Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Vladimir Lenin
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The development of the Communist Party in Russia is a central theme in twentieth century world history. Understanding who actually organised and led the revolutionary party that overthrew the tsarist system is essential for exams on the Russian Revolution. Many names are associated with communism, such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky, but they played different roles and belonged to different countries and time periods. This question focuses on identifying the Russian revolutionary who is regarded as the founder and main organiser of the Communist Party in Russia that later led the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Karl Marx was a German philosopher and economist whose ideas formed the theoretical foundation of communism, but he never lived in Russia nor organised a Russian party. Vladimir Lenin, however, was a Russian revolutionary who transformed Marxist ideas into a concrete revolutionary organisation inside the Russian Empire. He led the Bolshevik faction, shaped its programme, strategy, and discipline, and turned it into a tightly organised party capable of seizing power in October 1917. Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky were important Bolshevik leaders, yet they joined and worked within a party already built and led by Lenin. Therefore, the correct answer is the leader most directly connected with founding and organising the Russian Communist Party: Vladimir Lenin.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that the question specifies a Russian revolutionary who founded and led the Communist Party in Russia.
Step 2: Recall that Karl Marx lived in the nineteenth century and developed communist theory but did not lead a Russian party.
Step 3: Remember that Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks, the faction that became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Step 4: Recognise that Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky rose to prominence after Lenin had already organised the party.
Step 5: Conclude that Vladimir Lenin best matches the description in the question.
Verification / Alternative check:
History textbooks on the Russian Revolution consistently describe Lenin as the leader of the Bolshevik faction and the central organiser of the party that seized power in 1917. Biographies of Stalin and Trotsky stress that they were influential commanders and political figures inside a movement shaped by Lenin. Works on Marx emphasise his role as a theorist, not as the founder of a specific Russian party. This cross checking confirms that Lenin is the correct answer to the question about the founder of the Russian Communist Party in practice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Karl Marx provided the ideological basis for communism but never organised a Russian revolutionary party, so attributing the founding of the Russian Communist Party directly to him is inaccurate. Joseph Stalin became the dominant leader of the Soviet Union after Lenin died, but he did not establish the party and initially worked under Lenin. Leon Trotsky was a key revolutionary and military leader, especially during the Civil War, yet he joined the Bolsheviks later and did not found the party. Thus, all three alternatives represent important figures, but they do not match the specific role of founding and organising the Russian Communist Party.
Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse the creator of communist ideology with the practical founder of a specific party. This leads some to select Karl Marx simply because his name is strongly linked with communism. Others may over emphasise Stalin due to his later power in the Soviet Union, forgetting that he built his career inside a party already created by Lenin. A clear distinction between theory and organisational leadership, and between early and later phases of the revolution, helps avoid these mistakes.
Final Answer:
The Russian revolutionary who founded and organised the Communist Party in Russia and later led the Bolshevik Revolution was Vladimir Lenin.
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