 | |
| Author | Joseph Stalin |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Last Capitalist |
| Translator | Vladimir Putin, Georgy Malenkov, Deng Xiaoping |
| Cover artist | Vladimir Lenin |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian, English, Chinese |
| Series | Soviet Chronicles |
| Genre | Propaganda |
| Publisher | Stalingrad Book Factory |
Publication date | 1977 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 476 |
| ISBN | 971-550-201-6 |
| OCLC | 45356 |
| 899.211'4 | |
| LC Class | PL6058.4 1977 |
| Preceded by | Canal de la Stalina |
| Followed by | Stalin's death in 1979. |
Lenin is the third and final chapter of the Soviet Chronicles series. It mainly deals with Mikhail Gorbachev exiled in Turkey, trying to garner NATO support to install democracy in the Soviet Union.
The novel ends in a sweeping world revolution encompassing all Western countries, turning them into socialist governments. Writer Joseph Stalin was criticized for this decision, with many saying it is too unrealistic. However, Stalin defended his work until his death two years later.
The book, while originally written in Russian, was translated into English by Vladimir Putin and Georgy Malenkov. Upon translator Mao Zedong's death in 1977, Deng Xiaoping translated the rest into Chinese.
Title and Setting edit
The title takes itself from Vladimir Lenin, the first Soviet leader and an important character within the book. The novel takes place immediately after the events of Canal de la Stalina. The setting is quite varied, including places all over Europe from Istanbul to Leningrad to Paris.
Plot edit
Part I. Evasion edit
Mikhail Gorbachev, exiled in Turkey, finds out what happened to his friends in Trotskygrad. Outraged, he swears to install democracy in the Soviet Union, with himself as president.
Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin holds a conference with Red Army leader Mikhail Kalinin, discussing the problem of Gorbachev. Kalinin recommends sending a small team of spies to report on Gorbachev's actions. Stalin agrees and a team is formed under Dmitry Medvedev. To replace the disgraced NKVD, he creates the KGB.
In Turkey, Gorbachev recruits Boris Yeltsin to join his cause. Bumbling and foolish, Yeltsin acts as a detriment to Gorbachev's plans. In an attempt to gain a dialogue with NATO, he visits the American embassy in Istanbul, but is thrown out, accused of being a Soviet spy.
Meanwhile, the actual Soviet spies in Istanbul attempt to track down Gorbachev. Medvedev recruits Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to spy on Gorbachev so as not to attract attention.
Gorbachev decides to stay in the Hagia Sofia. He decides to gain NATO support elsewhere, and he charters a boat for Venice. Atatürk finds out about Gorbachev's plans. A minaret of the Hagia Sofia collapses on Gorbachev, however he manages to escape. The Soviet spies, unsuccessful in their attempt, book a plane to Venice.
Due to the damage done to the Hagia Sofia, the Turkish government decides to crack down on Soviet espionage. NATO forces are stationed near Istanbul, and American nuclear missiles are put on high alert. Gorbachev attempts to escape, but Yeltsin trips over a pier and falls into the Bosporus Strait. Gorbachev is forced to call the Turkish Coast Guard. Yeltsin is saved, but they are promptly thrown in jail as Soviet spies.
The team of Soviet spies also attempt to escape Turkey. With their cover blown, they attempt to escape to Venice, but are blocked by Turkish president Ismet Inonu, who demands their identifications are checked. The two sides argue for a while, but things become heated to a point where Atatürk shoots Inonu. Inonu falls to the ground, dead, as the Turkish police attempts to apprehend the spy team. However, they escape to Venice, leaving Atatürk behind. The new Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has Atatürk executed for crimes against the nation.
Gorbachev and Yeltsin manage to escape from jail in the wake of the Turkish government's complete collapse. Erdogan orders all Soviet citizens in the country to be put into concentration camps for the 'greater good' of Turkey. Nevertheless, Gorbachev and Yeltsin make it to Venice.
In Venice, Gorbachev and Yeltsin decide to continue on to Rome, as they could convince politicians there to attack the Soviet Union to install democracy. The house he is staying in sinks into the water due to an explosion. They escape the Soviet trap and escape via gondola.
