Witness History28 Jul 2025

The Russian revolutionaries nearly stranded in London

In 1907, the men who would go on to lead the Russian Revolution met in London for a crucial congress.

But the revolutionaries – including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky – were nearly stranded after running out of funds.

The late British journalist Henry Brailsford played a key role in securing their fare home.

In 1947, he told the BBC how the meeting marked a point of no return for the party’s two warring factions – the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks – and ultimately led to the creation of the communist party.

Produced and presented by Vicky Farncombe.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: A group of revolutionaries including Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin (centre) and Menshevik leader Julius Martov (on his right). Credit: Getty Images)

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