Book

Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution

📖 Overview

Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution examines financial and political connections between American banking institutions and the 1917 Russian Revolution. Through documentary evidence and archival research, Sutton traces the flow of capital from major Wall Street firms to revolutionary activities in Russia. The book presents a study of key figures in American finance and their interactions with Bolshevik leaders during the period surrounding the revolution. Sutton analyzes diplomatic records, State Department files, and corporate documents to establish patterns of support between Western financiers and revolutionary forces. The investigation follows monetary trails and policy decisions through major historical events including World War I, the rise of Soviet power, and early U.S.-Soviet relations. The text includes reproductions of original documents and detailed citations to support its central claims. This work raises questions about the nature of revolution, the role of international finance in political change, and the complex motivations that drive seemingly contradictory alliances. The book challenges conventional narratives about the relationships between capitalism and communism in the early 20th century.

👀 Reviews

Readers describe this as a detailed examination of Wall Street's financial support of the Bolshevik Revolution, backed by extensive documentation and primary sources. Many reviewers note the book presents information absent from standard history texts. Liked: - Research depth and citation of banking records - Clear connections between financial institutions and revolutionary funding - Inclusion of original documents and correspondence - Matter-of-fact writing style without sensationalism Disliked: - Dense reading with heavy focus on financial details - Some sections repeat information - Limited broader historical context - Writing can be dry and academic Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (426 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (168 ratings) Reader quote: "Sutton lets the documents speak for themselves rather than engaging in speculation" - Goodreads reviewer Some readers question if certain connections are overstated, but most acknowledge the solid archival research supporting the core claims.

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The Anglo-American Establishment by Carroll Quigley Examines the networks of banking families, business interests, and political groups that influenced global policy during the 19th and 20th centuries.

America's Secret Establishment by Antony Sutton Investigates the role of secret societies and financial institutions in shaping American political and economic policy.

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🤔 Interesting facts

🔹 While researching this book at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, author Antony Sutton discovered documents showing that Trotsky had traveled with an American passport, raising questions about his connections to Western powers. 🔹 The book reveals that several prominent Wall Street firms, including Guaranty Trust Company and Brown Brothers Harriman, continued to conduct business with Soviet Russia even during the period when it was officially isolated from Western economies. 🔹 William Boyce Thompson, director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, personally donated $1 million to Bolshevik propaganda efforts in 1917, equivalent to over $20 million today. 🔹 The author was subsequently dismissed from his research fellowship at Stanford University's Hoover Institution after publishing this and related works exposing Western support for Soviet industrialization. 🔹 Document evidence presented in the book shows that the same Wall Street financiers who supported the Bolsheviks also helped finance Hitler's rise to power, suggesting a pattern of supporting opposing extremist movements.