Lenin on the Train

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A gripping, meticulously researched account of Lenin's pivotal rail journey from Zurich to Petrograd, where he ignited the Russian Revolution and altered the course of history. In April 1917, following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, Lenin, then exiled in Zurich, resolved to return to Petrograd to lead the revolt. This journey required crossing Germany, necessitating assistance from one of Russia's fiercest adversaries. Germany saw a chance to destabilize Russia further by facilitating Lenin's return with a small group of revolutionaries. Renowned historian Catherine Merridale draws on a rich array of sources and previously unseen archival material to provide a nuanced narrative of this consequential journey—the train ride that changed the world. She explores the underground conspiracy and subterfuge that enabled it, revealing a world of counter-espionage, wartime desperation, illicit finance, and misguided utopianism. This moment marked the transformation of the Russian Revolution into a Soviet regime, laying the foundation for a system of tyranny and faith that would forever alter Russia's history and the global political landscape.