Lenin's Family

The exact date of this episode is unknown. We've filled in the date above with a placeholder. What we actually have on record is: 1963-uu-uu.

Told in the words of his parents, this biographical sketch describes the early life of Vladimir Lenin and his family. The story begins with a background on, Ilya and Maria Ulyanova, Lenin's highly educated parents, and IIya's reactions on first meeting her, "She was very good looking with regular features; intelligent, expressive eyes; and a placid friendly face...great moral strength, restraint and integrity could be sensed in her whole person."

The family then moved to the Simbirsk province where his father worked as an education administrator. He is quoted describing the town and their daily life. Then Maria recounts the fatal brain hemorrhage that claimed the life of IIya at age 55 and the lasting influence he had on their lives.

Maria's story focuses next on the eldest brother Aleksandr Ulyanov, who was arrested and executed for an attempted assassination of Alexander III. The story then shifts to Lenin and his early Academic career. After being expelled from Kazan State University for his role in student protests, Lenin sought a law degree in Saint Petersburg and was later exiled for sedition along with his youngest brother. The story concludes with Lenin's publication of "The Development of Capitalism in Russia."

[Most likely recorded in 1963]

Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection

WNYC archives id: 150308
Municipal archives id: T4082