In October 1917 Vladimir Lenin oversaw the October Revolution in Petrograd Russia. It was a seismic political shift that changed the face of the world as we know it. It was arguably responsible for the outcome of the second world war, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the rise and fall of many despots and villains from the tip of Chile to the Hearts of Africa and Asia.
He oversaw the Red Terror, a campaign of political repression and executions that solidified the communist party’s rule. He was seen by many in Russia as a heroic socialist working tirelessly for the people. Others saw him as a tyrant and state executioner.
Lenin’s legacy
When he died in 1924, there were waves of public emotion. A wooden mausoleum was erected to display his body which was visited by thousands of people, circling in the bitter cold. He had wanted to be buried and his wife was desperate to fulfil his wish. However, the Soviet authorities had different ideas. 56 days after he died, they commissioned a group of scientists to ensure that Lenin’s remains could exist in perpetuity as a mummy and monument to Soviet ideals.
First, they removed his internal organs and replaced his blood with embalming fluid. Then he was steeped in a preservative solution for 6 months to slowly replace the water in his cells. His brain was removed to be dissected, in the hope of uncovering the secrets to his success (instead they found massive amounts of sclerosis, a serious and debilitating build-up of plaque in the brain). Eventually, his body was placed into a concrete bunker, covered in marble where it has lain for nearly 100 years – immaculately kept in stasis, in an artificially controlled environment, with temperature and humidity maintained to prevent decay.
However, no amount of control can prevent bacterial and fungal growth entirely. Every few days, the secretive team of scientists check the body. Every 18 months, the Lenin’s Mummy is moved to the laboratory underneath the mausoleum and re-embalmed. They replace damaged tissue with artificial tissue, whiten any dark spots and ensure the joints continue to work. Most ominously, they test new techniques on unidentified bodies kept in the lab specifically for this purpose.
The good news is that you can be mummified too. Several other leaders have been embalmed in the same way including Kim Jung il and Ho Chi Minh. Both remain chilling intheir respective mausoleums. Not everyone is so fortunate. Agostinho Neto, the first premier of Angola was initially embalmed. However, for some reason, his upkeep was abondoned. He was eventually buried in 1992, 13 years after he died.
Non-linear war
The upkeep of Lenin’s body has cost millions of roubles. Political leaders from Gorbachev to Putin have steered clear of the issue politically, stating that Lenin will finally be buried as he wished when the Russian people are ready.
For some, the upkeep of the body represents something much greater happening in Russia. Up until February 2020, a man named Vladislav Surkov was one of Putin’s right-hand men. He spent 3 years studying theatre direction before graduating with a master’s in economics. He soon shot through the ranks of the Russian Federation.
He’s a fascinating man and caused several stirs with his various essays. His most recent, regarding Ukraine, led to his downfall. Journalist Adam Curtis suggests that Surkov’s ability to meld theatre with politics created a powerful force that meant no one could create any meaningful opposition to Putin and his regime. Surkov would sponsor neo-Nazis. He would sponsor liberal groups. He would sponsor feminists and radicals and moderates. And as a final flourish, he would tell journalists and commentators and critics that this was exactly what he’d done. The technique was part of a wider concept he described as “non-linear war” and was designed to keep any opposition completely off-guard and bewildered, guessing at what was actually going on. This meant that the Party could operate unmolested in the shadows. Combined with an oppressive approach to law and order and a regular scapegoating of minorities, the spectacle provided a petri-dish for unbridled tyranny.
But can such a regime last forever? In much the same way as Lenin’s mummy, it requires a carefully controlled environment to maintain. It requires significant investment to continue the charade, hide the decay and replace any bits falling off with a fake veneer. It needs hidden processes, buried deep underground and covered in cold concrete and marble.
There will be a time to bury Lenin but he will likely be buried in a very different kind of Russia. In the meantime, Lenin’s mummy’s the word.
To learn more about saving democracy, try Timothy Snyder’s book called “On Tyranny” which is available here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/on-tyranny/timothy-snyder/9781847924889
For more Smarticles on tyranny and democracy try 5 Lessons to Help Save Democracy here: https://smarticlesdotcom.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/5-lessons-to-help-save-democracy
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