Combat (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
Combat was a French
newspaper
created during the Second World War. Originally a clandestine newspaper of the Resistance
, it was headed by Albert Ollivier, Jean Bloch-Michel, Georges Altschuler and, most of all, Albert Camus
, Jean-Paul Sartre
, André Malraux
, Emmanuel Mounier
, and then Raymond Aron
and Pierre Herbart also contributed to it. Its production was directed by André Bollier until Milice
repression led to his death.
In August 1944, Combat took the headquarters of L'Intransigeant
, 100 Rue Réaumur in Paris, while Albert Camus became its editor in chief
. The newspaper's production run decreased from 185,000 copies in January 1945 to 150,000 in August of the same year: it wasn't able to rival with others established newspapers (the Communist daily L'Humanité
was publishing at the time 500,000 copies). During 1946, Combat was opposed to the "game of the parties" claiming to rebuild France, and thus became closer to Charles de Gaulle
without, however, becoming the official voice of his movement.
Loyal to its origins, Combat tried to become the place of expression for those who believed in creating a popular non-Communist Left movement in France. In July 1948 (more than a year after the May 1947 crisis and the expulsion of the Communist ministers
from the government), Victor Fay, a Marxist activist, took over Combat 's direction, but he failed to stop the newspaper's evolution towards more popular subjects and less political information.
In 1950, it hosted a debate about the Notre-Dame "Scandal"
, stimulated by a vehement letter by André Breton
in responde to the editor Louis Pauwels.
Philippe Tesson became editor in chief from 1960 to 1974. Henri Smadja originally thought Tesson could be a perfect puppet-editor but Smadja's situation, in part because of the Tunisia
n regime, got worse. In March 1974, Philippe Tesson created Le Quotidien de Paris
(1974-1996), which he originally conceived as the successor of Combat.
During the May 1968 crisis, Combat supported the student movement although from a Stalinist point of view, through the signatures of the likes of Jacques-Arnaud Penent. On June 3, it published a falsified version of the Address to All Workers by the Council for Maintaining the Occupations
, removing the references to the Situationist International and the attacks against the Stalinists.
Henri Smadja committed suicide on July 14, 1974, and Combat definitively ceased to be published the following month.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
created during the Second World War. Originally a clandestine newspaper of the Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
, it was headed by Albert Ollivier, Jean Bloch-Michel, Georges Altschuler and, most of all, Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, André Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
, Emmanuel Mounier
Emmanuel Mounier
Emmanuel Mounier was a French philosopher.Mounier was the guiding spirit in the French Personalist movement, and founder and director of Esprit, the magazine which was the organ of the movement. Mounier, who was the child of peasants, was a brilliant scholar at the Sorbonne...
, and then Raymond Aron
Raymond Aron
Raymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist and political scientist.He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people -- in contrast, Aron argued that in...
and Pierre Herbart also contributed to it. Its production was directed by André Bollier until Milice
Milice
The Milice française , generally called simply Milice, was a paramilitary force created on January 30, 1943 by the Vichy Regime, with German aid, to help fight the French Resistance. The Milice's formal leader was Prime Minister Pierre Laval, though its chief of operations, and actual leader, was...
repression led to his death.
In August 1944, Combat took the headquarters of L'Intransigeant
L'Intransigeant
L'Intransigeant was a French newspaper, founded in July 1880 by Henri Rochefort. Initially representing the left-wing opposition, it developed towards the right during the Boulangism affair and became a major right-wing newspaper by 1920s. The newspaper was vehemently anti-Dreyfusard, reflecting...
, 100 Rue Réaumur in Paris, while Albert Camus became its editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
. The newspaper's production run decreased from 185,000 copies in January 1945 to 150,000 in August of the same year: it wasn't able to rival with others established newspapers (the Communist daily L'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
was publishing at the time 500,000 copies). During 1946, Combat was opposed to the "game of the parties" claiming to rebuild France, and thus became closer to Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
without, however, becoming the official voice of his movement.
Loyal to its origins, Combat tried to become the place of expression for those who believed in creating a popular non-Communist Left movement in France. In July 1948 (more than a year after the May 1947 crisis and the expulsion of the Communist ministers
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
from the government), Victor Fay, a Marxist activist, took over Combat 's direction, but he failed to stop the newspaper's evolution towards more popular subjects and less political information.
In 1950, it hosted a debate about the Notre-Dame "Scandal"
Notre-Dame Affair
The Notre-Dame Affair was an action performed by Michel Mourre, Serge Berna, Ghislain Desnoyers de Marbaix, and Jean Rullier, members of the radical wing of the Lettrist movement, on Easter Sunday, 9 April 1950, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, while the mass was aired live on national TV...
, stimulated by a vehement letter by André Breton
André Breton
André Breton was a French writer and poet. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism"....
in responde to the editor Louis Pauwels.
Philippe Tesson became editor in chief from 1960 to 1974. Henri Smadja originally thought Tesson could be a perfect puppet-editor but Smadja's situation, in part because of the Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n regime, got worse. In March 1974, Philippe Tesson created Le Quotidien de Paris
Le Quotidien de Paris
Le Quotidien de Paris was a French newspaper founded in 1974 by Philippe Tesson. Along with Le Quotidien du Médecin and Le Quotidien du Pharmacien, Le Quotidien made up the Groupe Quotidien , with all now defunct. Philippe Tesson intended for it to be the successor to the daily newspaper Combat,...
(1974-1996), which he originally conceived as the successor of Combat.
During the May 1968 crisis, Combat supported the student movement although from a Stalinist point of view, through the signatures of the likes of Jacques-Arnaud Penent. On June 3, it published a falsified version of the Address to All Workers by the Council for Maintaining the Occupations
Council for Maintaining the Occupations
The Council for Maintaining the Occupations , or CMDO, was a revolutionary committee formed during the May 1968 events in France originating in the Sorbonne. The council favored the continuation of wildcat general strikes and factory occupations across France, maintaining them through directly...
, removing the references to the Situationist International and the attacks against the Stalinists.
Henri Smadja committed suicide on July 14, 1974, and Combat definitively ceased to be published the following month.
See also
- France in the twentieth centuryFrance in the twentieth centuryThe History of France from 1914 to the present includes:*the later years of the Third Republic *World War I *World War II *the Fourth Republic *the Fifth Republic -Geography:...
- Fourth RepublicFrench Fourth RepublicThe French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
(1946-1958)
External links
- Albert Camus' editorial on August 8, 1945 concerning the Hiroshima bombing ( but machine translators software available)