Reel # 13: Lenin: Documents, Facts, Recollections
01:15:20***View of Red Square***
‐ Commentator: Lenin’s life is an exploit. Lenin was unstoppable revolutionary leader, who was lightened with a creative thought. Every document, recollection and fact presents us with grandiose life of Lenin.
Lenin. Documents. Facts. Recollections.
01:44:06
‐ Commentator: “I knew Lenin close and discovered another side of Lenin, which is not obvious. He had an extraordinary will for life.” This is a fragment from memoirs of Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky.
02:09:02***View of Lenin***
‐ Commentator: Maxim Gorki recollected: “Once I asked one worker: What is the most prominent feature of Lenin’s character?” Worker answered: “Simplicity. He is simple as truth.”
02:30:02***View Lenin on truck***
‐ Commentator: “Simple on the fist glimpse appearance,” said Gleb Krijanovski about Lenin. “But it is only in fist glimpse.” Lenin used simple words but in such order in which was seen the great intellect he had.
03:38:04***View of Lenin’s photographs***
‐ Commentator: Lenin’s smile… When Ilyich listened to you with this smile, you were sure about his deep understanding of the matter. It was something, which always attracted very strong and warm love towards Lenin with the cute wrinkles around his eyes.
04:04:10***View of Lunacharsky photo***
‐ Commentator: Lunacharsky often recollected the following story, which occurred when he first met Lenin in Paris in 1904. Lunacharski lived in Paris after serving the term of his Siberia exile. He heard about Lenin from their common friends and read his books. Lenin even wrote to Lunacharsky prior their meeting inviting him to join him in Switzerland to work on a newspaper. However, Lenin came for him to Paris. In the day of their first meeting Lunacharsky invited Lenin to visit a workshop of his friend sculptor Aronson. There were sculptures made of marble, bronze and plaster. Lenin looked around with curiosity but without critic. Aronson never heard about Lenin, yet he was so impressed by the beauty of Lenin’s head and especially his forehead. Aronson admitted that he only saw the same examples of human beauty in the best sculptures of Socrates. (View of Aronson photo) Aronson begged Lunacharsky to convince Lenin to pose for him. Lunacharsky told Lenin about it and Socrates, which caused Lenin to laugh hard. Only after Lenin’s death the sculptor was able to recreate in marble the image of a leader of the revolution. Lenin was higher than any prophet of the past: he destroyed without a mercy and restructured powerfully.
06:07:00***View of Lenin’s sculpture***
‐ Commentator: This is how the artist imagined Lenin.
Reel # 14:
00:11:03***View of Mayakovski photo***
‐ Commentator: Mayakovski had his own Lenin too.
“Two in the room: Lenin and I,
Photographs on the white wall,
The mouth is opened during a passionate speech,
The moustache hair is lifted up and the forehead wrinkles is reserved the human,
The vast forehead with a vast thought.”
00:41:23***View of drawing of Lenin***
‐ Commentator: John Reed chose this drawing of Lenin for his book Ten Days that Shook the World. He wrote about Lenin that he was an extraordinary national leader.
00:53:02***View of Esenin house***
‐ Commentator: This is a house in Konstantinovo village where lived Sergey Esenin.
“Shy, simple and dear,
I don’t understand,
With what strength,
You were able to shake the world.”
01:09:17***View of Lenin photograph***
‐ Commentator: This is the photo of Lenin in 1910 in Paris, which he sent to his mother. It stood on Maria Alexandrovna’s table till the last day of her life.
01:25:07***View of Lenin photo***
‐ Commentator: “Very special feature of Lenin’s character was his truthfulness with himself; he never lost his head from a success and was able to estimate the true facts,” wrote Nadezhda Konstantinovna in her book Recollection about Lenin.
01:38:12***View of Bertram Russell photo***
‐ Commentator: Bertram Russell, who is the famous English logician, after meeting with Lenin in 1920 told: “Our century will be remembered as a century of Lenin.”
