After German reunification, the district council of Friedrichshain voted for its removal despite demonstrations and petitions from neighborhood residents and preservationists.

[1] The demolition process began in November 1991, and by February 1992 the monument was completely dismantled and its fragments buried on the outskirts of Berlin.

[4] Local artists objected to the choice of Tomsky to complete the commission, drawing comparisons between the monumental style he specialized in and Nazi-era aesthetics.

Within a month, the city council of Berlin removed the statue from the list of officially protected monuments, clearing the way for demolition.

[1] Supporters of the monument included art students, town planners, preservationists, local residents, and left-wing political parties.

They argued that the statue should be preserved as a reminder of history, and that the removal of the monument without input from the community was an authoritarian overreach by the government.

[1] Those in favor of removing the monument criticized the historical legacy of Lenin and characterized the statue’s demolition as a continuation of the revolution of 1989.