This is a nice complement to Robert Service’s biography of Lenin. It is not as exhaustive, particularly concerning the doctrinal differences that distinguished Lenin from all other socialists in Russia (and Europe) and which he pursued with unflagging zeal in the belief that his way was the only way to revolution, and as a means of separating himself from the broader and varied forms of socialism in play.
Rappaport focuses on Lenin’s sixteen years of exile all across Europe; her story ends with the October Revolution with only a postscript about Lenin’s death and the de-Leninization of eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Lenin’s temperament was marked early in his school days when the headmaster, Fedor Kerensky, noted that Lenin was “diligent, prompt, and reliable” and that while no criticism could be found, the Headmaster’s report did note that Lenin’s guiding light (he was 17 at the time) seemed to be “rational discipline” as well as a marked preference for solitude and a “certain unsociability”, traits that became hallmarks of Lenin’s life and career. Indeed, shortly afterwards in the book, Rappaport refers to Lenin’s “pathologically suspicious nature”.

Headmaster Kerensky (as Service noted) was the father of Alexander Kerensky who became the second Prime Minister in the Russian Provisional Government until it was overthrown by the October revolution. These kinds of historical links or ties or connections are interesting and sometimes fun and Rappaport brings a number of them out in her description of Lenin’s life in exile. She notes, for instance, contact with a range of writers and artists including people such as Stephan Zweig, and the tantalizing possibility that he might have crossed paths (because they were in the same place at the same time) with the likes of Joseph Conrad and James Joyce; there is even a moment when Lenin might have spoken to Alan Dulles if the latter had just taken a phone call in Bern. Rappaport does a good job of elaborating on the trials and tribulations of underground revolutionaries in Russia and the sometimes tenuous connection with the leader who spent the vast majority of his time outside of Russia and was often out of touch with developments and historical moments.

Like Service, Rappaport describes the all-consuming focus of Lenin on revolution, as defined, judged developed by him. She describes how, “In the interest of revolutionary change, no factionalism or infighting would be countenanced. Ulyanov demanded a slavish uniformity of thought and objectives from all his associates, sowing the seeds of later dissent and political rivalry. Iron discipline was necessary….” “Everything with Lenin boiled down to extremes—of being with him or against him”, in his “monomaniacal version of Marxism”.

Rappaport provides insight into various aspects of the ‘other’ Lenin: the man who loved the outdoors; who put a premium on physical health and could cycle and hike for hours while his life was also a cycle of physical and mental exhaustion; who loved gathering mushrooms; who was a good chess player but basically gave it up as a distraction from life dedicated to revolution; who enjoyed young children and played well and boisterously with them, regretting that he and Nadya never had a child; who disciplined himself for hours and hours in libraries and who produced a torrent of articles, books, pamphlets; who undoubtedly had an affair with Inessa Armand which Nadya was aware of but she nevertheless accepted Inessa moving in and out of their peripatetic lives. It is striking, as described by Rappaport of what abject poverty Lenin and Nadya often experienced living in various European cities. And, although this was totally suppressed by the Soviets, Rappaport does adduce hearsay evidence that Lenin was sexually active, in Paris, possibly with prostitutes. She echoes Service in the fairly firm speculation that Lenin’s final and protracted ill health, which confounded many doctors, was due to syphilis.

A final irony. A person who witnessed Lenin’s triumphant return to Russia in 1917 at the Finland Station in St.Petersburg, noted, “Just think, in the course of only a few days Russia had made the transition from the most brutal and cruel arbitrary rule to the freest country in the world.” I wonder if she survived repression by the Cheka in Lenin’s class wars or the purges under Stalin.

In general, I would say that this is a nice book. However, it is, at one level, a simple chronology of events. Unless you are a follower of Lenin, this book does not inspire. I would have liked some in depth research into Lenin's thinking, and this was a bit shallow.
Still, a good book to read anyway ( )

browsed, not read. This book addresses the time period that Lenin spent in exile before the Russian Revolution. Understanding how the exile impacted his political thoughts and motivations is an integral part in understanding the Bolshevik movement. . It was great to come across a book that focused on Lenin, and not just the communist rise in Russia as those two subjects are often conflated rather that viewed as two factors that lead to political uprising in Russia. This is a title that I would have really liked to have had available when I was a student. ( )

10 cent score