Power and authority in Russia and the Soviet Union: Lenin series

Log in below to preview the introductory film - available to all registered users of the website.

This open access introductory film forms part of our ongoing film series on Power and authority in Russia and the Soviet Union. All the films are available through the Student Zone with corporate secondary membership. 

The HA has made these films to help us all explore the history and leaders of the Soviet Union and its lead protagonist – Russia, a country that remains key to international affairs today.

The overall series is broken down into shorter series, each focusing on a single Russian leader. View these films in our Student Zone here: 

• Lenin film series
• Stalin film series
• Khrushchev film series
• Gorbachev film series
• Yeltsin film series

Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)

Two men – Trotsky and Lenin – symbolise the Russian Revolution for most people. While Trotsky came to an icy end in Mexico, Lenin remains an enduring figure in the history of Russia and the history of Communism worldwide.

In this series of films the man, his motivations, his actions and plans are brought to life and reevaluated by Dr Lara Douds of Northumbria University.  

1. Lenin's origins (below, open access)
2. Lenin's early thought
3. Lenin, the 1905 Russian Revolution and WWI
4. Lenin and the 1917 Revolutions
5. Lenin and the birth of Soviet Russia
6. Lenin and the Russian Civil War
7. Lenin's legacy

View the other Lenin films in the Student Zone (as part of our A-level topic guide on Russia and the USSR)