any more.

From March 10 onwards doctors were in attendance around Lenin 24 hours a day.

An official statement on Lenin’s state of health was published 2 days later. Bulletins on his health were published regularly from that moment onwards and were anxiously awaited by the entire country.

When the fine weather set in Lenin was transferred to Gorki on his doctors’ orders.

He fought against his illness with all his will. He took a turn for the better in July, now being able to get about on his own, aided only by a walking stick. His doctors said that there was hope that he would soon be back to his old self again.

V. I. Lenin had a meeting with workers on November 2. This is what Kholodova, a member of the workers’ delegation had to say about him:

"After being told that we could only spend a short while with him. we were invited into the drawing-room. Two minutes later Maria Ilyinichna's voice rang out from behind the closed doors: "Volodya, you've got guests!". The door opened and Lenin came in smiling. Coming up to us, he took off his cap with his left hand, put it into his right one and shook hands with us with his good arm. We were besides ourselves with joy and cried like children. We gave him the workers' and factory managers’ best wishes and said a few salutatory words. We spent 15 minutes with Ilyich and on leaving, each of us kissed him heartily in farewell. Comrade Kuznetsov, a 60-year old worker, was the last to take leave of Lenin. They stood embracing each other for 2 minutes or more. Old Kuznetsov told Lenin through his tears "I am a worker, a smith, Vladimir Ilyich. I am a smith. We are forging your ideas..."

This meeting with the workers gave Lenin great joy. Maria llyinichna said that he read the workers' message of greeting many times over.

This was the last time Lenin met with the workers. In saying goodbye to them he, as it were, said farewell to that class to whose cause he had devoted his entire life.

Lenin's ties with the people were firm and indissoluble. Even during his illness all his thoughts were turned towards the workers. This link was not broken for a single day, for a single minute. Hundreds of thousands of letters, telegrams of greeting and wishes for a speedy recovery were sent to Lenin from all over the country. ’'Our thoughts, our hearts, our feelings are with him”, the newspaper Pravda wrote, expressing the sentiments of the broad masses.

There was no other world leader who enjoyed such great trust and love of the people as Lenin did.

From the book ''Lenin As He Was", Moscow. Politizdat. 1965, (in Russian)

1) Gorki - a settlement in the Moscow region where Lenin spent his leisure time.

2) The organ of state control (inspection) during 1920-1934.

3) V. I. Lenin, Collected Works. Vol. 33. p 485