Vladimir Lenin's death on January 21, 1924, remains shrouded in mystery. He had been in poor health since 1903, experiencing headaches, insomnia, and stomach problems. In 1918, Lenin was shot by Fanny Kaplan, a Socialist Revolutionary, and although he recovered, the incident likely contributed to his declining health. Lenin suffered two strokes in 1922 and a third in 1923, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak.
The official cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage due to circulatory disorders and atherosclerosis. However, there are several conspiracy theories surrounding his death, including:
1. Poisoning by Stalin: Some believe that Stalin, who had a strained relationship with Lenin, may have poisoned him.
2. Curare-tipped bullets: One theory suggests that the bullets used in the 1918 assassination attempt were tipped with the poison curare, which could have caused long-term damage.
3. Syphilis: Some speculate that Lenin's brain hemorrhage was caused by syphilis, which he may have contracted through ordinary household contact.
Lenin's doctors' diary, which could provide insight into his death, remains classified. His body was embalmed and preserved, and it still lies in the Mausoleum in Moscow, sparking ongoing debates about its burial.
1. Vladimir Lenin was shot on August 30, 1918, while speaking at a rally in front of the workers of the Michelson plant.
2. The shooter, Fanny Kaplan, was a half-blind member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party.
3. Two of the three bullets fired hit Lenin's body, one in the left shoulder and the other in an artery supplying the brain.
4. Lenin recovered from the shooting but suffered from headaches, fainting, and insomnia in subsequent years.
5. In the spring of 1922, Lenin's health began to cause concern for those close to him, including Stalin, Kamenev, and Zinoviev.
6. Outstanding doctors from Germany and Sweden were sent to treat Lenin, led by the founder of world neurosurgery, Otfried Förster.
7. Guest surgeon Georg Klemperer linked Lenin's condition to the possible toxicity of lead bullets lodged in his body.
8. In April 1922, the bullet was removed from Lenin's neck, but the second one was left behind.
9. Lenin suffered a first stroke in May 1922, with temporary speech impairment, weakness, and nausea.
10. Only at the end of May 1922 did professor neuropathologist Vasily Kramer suspect a serious cerebral vascular disease.
11. Lenin was transported to the Gorki estate near Moscow to recover.
12. Lenin suffered a second stroke in December 1922 and did not actually govern the country from then on.
13. Doctors asked the Politburo to protect Lenin from political affairs as much as possible.
14. Stalin was entrusted with carrying out the instructions.
15. Lenin died on January 21, 1924, at the age of 53.
16. An autopsy was conducted on Lenin's body, which found visible and serious changes in his brain.
17. The autopsy protocol indicated that the left hemisphere of Lenin's brain was sunken in places and had a yellowish tint.
18. The carotid artery was rigid and had no lumen at all when cut.
19. The commission members explained the paralysis and speech impairment by softening of the brain tissue, which was very short of blood.
20. The official diagnosis was atherosclerosis, and the cause of death was circulatory disorders and cerebral hemorrhage.
21. Lenin's father, Ilya Ulyanov, died at about the same age and for the same reasons.
22. The autopsy was not conducted in a special institution in Moscow, but rather on the spot.
23. A chemical analysis of the stomach contents was not performed.
24. Rumors of poisoning appeared immediately after Lenin's death.
25. The left half of Lenin's brain was reportedly atrophied, but the validity of this statement is unclear.
26. In 1939, former Politburo member Leon Trotsky wrote an article stating that Lenin was poisoned by Stalin.
27. Trotsky's claim was not supported by evidence and was rejected by some American publishing houses.
28. Western experts suspected that Lenin was poisoned by the plant poison curare.
29. The bullets that were shot at Lenin on August 30, 1918, had cuts found on them, which could have been used to inject poison.
30. However, the poisonous protein curare is destroyed at high temperatures, making it unlikely to have been effective.
31. People's Commissar of Health Nikolai Semashko wrote that Lenin's wound did not have a direct impact on his cerebral vascular disease.
32. Soviet and Russian surgeon, academician Yuri Lopukhin, explained that scarring of tissue around the damaged carotid artery formed a blood clot in the circulatory system.
33. The thrombus had already blocked the lumen of the vessel by 80% three years before Lenin's death.
34. Another popular version of Lenin's death is that his brain hemorrhage was caused by syphilis.
35. German doctors suspected an unworthy disease as early as 1923 and prescribed a drug containing mercury and arsenic.
36. Lenin's contemporary and chief pathologist of Moscow, Ippolit Davydovsky, wrote that in 1924-25, syphilis affected at least 5% of the capital's population.
37. Although Soviet specialists did not identify any signs of a shameful disease, the Germans did not change Lenin's official diagnosis.
38. Rumors surrounding Lenin's death were aggravated by the fact that his doctors' diary was classified.
39. The diary, containing 410 typewritten pages, was classified for 75 years and then for another 25 years at the request of the leader's niece.
40. Today, access to the diary is still limited by the Federal Archive.
41. Lenin's body was embalmed and placed in a crypt near the Kremlin wall.
42. A special laboratory was opened to carry out work at the crypt, and scientists began re-embalming Lenin's body on March 26, 1924.
43. The body was injected with formaldehyde and then soaked in glycerin to stop decomposition and balance the moisture in the tissues.
44. According to the same recipe, every year and a half, Lenin's body is refreshed even now.