Editing Paris Commune (section)

===Press===
[[File:PereDuchesneIllustre1 1 0.png|thumb|upright|{{lang|fr|[[Le Père Duchesne (19th century)|Le Père Duchêne]]}} looks at the statue of [[Napoleon]] on top of the [[Place Vendôme#The Vendôme Column|Vendôme column]], about to be torn down by the Communards.]]

From 21 March, the Central Committee of the National Guard banned the major pro-Versailles newspapers, {{lang|fr|[[Le Gaulois]]}} and {{lang|fr|[[Le Figaro]]}}. Their offices were invaded and closed by crowds of the Commune's supporters. After 18 April other newspapers sympathetic to Versailles were also closed. The Versailles government, in turn, imposed strict censorship and prohibited any publication in favour of the Commune.

At the same time, the number of pro-Commune newspapers and magazines published in Paris during the Commune expanded exponentially. The most popular of the pro-Commune newspapers was ''{{lang|fr|Le Cri du Peuple}}'', published by [[Jules Vallès]], which was published from 22 February until 23 May. Another highly popular publication was ''{{lang|fr|[[Le Père Duchesne (19th century)|Le Père Duchêne]]}}'', inspired by a [[Le Père Duchesne|similar paper of the same name]] published from 1790 until 1794; after its first issue on 6 March, it was briefly closed by General Vinoy, but it reappeared until 23 May. It specialised in humour, vulgarity and extreme abuse against the opponents of the Commune.{{sfn|Milza|2009a|p=250}}

A republican press also flourished, including such papers as ''{{lang|fr|Le Mot d'Ordre}}'' of [[Victor Henri Rochefort, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay|Henri Rochefort]], which was both violently anti-Versailles and critical of the faults and excesses of the Commune. The most popular republican paper was ''{{lang|fr|[[Le Rappel]]}}'', which condemned both Thiers and the killing of generals Lecomte and Clement-Thomas by the Communards. Its editor [[Auguste Vacquerie]] was close to [[Victor Hugo]], whose son [[François-Victor Hugo]] wrote for the paper. The editors wrote, "We are against the National Assembly, but we are not for the Commune. That which we defend, that which we love, that which we admire, is Paris."{{sfn|Milza|2009a|p=253}}