The Red Millionaire: A Political Biography of Willy Munzenberg, Moscow's Secret Propaganda Tsar in the West | Yale Scholarship Online | Oxford Academic Skip to Main Content

The Red Millionaire: A Political Biography of Willy Munzenberg, Moscow's Secret Propaganda Tsar in the West

Online ISBN:
9780300130096
Print ISBN:
9780300098471
Publisher:
Yale University Press
Book

The Red Millionaire: A Political Biography of Willy Munzenberg, Moscow's Secret Propaganda Tsar in the West

Published:
11 December 2003
Online ISBN:
9780300130096
Print ISBN:
9780300098471
Publisher:
Yale University Press

Abstract

Willi Munzenberg—an Old Bolshevik who was also a self-promoting tycoon—became one of the most influential Communist operatives in Europe between the World Wars. He created a variety of front groups that recruited well-known political and cultural figures to work on behalf of the Soviet Union and its causes, and ran an international media empire which churned out enormous amounts of propaganda and raised money for Communist concerns. This book tells his story, arguing that his financial chicanery and cynical propaganda efforts weakened the non-Communist left, enraged the right, and helped feed a cycle that culminated in Nazism. Drawing extensively on recently opened Moscow archives, it describes how Munzenberg parlayed his friendship with Lenin into a personal fortune, and how his mysterious financial manipulations outraged Social Democrats and lent rhetorical ammunition to the Nazis. The book sheds new light on Comintern finances, propaganda strategy, the use of front organizations to infiltrate non-Communist circles, and the breakdown of democracy in the Weimar Republic. It is also the tale of a Communist con man whose name once aroused fear, loathing, and admiration around the world.

Contents
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close