The brief stay of Lenin in Copenhagen during the late summer and autumn of 1910 has generally occupied only a marginal place in studies of the Russian history movement. Overshadowed by the historical events of 1917 and by Lenin’s longer periods of exile in Switzerland, France and Britain, the Copenhagen visit has nevertheless attracted increasing scholarly attention as an illuminating episode in the history of transnational socialism. During his stay, Lenin attended the Eighth Congress of the Second International, participated in meetings among Russian social democratic delegates, established contacts with socialist activists from across Europe, and pursued extensive research on Danish agriculture and cooperative institutions in the Royal Danish Library. This article argues that the significance of Lenin’s Copenhagen lies less in his formal role during the congress than in the wider political and intellectual environment in which it occurred. Copenhagen functioned as a hub within an international network of revolutionary exiles, allowing socialist activists to exchange ideas, debate strategy and maintain political organizations across national borders. Examining Lenin’s activities through Soviet, Western, Danish and recent historiography demonstrates how interpretations of the visit have evolved alongside changing understandings of the Russian history in 1917 and international socialism.