01:56:17***View of crowd***
‐ Commentator: During the opening of the Second Congress of Commentern in revolutionary Petrograd many democratic and communist parties cheered Lenin, who was an organizer and leader of the first communist government. Lenin’s presentation at the congress had become the main program for actions directing all worlds’ communist parties. At the same time at Palace square in Petrograd was staged a performance Revolution. It was just recently, when Alexander Kerensky was a dictator of Russia; and now he is just a character of the play. While a person is weak he hates his enemy, but the person laughs when the enemy is defeated. Time is a big joker and a big poet. In order to win and for the future success of the nation, today shows its yesterday victory; nation wants to wetness its strength.
04:20:02***View of finale of the performance***
‐ Commentator: But it does not really matter how strong is the imagination of the artist because it will never be able to present the reality that is captured in the documents, films and old photographs.
04:47:14***View of group photograph with Lenin***
‐ Commentator: Pavel Jukov took these photographs during the opening of the Congress on July 19 in 1920 year. Soon Jukov came to Moscow; he dreamed about creating Lenin’s portrait. The secretary of Sovnarkom Lidia Fotiva recollected: “Knowing that Lenin was extremely busy, Jukov asked only for one and the half minute.” Jukov asked Lenin before a photo shoot to be more relaxed and less serious. Jukov made two portraits. Tense preoccupation was Lenin’s usual state. “Lenin was a colossal thinker,” recollected Krupskaya. These photographs taken by Jukov are the first photographs capturing alikeness of real Lenin.
06:16:05***View of Pavel Jukov***
‐ Commentator: Pavel Jukov knew Ulyanov family for a long time. ***View of Jukov honor document issued by Lenin’s father back in Simbirsk on June 6 of 1882*** These photographs Jukov took when he came to visit his relatives in the countryside. He was eighteenth child in regular farmer’s family. He went to this school, one of the schools that were organized by Ilya Nikolayevich. Children in those schools were taught different occupations and even singing. However, the fist piano Pavel saw at his friend’s Vladimir Ulyanov house. Maria Alexandrovna taught Pavel to listen and understand music. At Ulyanov house Pavel found a completely new world. In Ulyanov family did not talk about respect towards people; it was norm to do so. Moreover, Ulyanov children followed the example of their parents and learn to respect from the books of Belinsky, Dobrolubov, Gercin, Chernishevsky. Chernishevski book What’s to be Done? was one of the favorite Lenin’s books.
08:39:19***Photo of Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov***
‐ Commentator: Recollecting about his father, Anna Ilyinishna told that their children soles were immensely influenced by their father’s personality, the way he talked, his believes into education and goodness of all people. World judge Nazaryev wrote in European Vestnik:” The only one person who pushes for reforms is inspector of national schools.” Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov considered himself as a traditional Russian democrat educator. On the fist congress of teachers of Simbirsk province, which he organized, Ilya Nikolayevich told about his convictions. He presented the ideas of how teachers should educate children to be honest and reflective. That was a way how he brought his children and that is how he wanted the teachers educate all students. However, the strength and decision‐making power was not on his side yet…
Reel # 9: The Treaty of Brest‐Litovsk
00:12:17***View of horse carriage***
‐ Commentator: Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov (Lenin’s father) always thought of people’s interests. He had been gone for weeks on the similar carriage around Simbirsk province helping to open new schools.
00:33:13***Photographs of peasants, music playing***
‐ Commentator: These photographs of Simbirsk peasants were taken at the same time. The Simbirsk province at that time was considered to be of one of the richest provinces of Russia.
01:24:22*** Photographs of peasants***
‐ Commentator: This kind of life children of the director of public schools in Simbirs province saw the fist time from these photographs. He always shared his sincere ideas and thoughts with his children.
01:38:01***View of photograph with young Ilyich***
‐ Commentator: Very attentively Ilyich listened to his father stories about village life. Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya told this later. This factor influenced Ilyich from childhood to follow the life of village people and his revolutionary activities.
O1: 55:10***Photo of Lenin at congress***
‐ Commentator: 26 August 1918 Lenin organized the fist Russian congress of education. “Millions of people strive to learn by syllables how to write their name. Millions of people lacking the most necessary knowledge, the most primitive culture,” said Lenin.
