Key question: How did the Vichy regime control the French media during the Occupation?

This week, we will examine the role of the Vichy regime in shaping the content and techniques of the French media during the Occupation. In particular, we will look at Vichy's control of cinema propaganda, especially newsreels and documentary film, alongside posters, the radio and the printed press.

In the lecture, I will give an overview of the way Vichy sought to manipulate the public's view of the regime and of the Occupation through controlling the media, while in the seminar we'll look more closely at some examples of newsreels and documentary films controlled by Vichy. This will prepare us for examining the role of the French state in controlling the media since Vichy, notably under de Gaulle's presidency in the newly-created Fifth Republic (1958-1969).