August 30th: Today in 1918 disillusioned revolutionary Fanya Kaplan attempted to assassinate Lenin, wounding him severely. Kaplan was a passionate believer in revolution who believed that Bolsheviks and Soviets had usurped the government. Many believe that the wounds Lenin suffered, and his failure to seek effective treatment due to paranoia led to his later strokes. Fanya’s attempt was used as a justification to purge the ‘enemies of the state’ in the Red Terror, a precursor to Stalin’s purges.

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