# Press Freedom Law (1881)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1881-press-freedom-law
Location: France

A landmark law greatly expanded freedom of the press. Within the broader Third Republic period, The Third Republic survived war, the Commune, constitutional crises and fierce ideological conflict. It expanded mass schooling and empire, faced the Dreyfus Affair, fought World War I and entered the troubled interwar era. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Jules Grévy (President of the French Republic). Press Freedom Law mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Press Freedom Law mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated.

Ruler at the time: [Jules Grévy](https://history-france.com/rulers/jules-grevy)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Press Freedom Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Press+Freedom+Law&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Press Freedom Law](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Press+Freedom+Law)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)