Did the 1917 Revolution make Vladimir Lenin rich RBTH Lenin spent much more than he was earning, but also adhered to an ascetic lifestyle. Before the Russian Revolution of 1917 made him the head of a new state, Lenin relied on odd jobs, publications - and even his mother for income. Things changed after the revolution, however. The ascetic leader The future leader of the Russian Revolution was never lavishly rich; he maintained the ascetic way of life, even after finding himself on the top of the political ladder of the country. Arriving in Moscow with his wife and younger sister in 1917, Lenin settled in the famous Hotel National right across from the Red Square. Although the hotel usually served as a harbor for high-ranking foreign dignitaries and politicians, its condition in 1917 - the turbulent year of the Russian Revolution - was far less luxurious than usual.