Zinoviev Letter

The "Zinoviev Letter" was a controversial document published by the British press four days before the national election in 1924. It was allegedly sent by the Communist International in Moscow to the Communist Party of Great Britain. The letter, which historians believe was a forgery, purported to be a directive from Moscow calling for intensified communist agitation in Britain. Historians now agree that the letter had little impact on the Labour vote--which held up. However, it aided the Conservative Party in hastening the collapse of the Liberal party that led to the Conservative landslide. The most important impact was on the psychology of most Labourites, who for years blamed their defeat on foul play, thereby misunderstanding the political forces at work and postponing needed reforms in the Labour Party. The letter took its name from a senior Soviet official Grigory Zinoviev, its purported author.