Lenin, born as Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, was born on April 10, 1870 in the Volga town of Simbirsk. He was the third child of Ilya Nikolaievich Ulyanov and Maria Alexandrovna Blank Ulyanov. His father, Ilya, was employed as an educator and director to the school system of the province of Simbirsk. His mother was a refined woman of Volga German ancestry and the daughter of a prominent physician. Vladimir had two brother Alexander and Dmitri as well as three sisters, Anna, Olga, and Maria. The family environment consisted of "an atmosphere of idealism and cosmopolitan culture." .
The simple, carefree family life did not last long however. In 1886, Ilya Nikolaievich Ulyanov died suddenly while Vladimir was only sixteen years old. The very next year Alexander, the oldest child, became involved in a plot to assassinate the Tsar Alexander III. He was subsequently found out and arrested. As punishment, he was sent to the gallows with four other conspirators. His sister Anna, who was present at the time of his arrest, was banished to a small town named Kokuchkino. These events began Vladimir's antigovernment activities at the University of Kazan. These activities eventually led to him being expelled and like his sister banished to Kokuchkino.
His banishment did not last long. In the fall of 1888, clemency measures released him and his sister and the entire family moved to Kazan. Because the University of Kazan refused to readmit Vladimir, he was forced to continue his studies on his own. He utilized this time to study Marxist writings such as The Communist Manifesto as well as his general studies. In 1891, he was allowed to take the final law school exams at the University of St. Petersburg and placed first in his class.
Eventually, Vladimir settled in St. Petersburg where he registered for the bar as well as continued his efforts in opposition to not only the Tsarist government, but also the Narodniki, who were part of the Social Revolutionary Party which was also opposed to the Tsarist government for decades.
