No amount of political freedom will satisfy the hungry masses.

Despite remaining an orthodox Marxist he had begun to accept the Social Revolutionary Party's views on the revolutionary power of the Russian peasantry penning a pamphlet in 1903 entitled To the Village Poor. In 1896–97 strikes hit St. At first Lenin disbelieved such political fickleness especially that the Germans had voted for war credits; the Social Democrats' war-authorising votes broke Lenin's mainstream connection with the Second International (1889–1916).

Faced with the threat of German invasion he argued that Russia should immediately sign a peace treaty—which led to Russia's exit from the First World War. Following the February Revolution of 1917 in which the Tsar was overthrown and a provisional government took power he returned home. Briefly attending the University of Kazan he was ejected for his involvement in anti-Tsarist protests devoting the following years to gaining a law degree and to radical politics becoming a Marxist.