Lenin. A Biography

Lenin is a colossal figure whose influence on twentieth-century historycannot be underestimated. Robert Service has written a calmly authoritativebiography on this seemingly unknowable figure. Making use of recentlyopened archives, he has been able to piece together the private as well asthe public life, giving the first complete picture of Lenin. Thisbiography simultaneously provides an account of one of the greatest turningpoints in modern history. Through the prism of Lenin's career, Serviceexamines events such as the October Revolution and the ideas ofMarxism-Leninism, the one-party state, economic modernisation,dictatorship, and the politics of inter-war Europe. In discovering theorigins of the USSR, he casts light on the nature of the state and societywhich Lenin left behind and which have not entirely disappeared after thecollapse of the Soviet regime in 1991.

'Immensely scholarly but alsovivid and readable. This is a splendid book, much the best that I have everread about Lenin ...I was overwhelmed by the power and vividness of thisportrait.' Dominic Lieven, Sunday Telegraph
'He has managed skilfully todepict the surreal life of an obsessive, brilliant and stubborn individual' Guardian
'Lenin's life was politics, but Service has succeeded in keeping Lenin the man in focus throughout . . . This book deserves a place amongthe best studies of one of the most fascinating figures in modern history'Harold Shukman, The Times