Inessa Armand is a revolutionary and Lenin's closest ally, famous for her feminist views and personal relationships with the leader of the world proletariat. She lived a vibrant, eventful life and died at the age of 46, in the prime of her political career.
Childhood and adolescence: the beginning of a biography
Elizabeth Pesche d'Erbanville (real name Inessa Armand) was born in 1874 in Paris, in a family of professional actors. Father, Theodore Stefan, was a comedian, mother, Natalie Wild, sang at the opera, and then taught vocals. In addition to Elizabeth, the family had 2 more daughters. The girls were orphaned early, their father died when the eldest was only 5 years old. Mother could not support a large family alone, it was decided that Elizabeth and Rene would move in with their aunt, a teacher of French and music in the family of a wealthy merchant Yevgeny Armand. So the future revolutionary ended up in Russia, which became her new homeland.
In a family of wealthy and progressive industrialists, young French women received an excellent upbringing. The sisters were fluent in languages: French, Russian and English, later they began to study German. The girls studied music intensively, played the piano. Elizabeth showed special talents, completely charming her new family.
At the age of 18, the girl was married to the eldest son and heir to capital - Alexander. Elizabeth acquired a new surname and came up with a short and sonorous name - Inessa. The young wife began to live the usual life of a rich bourgeois lady, but this role soon began to weigh on her.
Political career
Inessa began her journey into politics quite peacefully. After marriage, she organized a school for peasant children, joined a society dedicated to improving the lives of women and fighting prostitution.
Armand's ideas were supported by her husband's younger brother, Vladimir, who was fond of revolutionary ideas. He supplied a relative with literature, helped in the organization of schools and circles. Vladimir told Inessa about his namesake - the future leader of the revolution, Ulyanov-Lenin. Still not knowing this person personally, Inessa was imbued with his ideas and decided to become a member of the party he organized. The young woman wrote a letter to Ulyanov and soon received a detailed answer. After 2 years, Inessa and Vladimir Armand joined the ranks of the RSDLP.
A couple of revolutionaries actively took to work, engaging in agitation, printing proclamations and leaflets. The result was a quick arrest of Inessa, after the trial she was sent to a two-year exile in the town of Mezen. She managed to establish contacts with Lenin, and in 1908 fled to Switzerland with a forged passport. In Brussels, Inessa entered the university, at the same time her personal acquaintance with Lenin, who lived in exile, took place. Armand became her own man in the house and an irreplaceable helper. On the list of the daily duties of a young revolutionary:
- maintaining party documentation;
- participation in the search for funds and new sources of replenishment of the party fund;
- writing speeches and newspaper articles;
- drafting the texts of the proclamations;
- training of agitators.
The revolutionary returned to Russia in 1917, together with Lenin and Krupskaya. Inessa became the head of the provincial economic council, simultaneously speaking at numerous rallies. She was an excellent orator, able to ignite the masses and convey revolutionary ideas to them.
In 1919-1920. Armand was actively involved in the issues of the women's movement. She organized an international congress of women-communists, wrote and published articles on the emancipation of women and the formation of a new institution of an advanced Soviet family.
Personal life
Inessa got married early enough, in 1893. Her husband was the son of a merchant of the first guild, Alexander Alexandrovich Armand. The younger sister Rene also remained in the family, her husband became Alexander's brother, Nikolai.
Alexander was in love with his young wife, but she was not satisfied with her husband's too soft and weak-willed character. Despite this, the first years of marriage were calm. Married to Alexander Inessa lived for 9 years, but then drew attention to her husband's younger brother, Vladimir, who fully shared her political beliefs. This act was condemned by most of the relatives, the Armand family demonstratively stopped communicating with the too advanced daughter-in-law. At the same time, Alexander himself remained attached to his wife, the marriage was not officially dissolved.
In a marriage with her first husband, Inessa had 4 children:
- Alexander (1894-1967);
- Fedor (1896-1936);
- Inna (1998-1971);
- Barbara (1901-1987).
In the last marriage, another son appeared, Andrei (1903-1944). In revolutionary circles, Inessa was considered an exemplary mother, she and her children were bound by great mutual love. However, a large family did not interfere with personal life. Having buried Vladimir, who died of tuberculosis, Armand considered herself absolutely free, not bound by bourgeois prejudices. Inessa was convinced that a woman should not be bound by conventions, she has the right to seek personal happiness and unhindered satisfaction of sexual instincts along with men. In the first and second decades of the 20th century, such views were considered quite advanced and were widely supported by revolutionaries of both sexes.
Inessa Armand is considered not only one of the closest political associates of Vladimir Lenin, but also his intimate friend. It is known for sure that the couple had deep platonic feelings, which were not hindered by the wife of Ulyanov-Lenin, Nadezhda Krupskaya. An extensive correspondence has survived, on the basis of which many biographers draw a variety of conclusions. There is a version of a long relationship, the fruit of which was the birth of an illegitimate son, who was given to education abroad. However, many historians deny such rumors. It is precisely confirmed that Armand maintained excellent relations with Lenin's family until his death.
Inessa died at the age of 46 from transient cholera. By Lenin's personal decree, Armand was buried at the Kremlin wall, in the necropolis of revolutionaries. The image of this bright, unusual and controversial woman inspires writers and filmmakers; Armand's life story is described in films shot by Russian and French directors.
