Sound UbuWeb

Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) What Is Soviet Power? Political speech, 1919-20, 2'31" Voice – Lenin Recording – 1919-20 Lenin, pseudonym of Vladimir Ilich Ulianov (b. Simbirsk 1870 - d. Moscow 1924), revolutionary leader and head of the Bolshevik party, was the first head of state of the Soviet Union and the founder of the ideology known as Leninism. He famously said that "communism is soviet power plus the electrification of the entire country". While he was in power, initiatives were pursued by the artistic avant-garde relating art to technological innovation and revolutionary social function. In this original recording, Lenin speaks of the fact that most countries misunderstand the new power of the Soviets: while private property remains in the state, the minority will govern, but now Soviet power, the way found by the mass of the workers, is correct and invincible. Lenin was to lead the Soviet Union for a very short time. He died of a stroke in 1924. RELATED RESOURCES: Russian Futurists from the GLM Collection (1920-1959) Sound Experiments in The Russian Avant-Garde (1908-1942)