Emile de Girardin French journalist Date of Birth: 21.08.1806 Country: France

1. Biography of Émile de Girardin
2. Founding Publications
3. Establishment of La Presse
4. Political Career
5. Later Career and Legacy

Biography of Émile de Girardin

Émile de Girardin was a French journalist and the illegitimate son of General Count Alexandre Girardin. He was married to the renowned writer Delfina de Girardin (née Gé) from 1831 until her death in 1855. His early novels, such as "Emile" (1827) and "Au hasard" (1828), were autobiographical in nature.

Founding Publications

In 1828, Girardin founded the newspaper "Le Voleur," and the following year he started publishing "La Mode." With the goal of increasing demand for periodicals, he believed that it was necessary to significantly lower their cost. His first experiment in creating affordable publications was the establishment of "Journal des connaissances utiles" in 1831, which quickly gained over 130,000 subscribers with an annual price of 4 francs. This was followed by another even cheaper publication, "Journal des Instituteurs primaires," which cost only 1 franc 50 centimes per year.

In 1833, Girardin began publishing "Musée des familles," and the next year saw the release of his "Almanach de France," which eventually reached a circulation of one million copies.

Establishment of La Presse

Girardin quickly gained many enemies due to his bold, provocative, and paradoxical nature. He founded the political newspaper "La Presse" with a subscription price of 40 francs, which was half the cost of other similar publications. Girardin correctly calculated that with a large number of subscribers, advertisers would prefer to place their ads in his newspaper, and the revenue from these ads would compensate for the deficit caused by the low subscription price.

Political Career

Girardin was elected multiple times to the Chamber of Deputies but did not play a prominent role due to his changing opinions. However, his significance as a journalist was significant. He brought an independent tone to his conservative newspaper, preaching almost complete indifference to the question of the form of government. Initially, he supported Guizot, but towards the end of Louis-Philippe's reign, he strongly criticized the government's activities.

Sensing the approach of the revolution, Girardin resigned from his parliamentary duties on February 14. On February 24, he entered the Tuileries and contributed to the abdication of Louis-Philippe. However, shortly after, he began mocking the republic and the temporary government. In June 1848, he was arrested by order of Cavaignac, and the publication of "La Presse" was suspended. After eleven days of imprisonment, Girardin retaliated against Cavaignac by writing a brochure titled "Journal d'un journaliste au secret." He then engaged in a fierce battle against Cavaignac's candidacy for the presidency, siding with Prince Louis-Napoleon.

Later, as a member of the Legislative Assembly, he became an opponent of Bonapartism. Exiled from France after the December 2 coup, Girardin soon returned and resumed the publication of "La Presse," which he later had to sell. In 1862, he once again took on the role of editor-in-chief of the newspaper, but in 1866, he permanently left and became the head of the lesser-known publication "Liberté," which he distributed for only 10 centimes, resulting in a circulation of 60,000 copies within a few weeks.

Later Career and Legacy

For some time, Girardin was in the opposition, strongly opposing Rouher. However, in 1869 and 1870, he welcomed the liberal Empire and supported Olivier. During the Franco-Prussian conflict, Girardin advocated for war and was appointed a senator. During the siege of Paris, he published "Liberté" in Bordeaux, attacking the interim government. In 1872, Girardin acquired "Petit Journal," which under his editorship reached a circulation of five hundred thousand copies. In 1874, he purchased "La France" and turned it into a tool of opposition against the ministry of Broglie.

Elected as a deputy in 1874, Girardin remained in the Chamber until his death, consistently advocating for the freedom of the press. He authored numerous brochures, pamphlets, article collections, plays, and novels, totaling hundreds of publications. Notable works include "Questions philosophiques" (1852-1857), "Paix et Liberté" (1864), "Les droits de la pensée" (1864), and "Du droit de punir" (1871).