To the Finland Station

"To the Finland Station: A Study in the Writing and Acting of History" is the most famous book by the American critic and historian Edmund Wilson. Published in 1940, the work presents the history of revolutionary thought and the birth of socialism, from the French Revolution through the collaboration of Marx and Engels to the arrival of Lenin at the Finland Station in St. Petersburg in 1917.

tructure

The book is divided into three sections.

The first deals mostly with Michelet and then proceeds to talk about the "Decline of Revolutionary Tradition" with focus on Renan, Taine, and Anatole France

The second section deals mostly with Karl Marx. It starts with the "Origins of Socialism" with focus on Babeuf, Saint-Simon, Fourier, Owen, Enfantin and the "American Socialists." It then turns to focus on the development of Karl Marx along with Friedrich Engels. As competitors to Karl Marx it focuses on Lassalle and Bakúnin.

The third Section deals mostly with Lenin and Trotsky.

Critical reception

Wilson has admitted that he relied exclusively on publications controlled by the Party for his portrait of Lenin.

The final section on Lenin, derived from official hagiographies of the Soviet leader, has been criticised as demonstrating signs of Wilson being a 'fellow traveller',

References