Customer Reviews

Lenin's Private War: The Voyage of the Philosophy Steamer and the Exile of the Intelligentsia

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We should certainly be grateful to Ms. Chamberlain for making the story of the exile of some leading Russian philosophers on personal orders from Lenin in 1922 available to the English-speaking readership. (As Chamberlain makes clear, speaking of "philosophers" is a bit of stretch, since in addition to some actual philosophers -- people like Nicholas Berdyaev or Semyon Frank -- the group included mathematicians, historians, agronomists and representatives of a few other professions.) However, anyone who expected a more in-depth analysis of the ideas of the exiled non-Marxist thinkers will be dissapointed. The first third or so of the book, treating the bureauractic preparations for, and the execution of, the exile by the early Bolshevik secret-police apparatus, is the best. The middle chapters about the fates of the exiles in Berlin, Prague and Paris are not particularly innovative, and the author loses the main storyline by covering additional characters that were not part of the 1922 group exiled by Lenin, nor did they have any political or generational connections with it (e.g., Nabokov, Jakobson, Tsvetaeva). I thought the final chapter of the book, in which Chamberlain speculates about the legacy of the sort of the quasi-religious Russian "philosophy" for the contemporary world, was the weakest, though. Chamberlain tries to portray Berdyaev and his fellows as providing a valuable critical perspective on today's Western consumer societies. In fact, Berdyaev and other Russian idealists with their ramblings about the decadence of the West and the greatness of Russia fit rather well into the world-view promoted by the contemporary Russian government.

I was thrilled to see that someone had written about this little-known incident from the days when Lenin labored to consolidate his power in what would become the Soviet Union. In the end, what I got was a good, scholarly presentation that left me wanting more. The author does a good job, in the early going, of introducing us to some of the major players, but that's all we're left with -- introductions. I came away feeling I didn't know any of these people as well as I would have liked. Perhaps the source material isn't yet available to make that possible; possibily the fact that the book touches on so many individuals precluded it, but I felt disappointed in the end. I also felt the final chapter, where the author attempts to explain where the philosophies of these exiled parted ways from Lenin was a waste of time. I'm hopeful another author will take up the subject, but this is definite a good start.

A book that helps one better understand the havoc created among the Russian intelligentsia by the Bolsheviks after the overthrow of the czar.

Ms. Chamberlain traces the expulsion by Lenin of some of the best thinkers in Russia and uses their often sorry fates (many go to Berlin or Prague, in short time to become victims of Hitler) to help explain the various strands of philosophical thinking that were such a threat to the world view of the new autocrat, the Communist Party.

It is clear to the author that Stalin was a product of Lenin's thinking, not an aberration.

Readers, who make the effort, will learn much that will help them understand the deep divisions within present day Russia. Conflicting views on the essence (spiritual and political) of Russia, that were present in the early 1920s and long before, have reemerged since the thankful crash in the 1980s of Lenin's deadly party.

This is a very interesting book, but probably not the last word on the topic. Leslie Chamberlain has collected a some very interesting stories regarding the opening salvo of the Bolsheviks against the intelligensia. The problem with the book is that there is a lack of context, both in terms of the individuals and the greater historical context. It is a worthwhile book, nonetheless.

The first problem I encountered with this book is that despite being interested in things Russian for about 37 years, I had never really heard of most of the academics Lenin selected for exile in 1922. It was not clear what they had done to provoke Lenin's ire. Several Google queries later and it was clear that most of these philosphers were ex-Marxists/Socialists who had moved away from the Revisionist school to a more metaphysical view of both history and the needs of Russian society. There were also agricultural experts, historians, and followers of the great Leo Tolstoy. All of these represented an alterantive future path for Russia had the Bolshevik grab for power had somehow been foiled. It is tempting to ponder the fate of these individuals had Kolchak or one of the other white generals defeated the reds. Rather a life in exile, they might have led Russia to a more prosperous, less bloody 20th century. Although it is unlikely that Russia would have developed into a full-scale democracy, something more pragmatic than communism might have been possible.

The other problem with this book is that Chamberlain gives insufficient attention to the uniqueness of Russia's history. It is not just a matter of revolutions historically being led from above, like Peter the Great's. No, it is that Russia's encounter with the west came via the Byzantine empire, vice the Roman empire like most of the rest of Europe. As a result when the west went through the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, Russia was still in the Middle Ages and retained elements of this period such as serfdom through the 19th century. When Russia became open to ideas from the west, it was after the death of Nicholas I when Hegal and Marx were in full flower of influence. This had one of two impacts on members of intelligensia, it either reconfirmed Russian exceptionalism (which is what happened to most of the people Lenin exiled) or it was embraced with far more vigor than was ever mustered in the west. Outside a second rate provicial philosophy department in a third rate university, no one paid greater lip service to Marx than the Bolsheviks. This probably is the greatest flaw of this book. As a story of what happened to the Russia of the exiles, this is an outstanding attempt.

Books like the one that Leslie Chamberlain has written are always interesting, particularly now. After the fall of communism in Russia, history can be reclaimed again and Russians can turn their attention to these long forgotten figures as they attempt to chart a new future for themselves.

I bought this book because the topic sounded interesting, but was quickly disappointed after I started reading it. I made it through about 60 pages, then jumped around a bit to see if the writing style improved... when this proved fruitless I decided to cut my losses and move on to something else.

Not only is the text rife with spelling and grammatical errors, but the author is constantly editorializing and inserting her own personal opinions and personal attacks on various Soviet era officials. Now, without regards to the merits of communism, this is simply not how a scholarly non-fiction work should be written. This book may be appropriate for an anti-communist pamphlet, but if you're interested in any sort objective discussion of who was expelled, when, and why... you may want to look elsewhere. No, you SHOULD look elsewhere.

As if the almost epic number of spelling and grammatical errors aren't bad enough, the sloppy organization of the narrative creates an insurmountable obstacle to comprehending the historical period covered. Ms. Chamberlain frequently jumps around; one chapter covers various pre-revolutionary and early soviet periods in Russia, jumping back and forth between dates and events, leaving the reader thoroughly confused as to exactly what happened to various members of the Russian intelligentsia.

The writing never improves or follows any sort of timeline, leaving the entire book a jumble of persons, places, and events set amidst the background of early 20th century Russia.

Chamberlain recounts the voyage of a luckier part of the Russian intelligentsia - in that they lived. This is the tale of their forcible exile by Lenin and Stalin in 1922, to "cleanse" Russia of "undesireables." A valuable portrait of the intellectual community whose loss would cost Russia dearly for decades. Later cleansings were, of course, less humane. (Reviewed in Russian Life)