January 21 is the 90th anniversary of the death of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of the Bolshevik party and the Soviet state. Here is a look at the life of one of the most influential political figures of the 20th century.
The Life Of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

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Lenin was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov in Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk) on April 22, 1870. In this photo from 1879, he poses with his family (front row, right).

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A demonstration in Moscow in the period before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917

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Fanny Yefimovna Kaplan was a Russian political revolutionary who attempted to assassinate Lenin on August 30, 1918. Kaplan shot the leader twice with a pistol as he left a Moscow factory after delivering an address. Lenin survived, but his health was severely compromised.

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Lenin's funeral on Red Square

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Lenin's remains were placed in this mausoleum at the Kremlin wall.