He served as dean into 1919, by which time the Central Powers had been defeated. By March, the pro-Entente camp, led by Orest Tafrali, had resumed control of the Faculty, and was reviewing Bărbulescu's activities, to ascertain whether or not they constituted treason. Bărbulescu appeared before the review board to apologize for his remarks in Senate, and the university considered the matter settled. With Philippide, Dimitrie Gusti, Traian Bratu, Garabet Ibrăileanu and Ion Petrovici, he signed a letter of protest against attempts to curb freedom of thought, and warned about the dangers of "anarchy". Nevertheless, Constantin Angelescu, the Education Minister, asked King Ferdinand to use his prerogative, and, on March 19, Bărbulescu lost his deanship, which went to Gusti. The decree asserting this referred to his "anti-national sentiments". Tafrali then focused on getting Bărbulescu banned from teaching, but his attempts were blocked by other academics, including the moderate Germanophiles (Gusti, Philippide, Bratu, Ibrăileanu). The matter was left undecided, then forgotten.