Lenin on the Train

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.

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