Talk:Inessa Armand

Affair?
As was said almost four years ago (see below), the Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya article says that Armand was Lenin's mistress and presents this as a fact. Why, then, does this article make no mention of it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.100.91.85 (talk) 00:10, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

Old talk
In the article Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya it states that Armand had an affair with Lenin (and not even a rumor or possibility, but just as a fact). It's not mentioned here, and if true it certainly should be, n'est-ce pas? One of the articles, either this one or Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya, is wrong. Herostratus 17:35, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

This one. Though, before any additions, exact, reliable sources should be sought to cite. As a start, R.C.Elwood's book "Inessa Armand: Revolutionary and Feminist", Robert Service's "Lenin: A biography" , Michael Pearson's "Inessa - Lenin's Mistress" (, citing also Armand's letter to Lenin), and Dmitri Volkogonov's "Lenin: A New Biography" should suffice. --Oop 22:37, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

The article misses several important points. Overall quality of the article is low, not suitable for Wikipedia. References not provided, biography is rather "foggy" the way it is explained. Below are some points clearly lacking in the article:

1. Theodore Stephane and Natahalie Wild are not French names. Is anything known who her parents were, what are the origins?

2. Who was the aunt that helped her out in Moscow after father’s death? Is anything known about the aunt, what did she do in Russia, the occupation?

3. What is known about the husband Armand’s involvements in the activities of the Social Democratic Labor Party? Did her husband know about her illegal activities?

4. No connections mentioned with Helphand (Parvus) and his involvement in the organization of Lenin’s and other’s transportation to Russia.

5. After the Revolution, according to the author of this article, Innessa served as an executive member of Moscow Soviet. What does it mean to be an executive of Moscow Soviet?

6. Under what circumstances did she die?

If not backed up by different references and w/o clarifying the points mentioned above, I think the article should be deleted. Vahan Senekerimyan 00:41, 23 October 2006 (UTC)


 * I don't think it should be deleted, it's better than nothing. Expanded, yes. AllenHansen (talk) 09:13, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

French?
She was born in France but spent most of her time in Russia. Should she just be treated as Russian?--Jack Upland (talk) 23:11, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

a defender of women's rights
Millions of Soviet women died as the result of the revolution. a defender.Xx236 (talk) 11:57, 19 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Well that's that settled then! Normandy was a mistake, as so many people died as a result of it. Perfect! 176.72.134.103 (talk) 13:28, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Recent tweak regarding her relationship with Lenin

 * Since the recent opening of Soviet archives, it has been proved beyond doubt by people like Elwood that a sexual relationship between Lenin and Armand existed (with more or less acceptance and even approval from Krupskaia), and I don't know anyone argues against this today. Sure, they were lovers and friends and comrades at the same time, but why must the 'lovers' part be deleted? I do not like over dramatization of politicians' private relationships, but if we try to be too polite, one day "a very close friend" will become a slang term too. The love affair was important, since it was Inessa Armand who provided Lenin and his political ideals with the best support when he needed it the most. There were other strong personalities who could have covered Lenin's weaknesses, had they chosen to do so, like Trotsky or Kollontai, but they were just comrades. Armand was a direct, honest and idealistic woman who was willing to bear the greater risk in a partnership. Kruspkaia understood that their big project needed the effort of all three of them, so she accepted that. It was not that Kruspkaia did not feel hurt personally or both she and Armand were just obedient tools. Although it is allegedly a woman thing, heads of movements and countries have used their consorts ( formal or informal) like this since forever (sometimes, it is possible that the two people are just best friends - say, without his best friend Marcellus who knew him since childhood, Augustus would not have been martial enough for a Roman emperor. Just compare him with all the notable ones)Deamonpen (talk) 04:57, 2 March 2019 (UTC)