PDF Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale in History

Review

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful. A bit of a disappointmentBy Max PrendergastHaving read the review in The Economist when this book was first published in the UK; I was eagerly anticipating the US edition. I had expected a lengthy description of the notorious 1917 rail trip; presumably with portraits of all the various characters who made the journey with Lenin. In fact; the journey occupies just 20 pages (pp. 147-168) out of nearly 300. In her introduction the author notes that; commendably; she made the effort to travel the exact same route as had Lenin; in order to experience it at first hand. Yet precious little of this is reflected in the text beyond a phrase or two to describe a few of the towns passed through.Actually; the book is a recap of Lenin's role in the Russian revolution from the eve of the First World War; through and immediately after his return to Russia. Yet there is little new that is added to this well-worn tale; and little insight offered into Lenin's psyche other then repeated references to his intractability and ferocious energy. Of insights into the circle of people around him there is even less.Perhaps the US edition cut some corners? In the acknowledgments the author rhapsodizes over the contributions of the person who produced the included photos and maps. Yet the maps are a very basic two (route of the journey; and street plan of Petrograd); and the photos are; alas; nothing special. The quality of the paper (often a bellwether of the degree of publisher interest) is poor as well.Well written; surely; but a bit of a disappointment nonetheless.11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Riding the Locomotive of HistoryBy David ShulmanOne hundred years ago this month V.I. Lenin boarded a train in Zurich that would take him through Germany; Sweden and Finland to ultimately arrive at Finland Station; Saint Petersburg; Russia. As history professor Catherine Merridale describes; Lenin arrives in city racked by three years of war and rapt in the chaos of a new revolutionary government struggling to govern and a Bolshevik Party torn between participating in governing and advocating another revolution.Merridale vividly describes the collapse of the Czarist regime at home and on the war front and Lenin’s life in exile in Switzerland. It is the German government who seizes upon the idea of transporting Lenin into Russia with the goal of fomenting a revolution that would take that country out of the war. The plot succeeds brilliantly. The go between was a Bolshevik/ speculator Alexander Helphand also known as Parvus; who is quite a character. With the deal orchestrated Lenin and his entourage occupy three rail cars as they travel through Germany and beyond. Although it was known as a “sealed train” it was far from sealed and passengers actually disembarked on occasion. It was quite a menagerie and the passengers included such luminaries as Karl Radek; Grigory Sokolnikov and Grigory Zinoviev. All three would later die in the Stalin purges of the 1930s.The interesting thing is that it was no secret. The Russian government knew; the British knew and the Bolsheviks knew that Lenin was coming. With his boisterous arrival he grabs the Bolshevik Party by the throat and with the force of his will he sets them on a revolutionary course. Lenin truly was the “plague bacillus” that Churchill described him as; because in his wake you can count the deaths in the tens of millions.Although the book is slow going at times; Merridale tells the story with great verve and you get a sense of the drama building as the locomotive of history goes on its journey through northern Europe.31 of 36 people found the following review helpful. Lenin issued first and second class passes to the toiletBy Lost JohnOne hundred years ago; Lenin was living in Zurich; apparently happily. Using the city’s public library; he read prodigiously and drafted ‘Imperialism: The highest stage of capitalism’.In February 1917; revolution rocked Petrograd; the Russian capital; and Tsar Nicholas abdicated. A Provisional Government was set up as an alliance between liberals and socialists.Lenin did not approve of the new governmental arrangements and was greatly frustrated by not being able to travel to Russia to take his part. The First World War was continuing and crossing German territory to reach Russia would be seen in Russia as a betrayal; a sign that he was secretly in league with the enemy. Britain would not provide him with safe passage as it was well known that he was strongly opposed to Russia’s continued participation in the ‘imperialist’ war.It was; however; his opposition to Russia’s involvement in the war that provided the key to his escape from Switzerland. Tentative enquiries and suggestions led to his acceptance of an offer of travel through Germany in the now-famous ‘sealed’ railway carriage. Germany hoped that Lenin’s influence in Petrograd would result in Russia abandoning the war; enabling Germany to transfer men and munitions from its Eastern Front to the West.The carriage was sealed on Lenin’s insistence; not the Germans’. He was desperately anxious that he should not be compromised by any contact with Germans. The carriage was given extra-territorial status. Two German guards travelled at the rear of the carriage; but a chalk line was drawn across the floor to separate them from Lenin and his fellow exiles.The chalk line was not the only farcical aspect. Another was the consequence of Lenin’s ban on smoking other than in the toilet. Long queues meant he had to issue first and second class passes to the toilet.Unfortunately; the intended ferry from Germany’s Baltic coast to Sweden was missed and a whole extra day was spent in Germany before the party could leave.Once clear of German territory; the party no longer needed to travel in isolation and they took an overnight express from Malmö to Stockholm. In Stockholm; they were able to wash; relax and eat in a good hotel. Lenin shopped for shoes and a suit in which he was much photographed over the following year or so.Catherine Merridale has taken great care in tracing Lenin’s precise route to Russia and in researching this book made the full journey herself. ‘I have yet to see a map that shows the route that Lenin really took;’ she writes. (That; presumably; was written before the creation of the excellent map included in her book.) ‘Most experts send him north along a line that was not even built in 1917; and at least one book – a classic that has been reprinted many times – gets the journey wrong by well over 1;000 miles.’Her route extends north in Sweden almost to the Arctic Circle; crossing the frozen River Torne to enter Finland. The railway did not cross the river; so Lenin crossed by sledge and on the other side commenced a new train journey through Finland.Lenin expected problems on reaching the Russian border; but instead was surprised by an enthusiastic reception party. It was a foretaste of the enormous welcome to come when the train finally reached Petrograd’s Finland Station.Merridale shatters more myths – in particular; the locomotive pulling that train was not number 293; preserved and displayed to this day at the Finland Station. Lenin travelled on a train hauled by 293 when he returned to Finland for a renewed exile from July to October 1917 – but it is true that the crowds at the Finland Station on that (Orthodox) Easter Monday numbered in the thousands. The reception and speeches continued far into the night.Besides detailing the journey; Merridale sketches-in developments between the February and October Revolutions and at times looks as far forward as the Brest-Litovsk agreement of March 1918; Russia’s exit from the war. She is much interested in Lenin’s political philosophy – almost all chapters are headed by a Lenin quotation – and from time to time quotes Trotsky and others.She also tackles the subject of finance provided by Germany. She thinks it was needlessly dishonest of Lenin to consistently deny the existence of German funding. Quite how it reached Petrograd is still shrouded in mystery; a contemporary German source indicates ‘various channels and under different labels’.In all; the book is an enlightening and not too taxing romp through the material.