History proves countless times that any political leader who stays in power for a long time and promotes radical coups, revolutions and changes sooner or later becomes the target of assassination attempts by opponents who do not agree with the chosen course. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - the world famous, legendary leader of the revolution, was no exception, like Hitler, Stalin, Pinochet and other odious historical figures. His life was repeatedly encroached upon by those who did not agree with the chosen political course and the way it was implemented.
What is Kaplan famous for?
The assassination attempt on Lenin, which took place in 1918, although unsuccessful, received wide publicity. This incident is described in many history books, and as the main culprit, a certain Ms. Kaplan, a 28-year-old terrorist, is indicated there. Her unsuccessful attempt on Lenin led to the fact that the girl was caught and executed 3 days after the incident. But many historians doubt that Kaplan was able to invent and organize everything on her own. To date, the circle of thosewho probably could have been involved in the assassination attempt is very expanded. At the same time, the very personality of Fani Kaplan is of great interest to both professional historians and ordinary people.
Lenin: short biography
The man who became the leader of the revolutionary movement and created by his political activity a powerful support, thanks to which the revolution of 1917 was carried out in Russia, was born in 1870. He was born in the city of Simbirsk. His older brother, Alexander, was opposed to the tsarist regime. In 1987, he participated in an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Alexander III. This fact greatly influenced Vladimir's future political position.
After graduating from a local school, Ulyanov-Lenin decided to enter the Faculty of Law at Kazan University. It was there that his active social activity began. He strongly supports the People's Will circle, which at that time was officially banned by the authorities. Student Volodya Lenin also becomes an active participant in any student unrest. A brief biography testifies: studying at the university ends with the fact that he is expelled without the rights of recovery and assigned the status of “unreliable person” that was widespread at that time.
The stage of formation of a political idea
After being expelled from the university, he returns to Kazan. In 1888 Ulyanov-Lenin became a member of one of the Marxist circles. His political consciousness is finally formed after studying the works of Engels, Plekhanov and Marx.
Impressed by the works studied,Lenin, who saw revolution as the only possible way to put an end to the tsarist regime, is gradually changing his political views. From clearly populist, they become social democratic.
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov begins to develop his own political model of the state, which will eventually become known as Leninism. Approximately during this period, he begins to actively prepare for the revolution and is looking for single-minded people and assistants in carrying out a coup d'état. Between 1893 and 1895 he actively publishes his scientific works, in which he describes the need for a new, socialist order.
The young activist unfolds powerful activities against the tsarist autocracy, for which 1897 is sent into exile for a year. Despite all the prohibitions and restrictions, while serving his sentence, he continues his activities. While in exile, Ulyanov officially signs with his common-law wife, Krupskaya.
Revolutionary period
In 1898, the landmark first congress of the Social Democrats took place. This meeting was held in secret. It was led by Lenin, and despite the fact that only 9 people took part in it, it is believed that it was he who initiated the changes in the country. Thanks to this first congress, almost 20 years later, the revolution of 1917 took place in Russia.
In the period 1905-1907, when the first mass attempt to overthrow the tsar was carried out, Ulyanov was in Switzerland, but from there he collaborated with Russian revolutionaries. For a short time he evenmanaged to return to St. Petersburg and led the revolutionaries. At the end of 1905, Vladimir Ilyich ended up in Finland, where he met Stalin.
Rise to power
The next time Lenin returned to Russia only in the fateful year 1917. He immediately becomes the leader of the next outbreak of the uprising. After the long-awaited coup d'état has taken place, all power to govern the country passes into the hands of Ulyanov and his Bolshevik Party.
Because the king was eliminated, the country needed a new government. They became the Council of People's Commissars, which Lenin successfully headed. Having come to power, he naturally begins to carry out reforms that were very painful for some. Among them is the NEP, the replacement of Christianity with a new, unified "faith" - communism. He created the Red Army, which participated in the Civil War until 1921.
The first steps of the new government were often harsh and repressive. The civil war that broke out against this background continued almost until 1922. It was scary and really bloody. Opponents and those who disagreed with the advent of Soviet power understood that it would not be possible to simply get rid of such a leader as Vladimir Ilyich, and began to prepare an assassination attempt on Lenin.
Series of failed attempts
Attempts to remove Ulyanov from power by force were made repeatedly. In the period from 1918 to 1919 and in subsequent years, V. I. Lenin was tried to be killed several times. The first assassination attempt took place shortly after the Bolsheviksgot power, namely 1918-01-01. On this day, at about half past seven in the evening, they tried to shoot the car in which Ulyanov was driving.
