A Biography
This is a biography of Lenin the man, rather than Lenin the political icon. Lenin is a colossal figure whose influence on twentieth-century history cannot be underestimated. Robert Service has written a calmly authoritative biography on this seemingly unknowable figure. Making use of recently opened archives, he has been able to piece together the private, as well as the public life, giving the first complete picture of Lenin. This biography simultaneously provides an account of one of the greatest turning points in modern history. Through the prism of Lenin's career, Service examines events such as the October Revolution and the ideas of Marxism/Lennonism, the one-party state and society which Lenin left behind and which have not entirely disappeared after the collapse of the Soviet regime in 1991.
