Rebecca West, celebrated as both a journalist and a novelist, found herself captivated by the theme of treason in the wake of World War II. Her involvement in reporting on the trials of war criminals in London and Nuremberg deeply influenced her. In 1947, she channeled her insights into a comprehensive study titled The Meaning of Treason. The evolving political landscape and a series of spy revelations that surfaced in the following decade prompted West to revisit her earlier work. This led to the publication of a revised edition, The New Meaning of Treason, in 1964. These intellectual pursuits also inspired her novel, The Birds Fall Down, which weaves these themes into a narrative framework.

Intriguingly, The Birds Fall Down is not entirely a work of fiction. The novel is rooted in a series of real events that unfolded a decade later than those depicted in the story, involving a dramatic journey across Germany instead of France. During this journey, a conversation revealed the shocking truth that the leader of the Russian Social Revolutionary organization—a group responsible for the assassination of numerous prominent czarist figures—was in fact a paid informant for the czarist police. This revelation sent ripples of betrayal and disbelief through both factions involved. West, in her preface to the novel, remarked on the historical significance of this event, noting that it facilitated the rise of a shrewd and opportunistic Lenin, a consequence subtly mirrored in the novel's conclusion.