Today In History: April 16 1917

On this date, Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia to take the reins of the Russian revolution. Although exiled in Siberia and Europe for his revolutionary activities, Vladimir Lenin was able to strengthen his Bolshevik Party through his oratory and literary skill. With Russia plunged into chaos by World War I and the abdication of Tsar Nicolás II, Lenin left Switzerland and crossed German enemy lines to reach St. Petersburg on April 16, 1917. Seven months later, under the leadership of Lenin, the Bolsheviks took power in Russia. He oversaw the creation of the Soviet Union and ruled the first Communist State in the world until his death in 1924.