How far had Lenin achieve him aims by the time of his death?

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1. Spellbound says

   Lenin's short term aims were:
   To give "all power to the soviets" – councils that had sprung up all over the country – the soviets organised a Supreme Soviet to co-ordinate their activities. By 1924 this was a success.
   To feed the cities as they were starving. – this was a success
   To give the peasants the land on which they worked. – this was a partial success as the Bolsheviks granted the land to rural soviets, not to the peasants themselves.
   To withdraw Russia from WWI. – Success

   The long term aims were:
   To replace the Provisional Government with a government of workers for the workers. Success
   To take all the means of production into the hands of the state. Partial Success, as the New Economic Policy allowed small businesses and farmers to continue to operate.
   And to As Russia had comparatively few workers they reasoned that until the country was predominantly urban then the workers should be led by professional Marxists who had developed "class-conciousness". Success.

   Under Lenin they set about reforming much of the country, from the structure of the army to the ownership of land.
   The main reforms were:
   Reformed the political system of the country – creating a socialist state.
   Reformed land ownership, previously the peasants held land from aristocratic landlords – Lenin gave the peasants the land.
   Industry. Factories were either owned by the state – like the huge armaments and textiles factories in Petrograd or owned by very rich (often aristocratic) men – Lenin nationalised industry, i.e. the state took ownership of the factories.

   The Civil War caused great hardship, especially in the cities – the Bolsheviks brought in the policy of War Communism. This was requisitioning grain from the peasants – often at gunpoint.
   When the Civil War was more or less over Lenin brought in a new policy to kick-start the economy – the New Economic Policy. This allowed small enterprises to open up and for people to sell goods on the open market.

   See:
   The Bolsheviks in Russian Society – Vladimir Brovkin
   Soviet Politics – Mary Macauley
   The Soviet Union 1917 – 1991 – Martin McCauley

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