The Zinoviev letter

Abstract

The Zinoviev letter affair of 1924 has cast a long shadow over British domestic politics. The source, authenticity and distribution of the letter, reportedly from the head of the Communist International, Grigory Zinoviev, calling on British workers to strike, was published amid a divisive general election, embarrassing Britain's first Labour Prime Minister and reportedly resulting in the collapse of the government. This essay reviews former Foreign and Commonwealth Historian Gill Bennett's latest research on the letter and its legacy for British politics since 1924, showing that Bennett has wonderfully navigated a complex web of deception, spies, politicians and 'fake news' to get as near as we are going to get to the truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]