Date: 26.09.

2023

Teacher: Nuno Rodrigues

Student: Ameliia Filippova 10C

How close England came to Communism? Video analysis

1. Attempt to pinpoint the factors that led to British scepticism and mistrust towards
soviets.
• During World War 1, 800.000 people from Great Britain died. This made the people and
the government of Britain concerned and wary about new ideas and big changes, such as
communism
• Fake letter was published in The Daily Mail newspaper, which was supposedly written
Gregory Zinoviev, the head of the communist turn. The video states that the British
government might have employed disinformation strategies to provoke fear and
suspicion of communism.

2. Assess the level of influence of the Soviet Union within the European communist
movement.
• The Soviet Union had a big impact on the communist movement in Europe. After the
Russian Revolution, communists in Europe were inspired by the idea of workers
overthrowing existing systems. The leader of the Soviet government, Lenin, actively
tried to spread the revolution to European countries for example France, Germany, and
England. He even wanted to create a Communist Party in Britain. The video also
mentions the “Comintern”, an important event that coordinated communists globally.

3. Identify some of the technics of the British government to fight the spread of
communism
• Disinformation and Propaganda. Video mentions the publication of a fake letter in The
Daily Mail. This suggests that the British government may have used disinformation
tactics to discredit and destabilize communist movements.
• The video highlights how the early British Communist Party faced internal
disagreements and experienced a form of left-wing isolationism, which caused them to
become disconnected from the everyday struggles of ordinary workers. It is possible
that the British government indirectly played a role in stimulating this isolationism by
not engaging with the Communist Party and addressing their concerns.