Vladimir Ilyich “Lenin” Ulyanov was the main instigator of the communist revolution in Russia, which led to the creation of the USSR.
Lenin was the son of a wealthy upper-middle class family who came to power exploiting the discontent of the urban working poor and rural peasants.
Lenin’s revolution, the ensuing civil war and famine, and the brutal domestic repression he waged against dissidents and scapegoats directly resulted in the deaths of more than 8 million citizens of the Russian Empire, many of whom perished from starvation, torture or summary executions.