02:21:06*** ***
‐ Commentator: These are slides made in 1918 do not show big difference of photographs made by Ilya Nikolayevich. However, new farmers were beginning to emerge.
02:44:23***Photo of Lenin speaking***
‐ Commentator: Status of national teacher should be uplifted to the level where it never could be in bourgeon society. Even though thousands of new teacher still were standing among their students armed with old ruffles but with a new Azbuka (=textbook for reading). Ii – Ilyich with an iron sweep /Sweeping traitors from the streets.
03:23:12 ‐ Commentator: People have a very strong desire for culture, besides we are an extremely poor nation.
03:32:15***Photo of Lenin***
‐ Commentator: This photo was made on August 28 right after Lenin made his speech on the congress of teachers, two days before the attempt on his life.
03:46:23***Photo of Maxim Gorky***
‐ Commentator: “I came to see him (Lenin) when he still could not move his arm,” from Maxim Gorky recollections. Addressing Gorky infuriation Lenin answered without enthusiasm: ” It is a fight and it is normal. Everyone fights as he can. There is no such person undependable on history; everybody involved in the events of creating the history, which is now as perplexing as ever. Who is not with us that person is against us. Gorky was impressed with Lenin’s willpower and desire to fight for his life.
04:33:15***Photo of Lenin***
‐ Commentator: Vladimir Ilyich had a casual appearance, yet he had a strategic and consistent mindset. Ne had learnt the art of warfare; so even in case of losing a battle Lenin could turn it to the advantage.
04:59:15***View of Kremlin***
‐ Commentator: That fall of 1918, when the Red army was less then year old and Soviet republic was ready to switch from a defend and advance to the attack actions, even on Kremlin square, close to where lived Lenin, training sessions of new soldiers of CK were held. (March playing)
05:32:06***View of photo***
‐ Commentator: A head person of military department was Aralov came every morning to Kremlin with information. Right beside Lenin’s office was a telephone room to connect to every destination where the war progressed. Tables of the office were covered with maps, and before Lenin’s eyes opened a vast panorama of the actions in the entire country. Then he walked to the big map of Russia and instructed. “Indiscipline (in army) will result in failure,” warned Lenin. “ Severely punish the disobedient soldiers!” ordered Lenin. However, once he said, “May be it is more clear at the location what to do? Attack or run away.”
06:46:09***View of group photograph of soldiers***
‐ Commentator: “We always valued a security of soldier’s life. We gave such favors to them, which were never possible under any other government,” Lenin. “Russia is going for a new and true civil war.”
07:17:21***Lenin’s portrait***
‐ Commentator: Lenin was a combatable person but never took a risk in sake of the risk. From Krupskaya recollections.
07:33:14***Soldiers walking***
‐ Commentator: This is a film of 1918 year before signing a peace agreement with Germany. “After October,” told Lenin, “it was obvious for everyone who wanted to see; the fact that the army does not exist; it is impossible to hold the war. It is a sick organ of Russian government organism, which cannot bare any more difficulties of this war.” Therefore, there was an opposition to the peaceful agreement. “Yes,” answered Lenin, “German revolution is growing, but unfortunately, it is not moving fast. Moreover, we will not take a German carnivore!” (***March playing***)
08:51:05***Soldiers marching***
‐ Commentator: It is a national crime to fight a better‐prepared enemy knowing that there is no army for that. We have to sign this unfair and shameful agreement in order to win time, to learn and prepare to fight the capitalism in a very competent manner. Lenin’s compromise was not intended for capitulation, but he always prepared a tactical maneuver of counterattack for the future.
09:30:08***View of Lenin’s portrait***
‐ Commentator: However, at that time Lenin was along. Opposition accused Lenin in sellout the ideas of the revolution. Opposition called Lenin traitor.
09:45:18***View of Chicherin***
‐ Commentator: Even such a talented diplomat as Chicherin admitted:” During my fist conversation with Lenin I could not agree on signing the shameful peace agreement.” Nevertheless, Lenin’s authority made him sign the agreement.
