Vladimir Lenin
Lenin was born in April, 1870. He
was expelled from the University he attended when he was older because of his
radical views. After World War 2, Russia was exhausted from the war effort.
Stalin was a communist philosopher and believer in the ideas of Karl Marx. He
helped reshape Russia by applying communist ideals to everyday life. He was
seen as a cruel leader, and he did not believe in individual liberties. He
introduced the New Economic Policy to Russia, which continued after his death.
He survived an assassination attempt, but his health was never the same and
eventually he suffered a stroke from which he never recovered. He died on
January 24th, 1924. The statue of Lenin in Berlin was seen by Easterners as a
part of their history. The statue was destroyed on November 13th, 1991, where
the head was first removed from the body. It was then broken up into 129
different pieces and buried under sand. In 2009 the head was dug up and put on
display in a museum.
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl, who was the Chancellor
of Germany when the Berlin Wall fell, is considered to be the architect of
German unification. Many foreign countries were afraid of a strong German
nation, because they had already witnessed the horror left behind after World
War 2. However, Helmut wanted Germany to be part of the world again, and he
wanted to prove they could remain peaceful. He also is believed to be one of
the key players in ending the Cold War, before the wall fell. On October 3rd
1990, thanks to his efforts, both sides of Germany were united once again. His
rule was tainted by whispers of corruption, when a serious financial scandal
came to light. He was forced to resign from his position.
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