Take a photo of a barcode or cover
11 reviews for:
Lenin on the Train: The Journey that Changed the Course of History
Catherine Merridale
3.6 AVERAGE
11 reviews for:
Lenin on the Train: The Journey that Changed the Course of History
Catherine Merridale
3.6 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Fascinating background to Lenin’s journey back to Russia by sealed train in the spring of 1917. The actual journey did not take up as much of the book as I thought it would and the book seemed to peter out once Lenin was back in Russia without going forward to the October Revolution as I was expecting. The final chapter about the fate of Lenin’s travelling companions and the ambiguous way he is viewed in Russia today was particularly interesting but I did feel there was a gap where the October Revolution should have been. An interesting read.
Short book that does an excellent job of setting out the complex web of national and international political manoeuvring around the October revolution.
A wonderful short and popular reading of the story of 1917, centred around Lenin's journey across Europe to return to Russia from Switzerland so that he could participate in the revolution. Merridale's work is well sourced and heavy on small details which bring the story alive, if perhaps a little light on historical context. If you know the basics then that won't be a problem, although I can imagine it causing some confusion for someone coming to the subject cold.
Having given us an introduction on the February revolution before Lenin's journey, and a little afterwards covering Lenin's activity after arriving, it does feel a little odd that Merridale doesn't then carry the story forward to at least the basics of the October revolution and Lenin's seizure of power. As such it feels almost like it stops in "mid air".
Merridale does cover some of the subsequent stories of the main protaganists, and it is this that helps her draw out the horror of the subsequent communist regime with the fate under Stalin of those who accompanied Lenin on his journey.
A corking read, something to get the general reader interested in the more detailed history of the revolution and very appropriate to the 100th anniversary.
Having given us an introduction on the February revolution before Lenin's journey, and a little afterwards covering Lenin's activity after arriving, it does feel a little odd that Merridale doesn't then carry the story forward to at least the basics of the October revolution and Lenin's seizure of power. As such it feels almost like it stops in "mid air".
Merridale does cover some of the subsequent stories of the main protaganists, and it is this that helps her draw out the horror of the subsequent communist regime with the fate under Stalin of those who accompanied Lenin on his journey.
A corking read, something to get the general reader interested in the more detailed history of the revolution and very appropriate to the 100th anniversary.
First I want to give kudos to Catherine Merridale for the sheer dedication of following and researching Lenin's journey from Switzerland to Russia so meticulously, she provided such an intimate level of detail that it gave a real feeling to the account that you don't usually get from history books.
The background accounts of the revolution itself aren't really anything new, but Merridale draws everything together neatly so it doesn't feel too tedious even if you're familiar with the events already. I was particularly interested in the account of Germany's role in the fall of the Russian Empire and how that fed into the whole perfect storm that was 1917.
All in all a well researched and interesting book, would definitely recommend to anyone interested in 20th century Russian history. The writing style is, by non-fiction standards, fairly easy to consume as well making this a pleasantly quick read.
The background accounts of the revolution itself aren't really anything new, but Merridale draws everything together neatly so it doesn't feel too tedious even if you're familiar with the events already. I was particularly interested in the account of Germany's role in the fall of the Russian Empire and how that fed into the whole perfect storm that was 1917.
All in all a well researched and interesting book, would definitely recommend to anyone interested in 20th century Russian history. The writing style is, by non-fiction standards, fairly easy to consume as well making this a pleasantly quick read.
I am the walrus
An interesting if occasionally superficial look at a fascinating moment in world history. An episode that points to the role of contingency in the operation of history- far removed from all the guff about the Marxist impersonal forces operating the levers. The only niggle is the aloofness that Merridale occasionally indulges in which reduces some of the individuals into buffoonish figures of fun. That said the tragedy that was to come is succinctly summarized.
An interesting if occasionally superficial look at a fascinating moment in world history. An episode that points to the role of contingency in the operation of history- far removed from all the guff about the Marxist impersonal forces operating the levers. The only niggle is the aloofness that Merridale occasionally indulges in which reduces some of the individuals into buffoonish figures of fun. That said the tragedy that was to come is succinctly summarized.
What a misleading title! This book consists of eleven chapters and TWO of them are about "Lenin on the Train". Everything else is prologue or epilogue. But surely it finishes with October Revolution, right? Well, no. Merridale runs out of steam in August, and them jumps ahead to talk about Lenin's legacy.
What I was hoping was to find was some insight into Lenin the man, but all I got was more of the crummy myth. The book was not entirely without merit, however. The chapter entitled "Gold" was intriguing but didn't really shed any new light on how the Revolution was financed. It DID paint a good picture of the chaos that reigned in Petrograd between February 1917 and Octo, I mean August 1917.
Sorry, but I can't recommend.
What I was hoping was to find was some insight into Lenin the man, but all I got was more of the crummy myth. The book was not entirely without merit, however. The chapter entitled "Gold" was intriguing but didn't really shed any new light on how the Revolution was financed. It DID paint a good picture of the chaos that reigned in Petrograd between February 1917 and Octo, I mean August 1917.
Sorry, but I can't recommend.
One hundred years ago Vladimir Lenin took a train from Switzerland to Petrograd (St. Petersburg). It was nearly impossible to get through Germany because of the war, but the Germans let him through. They figured he could both upset Russian politics and get Russia out of the war. Catherine Merridale's new book Lenin on the Train details the trip and the intrigue it involved. Her message goes well beyond that particular moment in time.
"The history of Lenin's train is not exclusively the property of the Soviets. In part, it is a parable about great-power intrigue, and one rule is that great powers almost always get things wrong" (p. 9). The irony for Germany is that helping Lenin ultimately made life for Germans far worse in the long run. People (including inside Russia) constantly underestimated Lenin and were not too concerned about the political ramifications of his return. His opponents figured they could just accuse him of collusion with Germany. The book ends before the October Revolution and so we just see him poised to take power. Germany's decision to let him through facilitate that.
Along the same lines, "the quick-thinking servants of the world's great powers still proffer plans to intervene, to jostle, scheme, and sponsor factions that they barely understand" (p. 270). And for Merridale, this means destroying hope for democracy in the Russian case, but elsewhere too.
From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2017/06/review-of-merridales-lenin-on-train.html
"The history of Lenin's train is not exclusively the property of the Soviets. In part, it is a parable about great-power intrigue, and one rule is that great powers almost always get things wrong" (p. 9). The irony for Germany is that helping Lenin ultimately made life for Germans far worse in the long run. People (including inside Russia) constantly underestimated Lenin and were not too concerned about the political ramifications of his return. His opponents figured they could just accuse him of collusion with Germany. The book ends before the October Revolution and so we just see him poised to take power. Germany's decision to let him through facilitate that.
Along the same lines, "the quick-thinking servants of the world's great powers still proffer plans to intervene, to jostle, scheme, and sponsor factions that they barely understand" (p. 270). And for Merridale, this means destroying hope for democracy in the Russian case, but elsewhere too.
From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2017/06/review-of-merridales-lenin-on-train.html
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced