The Influence of the Soviet Union on Popular Opinion in the United Kingdom in the Late 1930s

This paper is devoted to Soviet-British relations and Soviet activities directed at British influencing public opinion. The pre-war situation demanded that all countries direct their politics (domestic and foreign) toward “unpredictable war-oriented” and “peacemaking” countries. Measures and organizations meant to rescue Europe from war demonstrated their instability and ineffectiveness in the interwar period. In this context, it is necessary to show how the Soviet Union as one of the most powerful countries engaged open and hidden political actions that contributed to changing public opinion to the USSR. The main method of research consists in comparing the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NKID), organization of cultural contacts with Great Britain and their dominions and political initiatives through British Communists (in Comintern line).The analysis demonstrates that the Soviet Union directed its own elaborate policy to shift British public opinion, tried to cooperate with different groups. These actions achieved some results. However, the failure of Franco-Soviet-British conversations in 1939 put an end to collective security in Europe and became the next step to the Second World War.