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World War One was the first armed conflict in which communications had played such a prominent role. With family members mobilized and their families often evacuating combat zones, French families had never spent so much time away from home or separated from each other. The dangerous times led to a vast increase in private correspondence as people sought reassurance about loved ones or sent them assistance or care packages. Isolated from the front and starved for news, crowds of civilians waited anxiously for news in front of newspaper kiosks and movie theaters. Despite paper rationing, public and private spaces were flooded with printed items such as newspapers, magazines, posters and postcards. The mail and the media were censored to keep them from informing –or misinforming– the enemy and to maintain a patriotic atmosphere. The excesses of some official communiqués occasionally inspired ironic comments.
