Lenin on the Train

January 16, 2017
British journalist Merridale (Red Fortress) recounts the background of what may have been the most consequential train ride in history, as Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (aka Lenin) traveled in a sealed German car that slowly made its way from Switzerland to Petrograd’s Finland Station in April 1917 and began fomenting what would become the Bolshevik Revolution later that year. Tracing the trip’s progression and its immediate consequences, Merridale looks closely at German efforts to knock Russia out of WWI as well as Bolshevik agitation in Russia and Western Europe. She also mostly debunks the notion that Lenin received large amounts of gold from the Germans, showing that he accepted only modest German subsidies. Merridale examines the machinations of such lesser-known figures as Parvus (Alexander Helphand), Lenin’s occasional ally and rival, and how Alexander Kerensky’s provisional government sank itself by continuing to fight the Germans in WWI, which strengthened Lenin’s hand in resolutely opposing the many Bolsheviks who favored forming a government with the more moderate, prowar Mensheviks. Unfortunately, Merridale’s account of the immediate postrevolution period peters out in her discussion of Lenin’s “death-cult,” as embodied in the Moscow mausoleum that contained his embalmed corpse, and brief address of Stalin’s crimes and their aftermath. Merridale’s rushed and weak ending detracts from what is otherwise a colorful, suspenseful, and well-documented narrative.

Recounting perhaps the most famous train ride in history, this audiobook tells the story of Vladimir Lenin's return to Russia from exile in Zurich. Once home, he became the leader of the Russian Revolution in 1917, which changed the world then and still impacts us now. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the event and gives us a chance to weigh its importance. Narrator Gordon Griffin's bright timbre and lively British accent enhance this history by moving the story along at a brisk pace. He reads expressively, emphasizes key words, and effectively dabbles in characters. He even telegraphs the anger or frustration various people feel as the proceedings unfold. The result is a retelling of the story that a new generation can learn from. R.I.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine