The book is a synoptic yet informative biographical account of the life of Vladimir Ilyick Ulyanov, one of the foremost revolutionary leaders of the twentieth century. Commonly known as Lenin, he was the founder of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), usually referred to as the Soviet Union.

This work highlights Lenin's early life, his family background, growing up in Tsarist Russia, his education, and an array of factors that caused him to embrace the doctrine of Communism, as well as his emergence as a revolutionary leader. The intrigue and conditions of his life in exile, his dramatic return to Russia and the elements and events which led to Lenin's rise to power during the infamous October Revolution of 1917, described as the "shots heard around the world," are treated in correlation with the European history of that period.

The book includes a useful Index and Table of Contents, numerous photographs, and an extensive chronology of events in Lenin's life from 1875-1924.