Back in the Soviet Union, Stalin is worried. His spies have not been successful, and Medvedev's reports have become worrying. He asks CPSU member Vladimir Lenin for advice on what to do. Lenin says the Soviets must depose of Gorbachev through a war. Stalin promptly has Lenin demoted.
Part II. Invasion edit
Gorbachev and Yeltsin make it to Rome, where a diplomatic meeting is being held. They pose as the Brazilian delegation, with Gorbachev taking on the name of 'Jair Bolsonaro'. Yeltsin takes on the name of 'Michel Temer'. The delegation recommends NATO to take action against the Soviets, however, they are ignored.
The delegation proceeds to the Colosseum where a vote is held. The Brazilian and Turkish delegations are the only one that vote for a war with the Soviets. An enraged Bolsonaro storms off.
The Soviet spy team sets off a bomb in the Colosseum, severely damaging the structure. Gorbachev and Yeltsin, having left earlier, is spared the damage. An enraged Italian prime minister calls on NATO to attack the Warsaw Pact.
Gorbachev, realizing the danger he is in, attempts to flee to the United States, but all flights have been canceled. He decides to travel overland to France instead. The Soviets also prepare to follow Gorbachev.
Joseph Stalin, unamused by the spy team's antics, has Medvedev fired, with the war-mongering Vladimir Lenin as a replacement. He warns Lenin not to do anything reckless, or he will send him to the Gulag. However Medvedev defects and joins Gorbachev.
Both Gorbachev and the Soviets reach Pisa in northern Italy. The Leaning Tower of Pisa collapses onto Gorbachev's team, killing Medvedev and severely wounding Gorbachev. Yeltsin attempts to call an ambulance, but he winds up calling a local pizza place. An exasperated Gorbachev calls for help himself.
Stalin holds a conference with the Soviet Politburo in Leningrad. He announces that the Union is in severe danger due to the antics of Lenin's team. The Politburo holds a vote, 26-28 in favor of Lenin's immediate firing. However, Stalin suffers a stroke that leaves him unconscious.
Lenin, who doesn't know of the events in Leningrad, chases Gorbachev and Yeltsin across Northern Italy, finally reaching the Alps. In an attempt to shake them off, Gorbachev decides to summit Mount Blanc. The Soviet team uses a helicopter, but it is unable to start, and Gorbachev escapes to France.
With Stalin's health in critical condition, Mikhail Kalinin takes over as the acting leader of the Soviet Union. He censors the press, refusing to reveal any details about Stalin. Further complicating things is the fact that two Red Army generals, Semyon Timoshenko and Semyon Budyonny, have decided to plot against him, wanting to rule for themselves. Kalinin himself states that 'The Soviet Union is in its most dangerous position since the Great Patriotic War'.
The NATO countries have finally had enough of the Soviet bombings. American president Eisenhower calls on all NATO members to attack the Warsaw Pact. In response, France leaves NATO, sending shock waves throughout Europe.
Gorbachev and Yeltsin reach Paris, but the international situation makes further travel impossible. Lenin's team is warned by Kalinin not to destroy anything at a critical time. They decide to settle on a armed attack on Gorbachev at the Arc de Triomphe.
In the Soviet Union, Kalinin appoints Ivan Konev as Defense Minister. Timoshenko and Budyonny attempt to assassinate Kalinin, however Kalinin overpowers Budyonny, sending Timoshenko fleeing. He tries to escape, but he is purged by the KGB.
NATO forces invade the Warsaw Pact, sparking World War III. They are met with swift resistance, both domestically and on the front. The NATO advance is halted by Konev's Red Army and the East German Army at Magdeburg. The Spetznaz is formed by Konev to oversee the front.
In Paris, anti-NATO sentiment grows, with some advocating for communism. The French Government unbans the Communist Party of France, and some believe that a second French Revolution is imminent, worrying Gorbachev. Yeltsin manages to blow their cover to the Soviets, resulting in a shootout occurring at the Champs-Elysees.
