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I was born in Simbirsk, Russian Empire, in 1870. My birth name was Vladimir Ulyanov.
Born into a middle-class family, I embraced socialist politics from a young age, serving a period of exile from Russia for my beliefs.
In 1917 I established Bolshevik control of Russia after the overthrow of the Tsar and Provisional Government, and in 1918 became the Head of State of the Soviet Union.
With the assistance of Leon Trotsky, I defeated the White counter-revolutionary forces in the Russian Civil War (1917-1922) but was forced to moderate Soviet polices to allow the country to recover the from effects of constant war.
I suffered a stroke in 1922, leading to a power struggle among my potential successors, and died in 1924.

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1908 – King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe are assassinated by Republican sympathizers in Lisbon.

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A short, sharp hit of history in video format. Acclaimed Irish playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde was the toast of London society in the 1890s until things came decidedly unstuck through an association with a young British aristocrat, Lord Alfred Douglas, known as ‘Bosie’.

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Who Am I?

I was born in Huanggang, China, in 1908.
After training as a soldier, I became a leader in the Chinese Communist Party
During the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) my leadership was pivotal in a string of Communist victories.
After the war I initially avoided politics, but later became minister of defence in 1959. In 1968 I replaced Liu Shaoqui (1898-1969) as the heir apparent to Mao Zedong (1893-1976).
In 1971, after a political struggle, I was killed in a plane crash in Mongolia while attempting to seek refuge in the USSR.

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Last week’s answer: Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

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“In Russia a man is a called reactionary if he objects to having his property stolen and his wife and children murdered.”

Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British statesman

Source: The Wicket Wit of Winston Churchill by Dominique Enright

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Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149BCE)

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