By chance, Lenin was not alone on this trip. He was accompanied by Maria Ulyanova, as well as a well-known representative of the Swiss Social Democrats - Fritz Platten. This serious attempt on Lenin turned out to be unsuccessful, because after the first shot was fired, Platten bent Vladimir Ilyich's head with his hand. At the same time, Fritz himself was wounded, and the leader of the Soviet revolution was absolutely not injured. Despite a long search for the perpetrators, the terrorists were never found. Only many years later, a certain I. Shakhovskoy admitted that he acted as the organizer of this assassination attempt. Being in exile at that moment, he financed the terrorist attack and allocated a colossal amount for that time - almost half a million rubles.
Failed coup
After the establishment of the power of the Soviets, it became clear to all opponents that the new regime could not be overthrown as long as its main ideologist, Lenin, was alive. The assassination attempt in 1918, organized by the Union of Knights of St. George, failed before it even started. On one of the January days, a man named Spiridonov turned to the Council of People's Commissars, who introduced himself as one of the Knights of St. George. He said that his organization had entrusted him with a special mission - to hunt down and kill Lenin. According to the soldier, he was promised 20,000 rubles for this.
After interrogating Spiridonov, security officers found outthe location of the central apartment of the Union of Knights of St. George and visited it with a search. Revolvers and explosives were found there, and thanks to this fact, the veracity of Spiridonov's words is beyond doubt.
Attempt to rob the chief
Speaking of numerous attempts on Ulyanov's life, it is necessary to recall one strange incident that happened to Vladimir Ilyich in 1919. The official details of this story were kept at the Lubyanka in case No. 240266, and it was strictly forbidden to disclose its details. Among the people, this event became known as the robbery of Lenin, and many facts in it are still not entirely clear. There are several versions of what exactly happened that evening. In the winter of 1919, Lenin, accompanied by his sister and driver, was on his way to Sokolniki. According to one version, there, in the hospital, was his wife, who suffered from an incurable disease at that time - autoimmune thyroiditis. Just in time for her in the hospital, Lenin was heading on January 19.
According to another version, he went to Sokolniki to the children's Christmas tree to congratulate the children on Christmas Eve. At the same time, it may seem strange that the main ideologist of Soviet communism and atheism decided to congratulate children on Christmas, moreover, on January 19th. But many biographers explain this confusion by the fact that a year earlier, Russia switched to the Gregorian calendar, and all dates were shifted by 13 days. Therefore, Lenin went to the Christmas tree, in fact, not on the 19th, but on the 6th, on Christmas Eve.
The car with the leader was driving to Sokolniki and when armed people suddenly tried to stop himgangster appearance, none of those present in the car had any doubts that another attempt was being made on Lenin. For this reason, the driver - S. Gil - tried not to stop and slip through the armed criminals. Ironically, Vladimir Ilyich, being at that time absolutely confident in his authority and that ordinary bandits would not dare to touch him, having learned that Lenin himself was in front of them, ordered the driver to stop.
Ilyich was forcibly pulled out of the cab of the car, pointing two pistols at him, the robbers took away his wallet, ID and Browning. Then they ordered the driver to leave the car, got into the car and left. Despite the fact that Lenin gave them his last name, because of the loudly working carburetor in the car, the bandits did not hear him. They thought that in front of them was some businessman Levin. The robbers came to their senses only with time, when they began to examine the seized documents.
A certain thieves' authority Yakov Koshelkov led a gang of bandits. That evening, the company planned to rob a large mansion and an apartment on the Arbat. To accomplish their plan, the gang needed a car, and they decided to just go out into the street, catch the first car they met and steal it. It so happened that they were the first on their way to meet Vladimir Ilyich's car.
Only after the robbery, after carefully reading the stolen documents, they realized who was robbed, and since a little time had passed after the incident, they decided to return. There was a version that Koshelkov, realizing that Lenin was in front of him,wanted to come back and kill him. According to another version, the bandit wanted to take the leader hostage in order to later exchange him for his fellow prisoners who were in the Butyrka prison. But these plans were not destined to come true. In a short time, Lenin and the driver reached the local Soviet on foot, informed the Cheka about the incident, and in a matter of minutes security was brought to Vladimir Ilyich. Koshelkov was captured on June 21, 1919. During the detention, he was wounded by a carbine and soon died.
Legendary Kaplan
The most famous assassination attempt on Lenin, the date of which falls on 1918-30-08, occurred after his speech at the Michelson Moscow plant. Three gunshots were fired, and this time the bullets hit Ilyich. According to the official version, well-aimed shots were made by Fani Kaplan, who is called nothing more than a “Socialist-Revolutionary terrorist.”
This assassination attempt made many people worry about Lenin's life, as the injuries he received were really serious. History remembered Kaplan as a terrorist who shot the leader. But today, when the biography of Lenin and his entourage has been carefully studied, many facts from the history of that assassination seem strange. The question arises as to whether Kaplan really fired.
Brief historical background
This girl was born in Ukraine in the Volyn region in 1890. Her father worked as a teacher in a Jewish school, and until the age of 16, her daughter bore his last name - Roydman. He was a deeply religious man, very tolerant of power and could not think that oneof his daughters will someday choose the path of terror.
Kaplan's parents emigrated to America after a certain time, and she changed her last name, and then began to use someone else's passport. Left unattended, the girl joins the anarchists and begins to participate in the revolutionary struggle. Most often, she was engaged in the transportation of thematic literature. In addition, young Kaplan had to transport more serious things, for example, bombs. During one of these trips, she was detained by the tsarist secret police, and since at that moment Fanny was a minor, instead of being shot, she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Considering Kaplan as the main person in the assassination attempt on Lenin, it is important to note the fact that the girl had very serious vision problems (which would later make many researchers doubt whether well-aimed shots could have been fired by the hand of a half-blind, short-sighted woman). According to one of the existing versions, she began to lose her sight after she suffered from the explosion of a homemade bomb, which she made with her common-law husband in an underground apartment. According to another version, Fanny began to go blind as a result of a head wound she received before her arrest. The problem with the eyes was so serious that Kaplan, serving hard labor, even wanted to commit suicide.
After an unexpected amnesty in 1917, she received a long-awaited freedom and went to one of the Crimean sanatoriums to improve her he alth, and then went to an operation in Kharkov. After that, allegedly her vision was restored.
While in exile, Fanny became very close to the SRs serving their sentences. Gradually, her views changed to social democratic. She took the news of the October coup critically, and further actions of the Bolsheviks led her to disappointment. Later, testifying under investigation, Kaplan will say that the idea to kill Lenin as a traitor to the revolution visited her in the Crimea.
Back in Moscow, she meets with the Social Revolutionaries and discusses with them the possibility of an assassination attempt.
Strange attempt
On the fateful day of August 30, 1918, M. Uritsky, chairman of the Cheka, was killed in Petrograd. Lenin was one of the first to be informed of this, he was strongly advised to abandon his planned speech at the Michelson plant. But he ignored this warning and went to the workers with a speech without any guards.
After completing his speech, Lenin was heading towards the car, when suddenly three shots were fired from the crowd. In the ensuing chaos, Kaplan was detained as someone in the crowd shouted that she had fired.
The woman was arrested, and at first she denied her involvement in the incident, and then, during another interrogation in the Cheka, she suddenly confessed. During a short investigation, she did not hand over any of the possible accomplices and claimed that she had arranged the assassination attempt on her own.
Great suspicions are caused by the fact that, apart from Fanny's own confession, there is no longer a single witness who would have seen that it was she who shot. At the time of the arrest, she also did not have a weapon with her. Only after 5days, the pistol was brought to the Cheka by one of the workers of the plant, who allegedly found it in the factory yard. The bullets were removed from Lenin's body not immediately, but several years later. It was then that it turned out that their caliber did not quite match the type of pistol taken as evidence. The main witness in this case, the driver of Ilyich, at first said that he saw a woman's hand shoot, but during the investigation he changed his testimony about 5 times. Kaplan herself admitted that she fired at about 20:00, but at the same time, the Pravda newspaper published information that the assassination attempt on the leader was committed at 21:00. The driver said that the attempt took place at approximately 23:00.
These and other inaccuracies make many today think that in fact this legendary assassination attempt was staged by the Bolsheviks themselves. The summer of 1918 was characterized by a noticeable crisis, and the authorities were losing their precarious prestige. Such an attempt on the leader made it possible to unleash a bloody terror against the Socialist-Revolutionaries, while starting the Civil War.
Kaplan was executed very quickly, she was shot on September 3, and Lenin lived safely until 1924.