With the NATO advance halted, Konev and the Spetznaz counterattack, leading to a full NATO defeat. NATO forces are pushed back to the Rhine in West Germany. NATO forces in Western Europe consist of only two million men, the French exit considerably hampering their military. Despite this, Eisenhower decides not to use nuclear missiles. The British do the same.
Following the shootout, Gorbachev leaves Yeltsin at the Eiffel Tower, telling him he will return. However, Gorbachev abandons him instead, and decides to escape to the United Kingdom through the English Channel. He decides to travel to Calais to charter a ferry. Yeltsin is caught by the Soviets, who throw him off the Eiffel Tower. This horrific scene ends in the French banning the Communist Party again, citing communist aggression. Support for revolution grows.
With NATO forces defeated in Western Europe, senior commanders try a different approach. They attack through the Turkish border, taking the Soviets by surprise. In only a week, NATO forces reach Tbilisi in the Georgian SSR. Konev immediately sends reinforcements to the southern front, and NATO is stopped at the decisive Battle of Novorossiysk.
Stalin wakes up from a coma and discovers what has happened. He takes over as Soviet Premier despite Kalinin's objections. NATO prepares a new offensive, this time aimed at Stalingrad.
In France, the Louvre, where French President Charles de Gaulle is staying, is stormed by communists. de Gaulle and his cabinet are put in prison, while the French Commune is declared, with Maurice Thorez as leader. Posters are put up, declaring that the Paris Commune has finally been resurrected. However, some areas refuse to acknowledge communist rule, leading to armed clashes. Lenin's team escape to Soviet-controlled Stuttgart.
The Second Revolution is bad news for Gorbachev, as Calais falls under communist rule. The Soviets send an order to the French Commune, saying that Gorbachev needs to be hunted down. Gorbachev is caught at Dunkirk, near the Belgian border. A show trial is held, and Gorbachev is executed by guillotine.
Part III. Revolution edit
The NATO offensive on Stalingrad falls short. The Red Army manages to defeat the NATO forces at Elista, the largest tank battle of the war. NATO begins retreating from the Caucasus, with morale decreasing both at home and at the front. To make matters worse, the French Commune joins the Warsaw Pact, declaring war on NATO.
President Eisenhower is assassinated. The United States collapses. California, Texas and New England secede, while the rump state withdraws from NATO. The rump American state is led by the anti-communist Joseph McCarthy, who bans communism, and orders communists to be rounded up and deported.
A Warsaw Pact offensive in the Low Countries cuts off the remaining NATO armies trapped at the wast bank of the Rhine. The remaining forces there retreat to Cologne, and brutal urban fighting begins.
In the United Kingdom, Scotland secedes. When British Prime Minister Anthony Eden attempts to attack, the army defects to communist partisans. Northern Ireland joins Ireland, which withdraws from NATO. A week later, a communist coup occurs in Ireland, making it a communist state.
The NATO armies in Cologne finally surrender after a month of fighting. This signals the defeat of NATO forces in Western Europe. The Red Army invades NATO countries Norway and Denmark. who soon fall. Communist governments are installed in the occupied territories. Germany is reunified under a communist government.
In the south, the Red Army invades Turkey. Erdogan is deposed, and a communist state is installed. Greece falls soon after. Italy is invaded and a communist state is proclaimed. A communist revolution occurs in Portugal, which joins the Warsaw Pact.
In the UK, things go from bad to worse when Wales secedes. A popular communist revolution starts, and Prime Minister Eden is deposed. A socialist state is proclaimed in England.
The colonies of many former empires are given independence as communist states. The French colonial empire is dismantled, as well as the British empire, the Portuguese colonial empire, the Belgian colonial empire, and the Dutch one. All of the new countries become communist.
What is left of NATO dissolves soon after. Canada elects a communist government. The Warsaw Pact is reformed into the Moscow Pact. Nationalist Spain is invaded, and a communist state is installed. Spain's colonies gain independence under communism.
In Moscow, Stalin celebrates the events, which he names the Great World Revolution. He bestows the Order of Lenin to Konev. Kalinin is put in charge of being an ambassador to the new communist states. Lenin is promoted back to a high-ranking position in the CPSU. The sun shines on a grateful world.