Death of Vladimir I. Lenin is considered in the context of the transition to a peaceful stage of development of early Soviet society. This event was used for propaganda purposes, allowed to consolidate the divided society and ensure the transfer of power in the party leadership. The attitude to the death of the country’s leader, whose cult began to form during his lifetime, is a significant political marker for every citizen. Public opinion in general and the assessment of individual citizens were the object of attention of the political police, since they allowed ’friend-or-foe’ identification of a citizen. Information reports of the OGPU allow not only to analyse public opinion, but also to identify the most acute problems of this period of national history.