10:05:10***View of busy street***
‐ Commentator: Now the time was won. Revolution is in Germany.
Reel # 4:
00:11:16***View of Lenin addressing crowd***
‐ Commentator: Time is won. Russian revolution concurred the most difficult task. Time is won and we have the army, which is ready to start a true civil war. October days of the fist anniversary of the revolution were the happiest days of Lenin’s life (from recollections of Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya).
00:39:20***Music playing, crowds***
‐ Commentator: 13 November 1918 Brest agreement (=Treaty of Brest‐Litovsk) was annulated. (View of newspaper article) 00:46:15***Lenin’s picture***
‐ Commentator: Later, in Children Decease of “Laziness” in Communism, Lenin wrote: “When I hear critics about our tactic I simply answer by an example from my life. “ (Picture of Lenin’s driver Gil) One day Lenin went to Sokolniki to visit his sick wife Nadezhda Krupskaya. Suddenly, some people blocked the road, so Lenin had to get off the car. The offenders (these are their mug shots***View of their pictures***) immediately targeted Lenin with the guns and unarmed him (after the assassination attempt Lenin always had a gun) then they unarmed Gil and took Lenin’s car droving away.
01:53:16***Lenin’s picture***
‐ Commentator: “Yes, it was agilely quick!” exclaimed Lenin. “What a shame, just armed people and we handed over our car,” said Lenin. The offenders unharmed Lenin and his driver because they did not resist. “ Our compromise with the German imperialist bandits was similar to this compromise.”
02:13:14***Lenin’s picture***
‐ Commentator: “We need to learn how to use our brain to process every situation,” Lenin. Lenin, even in his colleagues appreciated daring courage and speedy actions.
02:33:13***View of Sverdlov***
‐ Commentator: “Yakov Sverdlov is a leader of proletarian revolution, who created his revolutional character himself,” said Lenin.
02:45:22***Picture of Leonid Krasin***
‐ Commentator: Many years before the revolution, in exile, Lenin met Leonid Krasin who possessed an extraordinary intelligence. Krasin was gifted and bright in many areas, such as engineering and diplomacy.
03:04:22***Picture of Alexander Zuruko***
‐ Commentator: In Alexander Zuruko Lenin appreciated natural intelligence and reliability in government activities. (From Krijanovski memories)
03:22:22***Picture of Gleb Krijanovski***
‐ Commentator: Gleb Krijanovski revolutionary, poet and scientist, who together with Lenin in Siberia exile worked on the development of the plan for creating Iskra newspaper and electrification.
03:40:10***Picture of Lenin***
‐ Commentator: “We are lacking bright people with innovative ideas,” wrote Lenin to Gleb Krijanovski. Vladimir Ilyich was persistently looking for such people and often found them. One of such people was academic Lazarev. A student of professor Lebedev, Peter Petrovich Lazarev became an academic in 1917 and one of the fist academics who began to cooperate with the new government. Lenin especially interested in Lazarev work on Kursk Magnetic Anomaly. As scientific theoretic, Lazarev estimated a practical importance for the future of Russia the presence of iron ore in the area. (***View of the map of KMA area) Therefore, the majority of scientists of that time disagreed on his theory. However, energetic Lazarev studied KMA together with Ivan Gubkin, who later led a committee for of Kursk Magnetic Anomaly studies. (***View of Gubkin picture***) Gubkin was a person of very extraordinary fate. Gubkin, being from a very poor family, was not able to go to school or to university, yet in his forties he became an engineer passing all the tests in gymnasium and then graduated from Gornii University with honors. Obsessed with a desire to find, he proved that Kursk has large iron reserves. Later, Gubkin wrote:” The whole history of KMA was a struggle with conservatism.”
06:17:21***View of machinery extracting ore***
‐ Commentator: Yes, now it is evident. Moreover, Lenin in 1922 wrote to Krijanovski: “Yesterday, Martens told me that large iron ore deposits in Kursk area is a fact.”
