Lenin Lives!: The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia, Enlarged Edition

by Nina Tumarkin

Book Overview

Was the deification of Lenin a show of spontaneous affection--or a planned political operation designed to solidify the revolution with the masses? This book provides a startling answer. Exploring the cult's mystical, historical, and political aspects, Tumarkin demonstrates the galvanizing power of ritual in the establishment of the post-revolutionary regime. In a new Preface and Postscript, she brings the story up to date, considering the fall of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674524314
• ISBN13: 9780674524316
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 315 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Lenin Lives......... Of Course!

This book is an excellent resource, and was written in a style that was absolutely rivetting and was difficult to put down. It covers the life of Vladimir Ulyanov; perhaps one of the greatest and most influential persons of the past century, and explains how his persona was used to influence people well beyond his death. For me, a person who has befriended a couple of Russians that defected from the Soviet Union in the 1980's, it explains how no matter how dissatisfied Russians became with their government, Lenin is still a hero to them, and probably always will be. A splendid read that I highly recommend.

How Lenin became a "god"

This is a very good book about how Lenin was made into a god to Russia. There is a lot of detail about Lenin's life, but more about what happened to Lenin after he died. It was not to surprising his body was preserved and put on display. In this way he was treated as the Orthodox Church has always revered its saints by keeping relics and body parts. Lenin's wife was angry that Lenin was not properly buried, but Stalin's idea was to make him into a saint. For all the years following Lenin was practically worshipped. This book shows how the cult was created by the Communist Party and forced on Russian citizens. The book treats Russians and Lenin with respect, and it has very good history.