Henri Barbé (14 March 1902 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 24 May 1966 in Paris) was a French

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

, and later,

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

politician.

Life

A metallurgical worker, at 15 he joined the Young Socialists. Attending the

Third International The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internation ...

, he naturally opted for the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

(PCF), at the split of the Congress of Tours. In 1926, he was promoted to secretary general of the Young Communists, and in 1928, he became a member of the executive of the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

. In 1929, he replaced Pierre Sémard as head of the PCF, in a team which also included

Maurice Thorez Maurice Thorez (; 28 April 1900 – 11 July 1964) was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 1930 until his death. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister of France from 1946 to 1947. Pre-war Thorez, ...

and Pierre Célor. In 1931, he was questioned in the course of a meeting of the BP (Bureau Politique), attended by

Dmitry Manuilsky Dmitriy Zakharovich Manuilsky or Dmytro Zakharovych Manuilsky (; ; 3 October 1883 – 22 February 1959) was an important Bolshevik revolutionary, Soviet politician and academic who was Secretary of the Executive Committee of Comintern, the Co ...

, Secretary of the Third International. He was ejected from the BP (and replaced by Thorez) during case which was known as the Barbé-Célor affair. He took a long stay in Moscow and wrote a number of self criticisms. Returning to France, Barbé was eventually expelled from the Communist Party in 1934 for having "ultra-left" positions. In 1934, he and

Jacques Doriot Jacques Doriot (; 26 September 1898 – 22 February 1945) was a French politician, initially communist, later fascist, before and during World War II. In 1936, after his exclusion from the French Communist Party, he founded the French Popular Pa ...

founded the

French Popular Party The French Popular Party (, PPF) was a French fascist and anti-semitic political party led by Jacques Doriot before and during World War II. It is generally regarded as the most collaborationist party of France. Formation and early yea ...

(PPF). Under the occupation, he joined the National Popular Rally (RNP) under

Marcel Déat Marcel Déat (; 7 March 1894 – 5 January 1955) was a French politician. Initially a socialist and a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), he led a breakaway group of right-wing Neosocialists out of the SFIO in 19 ...

. Condemned to forced labour in 1944 after the liberation of France, he was released at the end of 1949, and participated in the

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

magazine ''Est & Ouest'' which sought to promote "reasoned and scientific

anticommunism Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...

". In 1959, he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and was baptised. Until his death in 1966, he regularly collaborated in the monthly Catholic review '' Itinéraires'' founded by Jean Madiran in 1956.

Sources

*Philippe Robrieux, ''Histoire intérieure du parti communiste'', T1 and T4, Fayard {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbe, Henri 1902 births 1966 deaths Christian fascists Politicians from Paris French Communist Party politicians French Popular Party politicians Former Marxists National Popular Rally politicians Politicians of the French Third Republic French politicians convicted of crimes People convicted of indignité nationale