This account looks at the development of Lenin's ideas and political philosophy, and his part in the events of 1917 and the post-revolutionary chaos of civil war. Juxtaposing Lenin's life and career with the turbulent events which led to the establishment of the Soviet Union, the book focuses on the extent to which Lenin actually led or influenced events and the way he adapted ideas to the situation around him. As well as examining Lenin the thinker, revolutionary, politician and leader, this book reviews the changing interpretations of his life and work amongst both Soviet and Western historians.