If anybody inspired Lenin, it was his elder siblings, not his parents. Both Lenin's sister, Anna, and brother, Alexander, were involved in revolutionary ideals. Alexander was especially keen to put an end to the despotic reign of the Tsars.¹⁾

Lenin is credited with coining the term “Bolshevik.” The term was coined in 1903 during a conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. Lenin and Julius Martov found themselves on opposing sides of a debate. To put it simply, Lenin believed that a strong leader required total control over the party, but Martov believed that individual members should have more freedom. Because Lenin's camp outweighed Martov's in this dispute, Lenin termed his followers “majoritarians,” which translates to “bol'sheviki” or Bolsheviks. Meanwhile, Martov asserted his authority by naming his party the “minoritarians,” or the Mensheviks. ²⁾

Lenin's first profession after finishing his education was as a lawyer in St. Petersburg. ³⁾