Born: 10 February 1890, Ukraine
Died: 3 September 1918
Country most active: Russia
Also known as: Fanny Kaplan, Фанни Ефимовна Каплан, Feiga Haimovna Roytblat; Фейга Хаимовна Ройтблат
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
In 1918, Fanny Kaplan (Feiga Haimovna Roytblat), a Russian revolutionary, shot and seriously injured Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Party and the future leader of the Soviet Union.
Being part of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, Kaplan regarded Lenin as a “revolutionary traitor.” This sentiment arose as the Bolsheviks established single-party governance and banned her party.
The assassination attempt on Lenin prompted the Bolsheviks to respond with a period of intense political repression known as the Red Terror.
During her trial, she said,
“I am Fanya Kaplan. Today, I assassinated Lenin, acting independently. I won’t disclose the source of my revolver or provide specific details. My determination to end Lenin’s life was long-standing; I viewed him as a betrayer of the Revolution. Following my involvement in a plot to assassinate a Tsarist official in Kiev, I was exiled to Akatuy and subjected to 11 years of rigorous labor. The Revolution led to my release. I supported the Constituent Assembly then and continue to uphold it.”
Kaplan pointed to the increasing authoritarianism of the Bolsheviks, highlighting their use of force to close down the Constituent Assembly in January 1918—a contest they had lost. With Kaplan refusing to reveal any collaborators, she faced execution in Alexander Garden on September 3, 1918.