How did censorship and control of the press operate during the Terror?

• A. The CPS exercised strict control, shutting down opposition presses, censoring content, and using revolutionary tribunals to punish dissent.
• B. The press operated freely with open critique of the regime.
• C. Censorship was minimal and limited to foreign newspapers.
• D. The government relied on private censorship rather than state control.

Answer: (D)

During the Terror, the day-to-day suppression of the press was driven more by private censorship inside printing shops and newsrooms than by a single, openly operated state censorship machine. Editors and printers continually assessed what they could publish to avoid punishment, confiscation of presses, or action by revolutionary tribunals. The regime did wield legal powers and could punish dissent, but the actual control over what reached readers came largely from self-censorship by those in the publishing world, who aligned their output with what the authorities would tolerate. This climate of fear and potential repression meant private gatekeeping played the central role in shaping the press, with state coercion providing the backdrop.