The Press, 1945–69

Abstract

This chapter overviews the history of the press from the Liberation until the end of the de Gaulle presidency. Section 1.1 examines the foundation of the press’s regulatory framework, a framework that was laid down in the post-war years. The great majority of today’s French newspapers were also launched at the Liberation, replacing titles that were banned by France’s new rulers. Section 1.2 focuses on the press during the de Gaulle presidency. It covers the leading Parisian and provincial newspapers, analyses the relationship between the Paris-based and regional press and examines the patterns of press ownership. Section 1.3 studies the impact on the press of the start of the presidency in 1958 as well as the rise of television as a mass medium during the 1960s.