It served a broad audience in western France, covering regions such as Brittany, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, and Poitou.

The newspaper was established by two Bretons, Abbé Félix Trochu, a priest from Ille-et-Vilaine, and Emmanuel Desgrées du Loû, a lawyer from Vannes living in Brest.

[1] Trochu and Desgrées du Loû sought to rally the people of western France to support the Republic and engage politically to ensure sustained social action.

[2] From its inception, L'Ouest-Éclair emphasized principles of democracy and social justice, positioning itself as a journal of ideas where information was paramount and profit secondary.

[4] Ouest-France succeeded L'Ouest-Éclair in August 1944, under a new editorial team led by Paul Hutin-Desgrées and François Desgrées du Loû.