Lenin's body is still on display in Moscow, in a granite tomb located on Red Square. Lenin's Mausoleum is free to the public – anyone can wait in line to file past this Soviet leader's body. But how did Lenin die, and what were the conditions surrounding his death?
Lenin's Illness
The years leading up to Lenin's death were stress-filled and exhausting for Lenin. He suffered from insomnia, headaches, and other ailments that could have been attributed to stress. However, when his speech began to show signs of impairment and his memory started to fail, those closest to Lenin began to suspect that something was seriously wrong. While some surmised that Lenin was being poisoned by the lead in the bullets that remained in his body after an assassination attempt, the real cause of Lenin's illness was stroke. Lenin suffered three major strokes before his death.
Lenin a Captive of Stalin
Lenin tried more than once to acquire poison that would help him escape his illness through death. Stalin refused to grant his wish, knowing that even a weakened, disabled Lenin was better than no Lenin. The cult of Lenin was powerful, and Stalin could use his proximity to Lenin to gain power for himself.
In the final months of his life, Lenin was a captive of Stalin. Conversations between Lenin and his nurses were passed on to Stalin. Lenin was isolated from all political news and his control severely limited. Stalin effectively took Lenin's place during this time period. Lenin caught onto Stalin's motives much too late. Stalin's surveillance of him, as well as his disrespect for the ailing leader, helped to push Lenin closer to the brink of death.
The Cult of Lenin
Lenin died in March 1924. His body was not embalmed and entombed until many weeks after his passing. In the meantime, scientists worked to perfect a solution that would preserve the body. This was another Stalinist tactic to use Lenin's sway over Soviet citizens for his own benefit. Lenin's brain was removed, sliced into pieces, and preserved for scientific study. Unfortunately, neither scientists in the 1920s nor those working in the 1990s found anything remarkable about Lenin's brain.
Besides the preservation of his brain and body, Lenin lived on in another way. The cult of Lenin, which showed renewed energy upon his death, raised Lenin's status as a human being to new heights. He was more than a mere mortal – he was larger than life, superhuman, godlike.
References
Dziewanowski, M.K. A History of Soviet Russia. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1989. 98-99.
Figes, Orlando. A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. 745-749.
