The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s

This article explores the interconnections between the media in France and the emergence of a Franco-British alliance on the eve of World War Two, emphasising how newspaper, radio and newsreel coverage helped mould British perceptions of France during the late-1930s. It will argue that British asses...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hucker, Daniel
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40531/
_version_ 1848796080136781824
author Hucker, Daniel
author_facet Hucker, Daniel
author_sort Hucker, Daniel
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This article explores the interconnections between the media in France and the emergence of a Franco-British alliance on the eve of World War Two, emphasising how newspaper, radio and newsreel coverage helped mould British perceptions of France during the late-1930s. It will argue that British assessments of France, and thus France's potential value as a wartime ally, were influenced greatly by the dominant representations furnished by the media. In 1936, such representations portrayed a polarised France unworthy of British support; by 1939, they depicted a strong and united country of inestimable value to Britain. This transformation was not simply fortuitous; by the late-1930s, French politicians, conscious of the deleterious effect that media representations of a divided France was having on their country’s prestige, endeavoured to transform the media from a symptom of decadence and malaise into a weapon of unity and strength.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T19:42:17Z
format Article
id nottingham-40531
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T19:42:17Z
publishDate 2017
publisher Taylor & Francis
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-405312020-05-04T18:41:06Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40531/ The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s Hucker, Daniel This article explores the interconnections between the media in France and the emergence of a Franco-British alliance on the eve of World War Two, emphasising how newspaper, radio and newsreel coverage helped mould British perceptions of France during the late-1930s. It will argue that British assessments of France, and thus France's potential value as a wartime ally, were influenced greatly by the dominant representations furnished by the media. In 1936, such representations portrayed a polarised France unworthy of British support; by 1939, they depicted a strong and united country of inestimable value to Britain. This transformation was not simply fortuitous; by the late-1930s, French politicians, conscious of the deleterious effect that media representations of a divided France was having on their country’s prestige, endeavoured to transform the media from a symptom of decadence and malaise into a weapon of unity and strength. Taylor & Francis 2017-04-05 Article PeerReviewed Hucker, Daniel (2017) The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s. Media History, 23 (3-4). pp. 330-344. ISSN 1469-9729 France United Kingdom Newspapers Radio Twentieth Century War and Society Edouard Daladier http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13688804.2017.1309268 doi:10.1080/13688804.2017.1309268 doi:10.1080/13688804.2017.1309268
spellingShingle France
United Kingdom
Newspapers
Radio
Twentieth Century
War and Society
Edouard Daladier
Hucker, Daniel
The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s
title The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s
title_full The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s
title_fullStr The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s
title_full_unstemmed The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s
title_short The French media and the forging of a Franco-British alliance in the late 1930s
title_sort french media and the forging of a franco-british alliance in the late 1930s
topic France
United Kingdom
Newspapers
Radio
Twentieth Century
War and Society
Edouard Daladier
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40531/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40531/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40531/