Political and Financial Projects of Henri Barbusse

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Abstract:
From 1927 to 1935, Henri Barbusse regularly came to the USSR and received large sums of money. He is paid royalties for numerous translations of his works, scripts, articles, etc. All expenses for his stay (accommodation for several months, travel around the country, food, treatment, rest) are paid. Thanks to a meeting with Joseph Stalin, Barbusse receives money for the publication in Paris of the journal Monde. Since the magazine is unprofitable, Barbusse is looking for additional sources of financing in foreign currency and in 1929 offers Mond as an intermediary in international trade, including books, between the USSR and France. The project was not implemented, and the magazine was accused of Trotskyism. In 1932, with the assistance of Willi Münzenberg, a member of the Comintern, Barbusse organized an international movement for peace. Stalin again talks with Barbusse and allocates money. Barbusse, on the advice of Münzenberg, is writing a biography of Stalin and, apparently, receives a large advance. In 1934, the writer proposes to Stalin to use the peace movement as a new political structure for the fight against fascism and presents a new financial plan. However, after meeting with the leader, Barbusse, on his orders, is engaged in the creation of an international association of writers. But in the end, he was removed from the leadership. In 1935 Barbusse dies in Moscow.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22455/CM.2949-0510-2024-5-277-306
EDN:
https://elibrary.ru/GHFNEM
Author: Alexandre F. Stroev
About the author: Alexandre F. Stroev, HDR, Professor, Independent Researcher, Paris, France. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7538-0448 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received: May 27, 2024
Date of Publication: August 28, 2024
Approved after reviewing : December 12, 2024
Publication Type: Research Article
For citation: Stroev, A.F. “Political and financial projects of Henri Barbusse.” Codex manuscriptus, issue 5. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2024, pp. 277–306. (In Rus- sian) https://doi.org/10.22455/CM.2949-0510-2024-5-277-306
Keywords: Barbusse, money, Stalin, Communist International, Münzenberg, “Monde”.

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