Figures of Lenin’s might do not leave hardly anyone indifferent. Anyone, no matter what his attitude toward the number one communist of the twentieth century, has his own vision of this grandiose figure, varying from unrestrained admiration to intense hatred. On the eve of the April 22, anniversary of the “chief of the world proletariat” Vladimir Lenin’s birthday, celebrated very pompously in the Soviet times, we turned to some respectable persons of our society — scholars, political scientists, and public leaders, — asking them a short question, Who was Lenin?
Stanislav KULCHITSKY, professor, Ph.D. in history:
We won’t understand anything about Leninism without reading all 55 volumes of Lenin’s works, including the one published in 1999, containing works never before published. His deeds often run contrary to what he said and wrote. He reminds me of a sailor who managed to raise the sail on his ship in a stormy wind. In a country populated mostly with small proprietors, Lenin built a socioeconomic system entirely exempt of private property holdings. He did it, not to make people happy, but to create the strongest power structure that has not and will not be comprehended in the history of mankind.
Orest SUBTELNY, historian (Canada):
Lenin was a brilliant author of a tragically unsuccessful experiment. He had created [a system] contradicting human nature.
Ivan CHYZH, people’s deputy of Ukraine:
Vladimir Illyich Lenin, is a mighty historical character, who caught the breath of the history of his time and answered its challenge adequately, in fact having changed the world. Despite various people’s attitudes towards Lenin’s personally, he was one of the most influential figures in all world history, even more of the twentieth century.
Liubov KOVALEVSKA, writer, journalist:
Without doubt, he was a genius able to turn half of the world upside down (and he had to somehow change people’s consciousness!) using evil methods, as he only had little time to do it (people could soon start to think!). History itself is evidence that unfortunately people can be united and risen, to result in taking some large scale actions, very fast, with the ideas far from being humane or from generally accepted human values.
Heorhy POCHEPTSOV, professor, political scientist:
Lenin was, first of all, creator of a country to be reckoned with by world leaders, a goal, which we now find unachievable. Lenin, unlike the subsequent generations of Soviet leaders, possessed a different kind of erudition and culture. He was a type of public leader equal to the Western ones, who we lost later on. Revolution is probably always a matter of chance: it might happen or not at a given moment. But revolutions are always headed by people who are not accidental.