07:14:19***Picture of Ludwig Martens***
‐ Commentator: Ludwig Martens was another talented person with innovative ideas. He was an engineer who during the secret years of revolution constructed weapons for the labor unions. After civil war, during the years of rebuilding of the country, one of the most difficult problems became a need for metal. Martens was appointed as a chairman of Glavmetal (a state organization holding all the metallurgical enterprises of Soviet Russia)
07:57:09 ***View of working people***
‐ Commentator: It was time when more then five million of soldiers came back home from war. (***View of factory men working***) To the factories and plants instead of old owners came new working commissars. Many engineers did not trust men in the leather jackets because a revolutionary enthusiasm could not substitute for the required skills and knowledge. It was not easy for commissars to obtain the necessary education, starting from a basic arithmetic proceeding to the advance mathematics.
08:46:05***Picture of Martens***
‐ Commentator: People like Martens were very valuable in this situation. In Martens Russian revolutionizm blended with American businesslike knowledge presented a priceless importance. During his last years of immigration to the United States, Martens worked as engineer for different big companies. He also took part in revolutionary movement in the US always connected to the Russian Bolshevik network. At that time he did not even guess that soon Lenin would trust him an important political role. Engineer Ludwig Martens (there he is on the left of the picture***View of picture with two men***) at this building founded a Soviet Bureau, an informal embassy of Soviet Russia.
09:48:06***View of letter***
‐ Commentator: “This letter appoints Ludwig Martens, who lives in the United States of America, as a head of Russian National Committee for international affairs in the US.”
Reel # 5:
00:12:02***Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic
A Memorandum to the State Department of the United States
From a Representative of the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic***
‐ Commentator: In answer to the memorandum, the State Department neither recognizes the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic nor its representative Martens. However, Lenin never had any illusions by offering a memorandum he knew that the process of recognition of the Soviet Republic by international imperialists would take some time. (***View of drawing from a newspaper***) Moreover, Martens was deported from the US to Russia, which proved that the true targets of the US reaction were to stabilize the peace and true government.
00:53:09***View of caricature drawing***
‐ Commentator: Nevertheless, advantage was on Bolshevik side, which was acknowledged even by the US. Then the government searched the Soviet Bureau looking for evidence of Martens illegal activities. These are the original pictures (***View of the pictures***). As a main evidence was found Martens letter to the US workers written by Lenin:
“American revolutionary proletariat especially now has the most important role in fighting American imperialism, which is the most recent, strongest and final.” (***View of working men***)
01:45:18***View of caricature drawing***
‐ Commentator: The working class of America requested to stop denying Russian new government. Lenin wrote: “The day will come soon, and friendly ships with help will sail.”(Picture of a ship) Indeed, Martens mission attracted attention of many American people.
02:08:22***What Shook the World by John Reed***
‐ Commentator: This is a book for representative of the country of my hart. John Reed.
02:15:14***Bernard Show*** ‐ Commentator: “Even though free America does not hang people as free England, but widely using an electric chair.” Bernard Show wrote these worlds. He was the world’s famous ironist, satirist and skeptic. (***View of Show’s picture***) But if you step into Bernard’s Show home you would see sometimes paradoxical combination: picture of Gandhi beside Dzerzhinsky and Lenin. Show once said:” If the future will be as Lenin predicts then we all should smile and look for the future without fear.”
03:09:17***View of Show in village***
‐ Commentator: His 70 anniversary Show celebrated in our country, in one of the collective farms organized by Lenin. Of course he did not see as much as we have in our kolkhozes now. But even then people used the advantage of the collective labor to which called Lenin. (***Music playing and view of peasants working***) In 1921 Show sent Lenin his book in which he wrote:” In our schools children are taught feudalism. Then as a result of this education the society has more harm then usefulness.” ‐ “What a good saying!” Wrote Lenin in French in the margins across Show’s words.
04:18:00***View of Lenin reading***
‐ Commentator: Lenin loved reading and books. His relationship with books was similar to his relationship with people. He was attentive to every single world, often thinking thoroughly, agreed or argued with the ideas in the books. Lenin learned not only from books but also from every person he met. (From Zurupo memories) During Sovnarkom meetings Lenin praised and encouraged collective work and gladly acknowledged the decisions made by the members.
