Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union and first head of government, dies. He was the Marxist leader and theorist of the October Revolution of 1917. He was 53 years old and the cause of his death is a source of controversy. On January 27, millions of people took to the streets in Moscow with the cold of -30°C and snowfall. The objectives of the New Economic Policy for economic growth were met after his death. Stalin and Trotski were the main candidates for Lenin's place and predicted confrontation between them before death.