1883-1936. Russian politician. A prominent
Bolshevik, he returned to Russia in 1917 with
Lenin and played a leading part in the
Revolution. As head of the Communist
International 1919, his name was attached to
a forgery, the Zinoviev letter, inciting
Britain's communists to rise, which helped to
topple the Labour government in 1924. As one
of the `Old Bolsheviks', he was seen by
Stalin as a threat. He was accused of
complicity in the murder of the Bolshevik
leader Kirov, and shot.