The ''Journal des débats'' (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for: Journal of Debates) was a French

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...

, published between 1789 and 1944 that changed title several times. Created shortly after the first meeting of the

Estates-General of 1789 The Estates General of 1789 was a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the commoners (Third Estate). It was the last of the Estates General of the Kingdom o ...

, it was, after the outbreak of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, the exact record of the debates of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

, under the title ''Journal des Débats et des Décrets'' ("Journal of Debates and Decrees"). Published weekly rather than daily, it was headed for nearly forty years by Bertin l'Aîné and was owned for a long time by the Bertin family. During the First Empire it was opposed to Napoleon and had a new title imposed on it, the ''Journal de l'Empire''. During the first

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

(1813–1814), the ''Journal'' took the title ''Journal des Débats Politiques et Littéraires'', and, under the second Restoration, it took a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

rather than

reactionary In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the '' status quo ante'', the previous political state of society, which that person believes possessed positive characteristics abs ...

position. Under

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and L ...

and his entourage, the ''Journal'' changed to a position supporting the liberal opposition represented by the

Doctrinaires During the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830) and the July Monarchy (1830–1848), the Doctrinals (french: doctrinaires) were a group of French royalists who hoped to reconcile the monarchy with the French Revolution and power with liberty. Head ...

( Guizot, Royer-Collard, etc.) (1827–1829). The ''Journal des Débats'' was the most read newspaper of the Restoration and the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 ...

, before being surpassed by

Émile de Girardin Émile de Girardin (22 June 180227 April 1881) was a French journalist, publisher and politician. He was the most successful and flamboyant French journalist of the era, presenting himself as a promoter of mass education through mass journalism. ...

's '' La Presse'' and later by '' Le Petit Journal''. The many contributions established the ''Journal''s reputation as a major influence on

French culture The culture of France has been shaped by geography, by historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture since the 17th century and from t ...

, and especially

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than Fr ...

for the first half of the 19th century. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 193 ...

of France in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the ''Journal'' continued to be published, which caused it to be suppressed after the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi G ...

in 1944.

Famous contributors

* Henry Aron * Gustave Babin *

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Maurice Blanchot Maurice Blanchot (; ; 22 September 1907 – 20 February 2003) was a French writer, philosopher and literary theorist. His work, exploring a philosophy of death alongside poetic theories of meaning and sense, bore significant influence on pos ...

* Castil-Blaze * Brada *

François-René de Chateaubriand François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who had a notable influence on French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocrat ...

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

Charles-Marie de Féletz Charles-Marie de Féletz (3 January 1767, Gumont – 11 February 1850) was a French churchman, journalist and literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern litera ...

* Léon Foucault * Julien Louis Geoffroy * Bernard Adolphe Granier de Cassagnac *

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

* Jules Janin * Conrad Malte-Brun * Charles Nodier *

Ferdinando Petruccelli della Gattina Ferdinando Petruccelli della Gattina (August 28, 1815 - March 29, 1890) was an Italian journalist, patriot and politician. Considered one of the greatest journalists of the 19th century and a pioneer of modern journalism, he is mostly remembered ...

* Ernest Reyer *

Eugène Sue Marie-Joseph "Eugène" Sue (; 26 January 18043 August 1857) was a French novelist. He was one of several authors who popularized the genre of the serial novel in France with his very popular and widely imitated ''The Mysteries of Paris'', whic ...

Madame Sorgue Antoinette Cauvin, known as Madame Sorgue (1864–1924), was a French anarcho-syndicalist orator and journalist. She was associated with many strikes in Europe and travelled widely in France, Portugal, Italy, Wales, England (Hull), Scotland, ...

* George Barbu Știrbei * Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvray

References

* Alfred Nettement, ''Histoire politique, anecdotique et littéraire du « Journal des débats »'', Dentu, Paris, 1842. * ''Le Livre du centenaire du « Journal des débats »'', Plon, Paris, 1889. * André-Jean Tudesq, « Le ''Journal des débats'' au temps de Guizot », ''Politique'', avril-juin 1959. * Ruth Jakoby, ''Das Feuilleton des « Journal des débats » von 1814 bis 1830: ein Beitrag zur Literaturdiskussion der Restauration'', G. Narr, Tübingen, 1988. .

External links

* ''Le Journal des débats'' digital archive
from 1800 to 1805from 1805 to 1814
an
from 1814 to 1944
in Gallica, the digital library of the BnF {{DEFAULTSORT:Journal des Debats 1789 establishments in France 1944 disestablishments in France Publications established in 1789 Publications disestablished in 1944 Defunct newspapers published in France Defunct weekly newspapers Newspapers of the Vichy regime July Monarchy Newspapers of the French Revolution Bourbon Restoration Weekly newspapers published in France