"Le Monde" was founded by Hubert Beuve-Méry. This was at the request of General Charles de Gaulle after the German army was driven from Paris during World War II. The newspaper took over the format of "Le Temps", because the reputation of the latter had suffered during the Occupation. Beuve-Méry reportedly asked for total editorial independence as the condition for his taking on the project. Its first edition appeared on December 19, 1944. "Le Monde" has been available on the Internet since December 19, 1995. It is the principal publication of Groupe Le Monde.