Abstract

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a document first serialized in August–September 1903 by the antisemitic newspaper Znamya in St. Petersburg, Russia, stands as one of the most infamous forgeries in modern history. Purporting to be the minutes of secret meetings held by Jewish leaders—allegedly during the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897—it outlines a sinister plan for global domination through economic manipulation, media control, political subversion, and moral decay. Comprising 24 protocols, it has fueled antisemitic conspiracy theories for over a century, influencing everything from Tsarist pogroms to Nazi propaganda. Despite its claims, exhaustive historical and textual evidence reveals it as a plagiarized fabrication, rooted in 19th-century fiction and designed to scapegoat Jews amid the sociopolitical turmoil of the Russian Empire. This analysis synthesizes historical data, primary sources, and scholarly findings to expose the Protocols as a deliberate hoax, while examining its enduring, dangerous legacy through a scientific lens.