Background
Armand, Inessa was born on April 26, 1874 in Paris, daughter of an actor.
Armand, Inessa was born on April 26, 1874 in Paris, daughter of an actor.
Orphaned, brought up by an aunt (a governess with the factory-owning family of Armand) in Moscow. Married a son of the Armand family (4 children), later married his younger brother (1 child). Took part in the 1905 Revolution, connected with the SRs in Moscow.
Arrested and exiled. Emigrated to Paris, and met Lenin (who was a political exile) in 1909. The only romantic attachment of Lenin’s life, she remained close to him till her death. Lectured at the Longjumeau party school, translated Lenin’s works into French.
Returned secretly to Russia (on party business) in 1912, arrested, but soon released. During World War I lived in Switzerland. Bolshevik representative at Kienthal and Zimmerwald.
Returned with Lenin to Russia in 1917. After the October Revolution 1917, chairwoman of Moscow province Sovnarkhoz, active at the 2nd Congress of the Comintern, head of the women’s section of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, organizer of the 1st
Conference of International Women Communists on 1920 in Moscow.