Lenin on the Train - Hardcover

Inhaltsangabe

One of The Economist's Best Books of the Year

A gripping, meticulously researched account of Lenins fateful 1917 rail journey from Zurich to Petrograd, where he ignited the Russian Revolution and forever changed the world

In April 1917, as the Russian Tsar Nicholas IIs abdication sent shockwaves across war-torn Europe, the future leader of the Bolshevik revolution Vladimir Lenin was far away, exiled in Zurich. When the news reached him, Lenin immediately resolved to return to Petrograd and lead the revolt. But to get there, he would have to cross Germany, which meant accepting help from the deadliest of Russias adversaries. Millions of Russians at home were suffering as a result of German aggression, and to accept German aidor even safe passagewould be to betray his homeland. Germany, for its part, saw an opportunity to further destabilize Russia by allowing Lenin and his small group of revolutionaries to return.

Now, in Lenin on the Train, drawing on a dazzling array of sources and never-before-seen archival material, renowned historian Catherine Merridale provides a riveting, nuanced account of this enormously consequential journeythe train ride that changed the worldas well as the underground conspiracy and subterfuge that went into making it happen. Writing with the same insight and formidable intelligence that distinguished her earlier works, she brings to life a world of counter-espionage and intrigue, wartime desperation, illicit finance, and misguided utopianism.

When Lenin arrived in Petrograds now-famous Finland Station, he delivered an explosive address to the impassioned crowds. Simple and extreme, the text of this speech has been compared to such momentous documents as Constantines edict of Milan and Martin Luthers ninety-five theses. It was the moment when the Russian revolution became Soviet, the genesis of a system of tyranny and faith that changed the course of Russias history forever and transformed the international political climate.

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