It was in the Three Johns pub in Islington, London in 1903, that Vladimir Lenin and

Leon Trotsky allegedly met with other exiles of the Zaris regime to push for a violent Russian

revolution, an end to the monarchy. In that same pub, over 100 years later, I

met up with the historian and author Sir Sir Anthony Beaver, to talk about this history

and his new book, Russia, Revolution, and Civil War, 1917 to 1921.

Together we discussed the February and October revolutions of 1917,

the fall of the weak Tsar Nicholas II, the failure of Karinsky's provisional government

and the role of the First World War in creating the

discontent that allowed Lenin to thrive in the chaos. Now I know you're going to love

this one so we recorded it. You can watch the full video interview now as a history hit

documentary for free on the history hit YouTube channel. Just click the link in the

show notes. But now here is Sir Anthony Beaver on the Russian Revolution.

Enjoy.

Anthony, we are here in the Three Johns in Islington in London. It was here allegedly that Vladimir Lenin stood up

and pushed for a more violent revolution, a violent overthrowing of the Tsar.

Would you argue that it's here in this room that the political seeds of the Russian

Revolution were sown?

I think that would be a rather sweeping statement, to put it out there. No, not necessarily, but it certainly marked one step towards the

Bolshevik seizure of the parlato. I see. So, when it comes to Lenin himself, what is it that

motivated him in this revolution?

Now, of course, he had so many personal motivations.

His brother had been killed, he had been exiled himself to Siberia, there was a bounty on

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