Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was perhaps the greatest revolutionary of the 20th century. As stated by historian J. Arch Getty, 'Lenin deserves a lot of credit for the notion that the meek can inherit the earth, that there can be a political movement based on social justice and equality.' Putting this belief into practice, Leninism was the application of Marxist ideas that led the 1917 fight for liberation and political independence among the working classes in Russia. Now Paul Le Blanc weighs in on the fierce controversy surrounding Lenin's life, personality and ideas.