History vs. Vladimir Lenin
English —
Unit 70
00:00
-06:42
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| 6s | He was one of the most influential figures |
| 9s | of the 20th century, |
| 10s | forever changing the course |
| 12s | of one of the world's largest countries. |
| 14s | But was he a hero |
| 16s | who toppled an oppressive tyranny |
| 17s | or a villain who replaced it with another? |
| 20s | It's time to put Lenin on the stand |
| 23s | in History vs. Lenin. |
| 26s | "Order, order, hmm. |
| 28s | Now, wasn't it your fault that the band broke up?" |
| 32s | "Your honor, this is Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, |
| 36s | AKA Lenin, the rabblerouser |
| 38s | who helped overthrow the Russian tsar Nicholas II in 1917 |
| 42s | and founded the Soviet Union, |
| 45s | one of the worst dictatorships of the 20th century." |
| 48s | "Ohh." |
| 50s | "The tsar was a bloody tyrant |
| 52s | under whom the masses toiled in slavery." |
| 55s | "This is rubbish. |
| 57s | Serfdom had already been abolished in 1861." |
| 61s | "And replaced by something worse. |
| 63s | The factory bosses treated the people |
| 64s | far worse than their former feudal landlords. |
| 68s | And unlike the landlords, |
| 69s | they were always there. |
| 72s | Russian workers toiled for eleven hours a day |
| 76s | and were the lowest paid in all of Europe." |
| 79s | "But Tsar Nicholas made laws to protect the workers." |
| 83s | "He reluctantly did the bare minimum to avert revolution, |
| 87s | and even there, he failed. |
| 89s | Remember what happened in 1905 |
| 91s | after his troops fired on peaceful petitioners?" |
| 95s | "Yes, and the tsar ended the rebellion |
| 96s | by introducing a constitution |
| 98s | and an elected parliament, the Duma." |
| 101s | "While retaining absolute power and dissolving them |
| 105s | whenever he wanted." |
| 106s | "Perhaps there would've been more reforms in due time |
| 109s | if radicals, like Lenin, |
| 111s | weren't always stirring up trouble." |
| 113s | "Your Honor, Lenin had seen his older brother Aleksandr |
| 117s | executed by the previous tsar for revolutionary activity, |
| 123s | and even after the reforms, |
| 124s | Nicholas continued the same mass repression and executions, |
| 129s | as well as the unpopular involvement |
| 131s | in World War I, |
| 133s | that cost Russia so many lives and resources." |
| 137s | "Hm, this tsar doesn't sound like |
| 138s | such a capital fellow." |
| 140s | "Your Honor, maybe Nicholas II did doom himself |
| 143s | with bad decisions, |
| 144s | but Lenin deserves no credit for this. |
| 146s | When the February 1917 uprisings |
| 149s | finally forced the tsar to abdicate, |
| 151s | Lenin was still exiled in Switzerland." |
| 153s | "Hm, so who came to power?" |
| 156s | "The Duma formed a provisional government, |
| 158s | led by Alexander Kerensky, |
| 160s | an incompetent bourgeois failure. |
| 163s | He even launched another failed offensive in the war, |
| 166s | where Russia had already lost so much, |
| 169s | instead of ending it like the people wanted." |
| 172s | "It was a constitutional social democratic government, |
| 175s | the most progressive of its time. |
| 177s | And it could have succeeded eventually |
| 179s | if Lenin hadn't returned in April, |
| 181s | sent by the Germans to undermine the Russian war effort |
| 185s | and instigate riots." |
| 187s | "Such slander! |
| 189s | The July Days were a spontaneous and justified reaction |
| 192s | against the government's failures. |
| 195s | And Kerensky showed his true colors |
| 197s | when he blamed Lenin |
| 198s | and arrested and outlawed his Bolshevik party, |
| 202s | forcing him to flee into exile again. |
| 204s | Some democracy! |
| 205s | It's a good thing the government collapsed |
| 207s | under their own incompetence and greed |
| 210s | when they tried to stage a military coup |
| 212s | then had to ask the Bolsheviks for help |
| 215s | when it backfired. |
| 217s | After that, all Lenin had to do |
| 219s | was return in October and take charge. |
| 222s | The government was peacefully overthrown overnight." |
| 226s | "But what the Bolsheviks did |
| 228s | after gaining power |
| 229s | wasn't very peaceful. |
| 231s | How many people did they execute without trial? |
| 233s | And was it really necessary |
| 235s | to murder the tsar's entire family, even the children?" |
| 239s | "Russia was being attacked by foreign imperialists, |
| 242s | trying to restore the tsar. |
| 244s | Any royal heir that was rescued |
| 246s | would be recognized as ruler by foreign governments. |
| 249s | It would've been the end |
| 251s | of everything the people had fought so hard to achieve. |
| 253s | Besides, Lenin may not have given the order." |
| 256s | "But it was not only imperialists |
| 258s | that the Bolsheviks killed. |
| 259s | What about the purges and executions |
| 261s | of other socialist and anarchist parties, |
| 263s | their old allies? |
| 265s | What about the Tambov Rebellion, |
| 266s | where peasants, resisting grain confiscation, |
| 269s | were killed with poison gas? |
| 272s | Or sending the army |
| 273s | to crush the workers in Kronstadt, |
| 275s | who were demanding democratic self-management? |
| 277s | Was this still fighting for the people?" |
| 279s | "Yes! The measures were difficult, |
| 282s | but it was a difficult time. |
| 284s | The new government needed to secure itself |
| 286s | while being attacked from all sides, |
| 288s | so that the socialist order could be established." |
| 291s | "And what good came of this socialist order? |
| 294s | Even after the civil war was won, |
| 295s | there were famines, repression |
| 297s | and millions executed or sent to die in camps, |
| 301s | while Lenin's successor Stalin established |
| 304s | a cult of personality and absolute power." |
| 307s | "That wasn't the plan. |
| 309s | Lenin never cared for personal gains, |
| 311s | even his enemies admitted |
| 312s | that he fully believed in his cause, |
| 314s | living modestly and working tirelessly |
| 316s | from his student days until his too early death. |
| 320s | He saw how power-hungry Stalin was |
| 322s | and tried to warn the party, |
| 323s | but it was too late." |
| 325s | "And the decades of totalitarianism that followed after?" |
| 328s | "You could call it that, |
| 330s | but it was Lenin's efforts that changed Russia |
| 332s | in a few decades |
| 334s | from a backward and undeveloped monarchy |
| 337s | full of illiterate peasants |
| 339s | to a modern, industrial superpower, |
| 342s | with one of the world's best educated populations, |
| 345s | unprecedented opportunities for women, |
| 348s | and some of the most important scientific advancements |
| 351s | of the century. |
| 353s | Life may not have been luxurious, |
| 355s | but nearly everyone had a roof over their head |
| 357s | and food on their plate, |
| 359s | which few countries have achieved." |
| 361s | "But these advances could still have happened, |
| 363s | even without Lenin |
| 364s | and the repressive regime he established." |
| 366s | "Yes, and I could've been a famous rock and roll singer. |
| 369s | But how would I have sounded?" |
| 373s | We can never be sure how things could've unfolded |
| 376s | if different people were in power |
| 378s | or different decisions were made, |
| 379s | but to avoid the mistakes of the past, |
| 382s | we must always be willing |
| 383s | to put historical figures on trial. |