Defeated France: A Rapid Growth of Newspapers in Exile

The Second World War democratised forms of oppositional press, and this chapter explores what that meant for French émigré newspapers based in London. Whilst outlining the landscape of journalistic production in exile, the chapter also adopts a case study approach for several different French language newspapers, by engaging in detailed textual analysis. The style of publications is outlined and the speed at which a wartime newspaper could be established is explored, along with methods of working, the nature of content and layout, including advertising as an indicator of audience profile. Analysis weaves political contexts with developments in exiled press, covering the fall of France in 1940 and extending to roughly 1942, drawing some comparisons with other countries and with newspapers in mainland France. It is argued that advertisements, that are examined as they developed throughout the war in this chapter and the next, reflect the quick maturity of this specific newspaper market, despite the difficulties and interruptions of world conflict.