who was vladimir lenin and why was he important?
Revolutionary Politician Economist Lawyer Philosopher
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 The historian Albert Resis suggested that if the October Revolution is considered the most significant event of the 20th century , then Lenin " must for good or ill be considered the century 's most significant political leader " . White described Lenin as " one of the undeniably outstanding figures of modern history " , while Service noted that the Russian leader was widely understood to be one of the 20th century 's " principal actors " . Read considered him " one of the most widespread , universally recognizable icons of the twentieth century " , while Ryan called him " one of the most significant and influential figures of modern history " . Time magazine named Lenin one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century , and one of their top 25 political icons of all time . 

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 Widely considered one of the most significant and influential figures of the 20th century , Lenin was the posthumous subject of a pervasive personality cult within the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991 . He became an ideological figurehead behind Marxism @-@ Leninism and thus a prominent influence over the international communist movement . A controversial and highly divisive individual , Lenin is viewed by Marxist @-@ Leninists as a champion of socialism and the working classes , while critics on both the left and right see him as the founder of a totalitarian dictatorship responsible for civil war and mass human rights abuses . 

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 In the Western world , biographers began writing about Lenin soon after his death ; some – like Christopher Hill – were sympathetic to him , and others – like Richard Pipes and Robert Gellately – expressly hostile . A number of later biographers , such as Read and Lars Lih , sought to avoid making either hostile or positive comments about him , thereby evading politicized stereotypes . Among sympathisers , he was portrayed as having made a genuine adjustment of Marxist theory that enabled it to suit Russia 's particular socio @-@ economic conditions . The Soviet view characterised him as a man who recognised the historically inevitable and accordingly helped to make the inevitable happen . Conversely , the majority of Western historians have perceived him as a person who manipulated events in order to attain and then retain political power , moreover considering his ideas as attempts to ideologically justify his pragmatic policies . More recently , revisionists in both Russia and the West have highlighted the impact that pre @-@ existing ideas and popular pressures exerted on Lenin and his policies . 

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 Mikhail Vysotsky was awarded for running the research enterprise " Belavtotraktorostroyeniye " , a part of the National Academy of Sciences . 

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 Within the party was established a Political Bureau ( " Politburo " ) and Organisation Bureau ( " Orgburo " ) to accompany the existing Central Committee ; the decisions of these party bodies had to be adopted by Sovnarkom and the Council of Labour and Defence . Lenin was the most significant figure in this governance structure ; as well as being the Chairman of Sovnarkom and sitting on the Council of Labour and Defence , he was on the Central Committee and Politburo of the Communist Party . The only individual to have anywhere near this influence was Lenin 's right @-@ hand man , Yakov Sverdlov , who died in March 1919 during a flu pandemic . In November 1917 , Lenin and his wife took a two @-@ room flat within the Smolny Institute , although the following month left for a brief holiday in Halia , Finland . In January 1918 , he survived an assassination attempt in Petrograd ; Fritz Platten , who was with Lenin at the time , shielded him and was injured by a bullet . 
