Early years The first issue of the Journal appeared on 1 February 1863 with a printing of 83,000 copies. Its founder, Millaud, was originally from
Bordeaux and had begun as a publisher of financial and legal newsletters. For a few years, he was the owner of
La Presse, an early
penny paper. The first printing ran to 83,000 copies; a large printing compared to the other serious newspapers. The party's leader,
François de La Rocque, became the director of the Journal and frequently contributed articles. Despite receiving support from many notable figures, including the press magnate
Raymond Patenôtre, its decline continued and, by 1937, the typical press run was only 150,000. In
World War II, Le Petit Journal's headquarters was moved to
Clermont-Ferrand, which was part of the unoccupied
"free zone" established after the
armistice of 1940.. The PSF officially disbanded in accordance with the ban on political parties within the new regime, renaming their organisation to French Social Progress (
French: Progrès Social Français). Le Petit Journal remained connected to the renamed PSF. François de La Roque continued to serve as the Journal's director, writing articles until he, along with seven of the nine members of the board of directors were arrested for aiding the
French Resistance in March 1943. Le Petit Journal continued to publish until
Allied Forces liberated Cleremont-Ferrand from
German occupation in 1944. The
new provisional government banned the PSF and Le Petit Journal for collaborating with the occupation and de La Roque was placed in custody awaiting trial despite his resistance activities. De La Rocque died in 1946, ending any chance of a post-war revival of the PSF. The last edition of Le Petit Journal Was published on the 26th of August, 1944. == Description and contents ==