Apart from being one of the most influential leaders in world history, Lenin is also especially significant for Kazan and Tatarstan.
Kazan University donned Lenin’s name in its official title for 84 years. In 1887, he enrolled in our university to study law, but was expelled only three months later after joining a historical student protest on 4th December.
During the roundtable, special attention was paid to Lenin’s role in the establishment of Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1920 (this year marks its 100th anniversary). As Associate Professor Chulpan Samatova noted, the right of people to self-determination was an essential part of the first Soviet Constituion (1918). It was Lenin who insisted on creating ‘separate federations of free nations’ as the core of Soviet Russia. The Constitution Commission adopted this formula.
Another interesting part is popularizing Lenin’s heritage places in Kazan, something that was shed light on by Associate Professor Askar Gatin. Lenin’s heritage played a vital role as a tourist attraction during Soviet years, and there is a definite revival of interest in the city’s history today. It’s wise to use Lenin-related landmarks to speak about the most important events in our history, said Gatin.
Kazan Federal University, of course, preserves Lenin’s heritage with full attention. Among the related objects are his monument in front of the Main Building, Lenin Memorial Classroom, bas-relief of the Order of Lenin on the facade of the Main Building, and many others.
Many participants of the roundtable praised Lenin’s insights into political and economic problems and emphasized how his thinking was pertinent for contemporary social issues. Contributions were made by scholars of law, philosophy, sociology, economics, political science, and history.
Source text: Alina Iskanderova
Translation: Yury Nurmeev