05:04:23***View of group picture with Lenin***
‐ Commentator: Even during these important meetings, Lenin was accessible and easygoing, without superior status of a leader. From memories of people who worked with Lenin:
05:14:11***Picture of Krzhizhanovski***
‐ Commentator: Lenin not only liked to be surrounded by talented and bright people, but also carried about these people, being always delighted by their success. Moreover, he forgave them their flows. From Krzhizhanovski memories about Lenin.
05:37:07***Picture of Chicherin***
‐ Commentator: Everyone who wanted to learn from Lenin should remember this‐ never fall to a fast conclusions, never believe in unchecked information, never say unprepared phrases and witnessing the reality never substitute it for a book knowledge or pleasant illusions.
06:06:09***Picture of Semashko*** ‐ Commentator: Having to deal with intervention period, revolution and famine, Lenin always had time to notice the necessities of his collogues.
06:24:21***View of a letter from Lenin to Nicolai Semashko ***
‐ Commentator reading the letter: “Nikolai Aleksandrovich! There is Ivan Chekunov in my office. He is a very interesting farmer with his own interpretations of communism. Unfortunately, he lost the glasses for which he paid fifteen thousand rubles. Could you help him to get a good pair of glasses?
06:42:15***Picture of Petrovski***
‐ Commentator: Petrovski recollects about his last meeting with Ilyich: ”I have a disease which will make me disable or I will die.” Said Lenin. “Please do not let the party to divide and choose a leader who can ensure the party’s best interest unity.”
07:06:13***View of Lenin addressing committee***
‐ Commentator: Unity was Lenin’s main topic during discussions at the Party’s congresses and meetings of the period.
Reel #6: ***Music playing***
‐ Commentator: In history Lenin is the only one, and he was the fist leader of the party of the fist socialist country. But every person has his own Lenin: Lenin who he remembered or he imagined. For some he is Lenin, but for others ne is Vladimir Ilyich and for the closest people and for millions of people he is Ilyich. Lenin wrote: “To live in the epicenter of people, to know the moods and everything, to understand the crowd and gain its absolute trust, and never lie to the public.”
01:10:20***Lenin addressing crowd***
‐ Commentator: He is people’s genius; and thus, the leader of the party.
01:21:11***View of archives***
‐ Commentator: There are thousands of letters in archives of Marxism and Leninism University, yet every letter was answered. Lenin wrote to Kremlin’s commandant: “All the parcels and packages left at Troitski doors on my name should be send immediately to the Council of the People's Commissars. “ Lenin had received a lot of letters, especially at the last years of his life.
01:55:14***View of group photograph***
‐ Commentator: Workers of the Glukhovo Factory wrote a letter to Lenin. “We all worried about your health. We cheerfully pleased with your everyday recovery. We positively sure that your strong willpower will overcome you illness.” It was in the fall of 1923 after Vladimir Ilyich suffered his third stroke he was visited by workers of the Glukhovo Factory. They had a gift for him eighteen cherry trees planting them at Gorki property. They will bloom every spring reminding of the workers. (Music playing)
02:54:17***Drawing of Feodor Kuznechov***
‐ Commentator: Feodor Kuznechov was not at Gorki at that time. Moreover, he never saw Lenin. Nevertheless, he heard a lot about Ilyich from his friends. Being an artist, he decided to create the fist monument of live Lenin. The grand opening was scheduled on January 22, 1924.
03:20:20*** On January 22, 1924 workers of the Glukhovo Factory were gathered for the grand opening of the Comrade Lenin monument…***
‐ Commentator: There is cinema record of that day…
03:47:02***… BUT NEWS ABOUT HIS DEATH JUST ARRIVED***
05:12:08***View of Lenin’s monument***
‐ Commentator: This is a story of how Lenin’s fist monument was created by a socialist artist.
05:35:14***View of Red Square and Lenin’s Mausoleum***
Lenin was a leader of the great class and the grand revolutionary movement!