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Date Posted: 19:19:45 05/08/03 Thu
Author: Mr John D Clare
Subject: To what extent was Lenin a great leader?
In reply to: 's message, "To what extent was Lenin a great leader?" on 18:40:54 05/08/03 Thu

You will get a lot of help about this question by reading also the answers to the question about Trotsky, above – they are basically the same question about different people.

If you get a question like this in your exam, the key is not to panic and ‘go blank’. You DO know enough to answer, if only you can REMEMBER what you know, and ORGANISE the information in such a way as to answer the question.

Start by making a list of the things you know that Lenin did (it doesn’t need to be a comprehensive as this one – three or four good ideas will do for an exam):
1. He was a great revolutionary thinker. He was editor of the Communist newspaper Iskra (1900-), and founder of the Bolsheviks (London Conference 1903, when the Russian Communist Party split in two).
2. He persevered – for years he led the Bolsheviks from exile in Switzerland.
3. He was an opportunist – in 1917 he persuaded the Germans to give him money to go back to Russia and organise a revolution.
4. He was a figurehead – he returned to St Petersburg in 1917 (at the Finland Station) and immediately became the Bolshevik leader. His slogan ‘Peace, Bread, Land’ won thousands of supporters.
5. He was the organiser/controller – it was Trotsky who organised the Red Guards and planned the November Revolution, but it was Lenin who put him in that position! Trotsky never questioned Lenin’s leadership (which has to say something).
6. He was ruthless – he formed the Assembly in 1917, but when it returned a majority of Social Revolutionaries (not Bolsheviks) he simply abolished it and declared the ‘dictatorship of the Proletariat’ and the one-party state. When there was opposition, he formed the Cheka. When there was Civil War he brought in War Communism and shot strikers.
7. He was visionary – think of all the things he set up in the Bolshevik State (see <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.johndclare.net/Russ6.htm).">http://www.johndclare.net/Russ6.htm).</a>
8. He was flexible – when the Kronstadt sailors rebelled, he had the sense to relax War Communism and bring in the NEP.

AS the Trostky essay, the above would form the fact-base of your essay. All you need then is, at the end of every paragraph, to tweak it so that it answers the precise question. In your case (‘To what extent…’) you will say something like: ‘I believe that this makes Lenin look a [great, fantastic, poor, less-than-impressive, weak, strong etc.] leader because…’
Finish with a conclusion which takes an overview.

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