Charles de Gaulle

Wartime portrait, 1942 Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ; }} (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French military officer and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 to restore democracy in France. In 1958, amid the Algerian War, he came out of retirement when appointed Prime Minister by President René Coty. He rewrote the Constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic after approval by referendum. He was elected President of France later that year, a position he held until his resignation in 1969.

Born in Lille, he was a decorated officer of the First World War, wounded several times and taken prisoner by the Germans. During the interwar period, he advocated mobile armoured divisions. During the German invasion of May 1940, he led an armoured division that counterattacked the invaders; he was then appointed Undersecretary for War. Refusing to accept his government's armistice with Germany, De Gaulle fled to England and exhorted the French to continue the fight in his Appeal of 18 June. He led the Free French Forces and later headed the French National Liberation Committee and emerged as the undisputed leader of Free France. He became head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic in June 1944, the interim government of France following its liberation. As early as 1944, De Gaulle introduced a dirigiste economic policy, which included substantial state-directed control over a capitalist economy, which was followed by 30 years of unprecedented growth, known as the Trente Glorieuses. He resigned in 1946, but continued to be politically active as founder of the Rally of the French People. He retired in the early 1950s and wrote his ''War Memoirs'', which quickly became a staple of modern French literature.

When the Algerian War threatened to bring the unstable Fourth Republic to collapse, the National Assembly brought him back to power during the May 1958 crisis. He founded the Fifth Republic with a strong presidency; he was elected with 78% of the vote to continue in that role. He managed to keep France together while taking steps to end the war, much to the anger of the ''Pieds-Noirs'' and the armed forces. He granted independence to Algeria and acted progressively towards other French colonies. In the context of the Cold War, De Gaulle initiated his "politics of grandeur", asserting that France as a major power should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. To this end, he pursued a policy of "national independence" which led him to withdraw from NATO's integrated military command and to launch an independent nuclear strike force that made France the world's fourth nuclear power. He restored cordial Franco-German relations with Konrad Adenauer to create a European counterweight between the Anglo-American and Soviet spheres of influence through the signing of the Élysée Treaty on 22 January 1963.

De Gaulle opposed any development of a supranational Europe, favouring Europe as a continent of sovereign nations. De Gaulle openly criticised the US intervention in Vietnam and the "exorbitant privilege" of the US dollar. In his later years, his support for the slogan "" and his two vetoes of Britain's entry into the European Economic Community generated considerable controversy in both North America and Europe. Although reelected to the presidency in 1965, he faced widespread protests by students and workers in May 68 but had the Army's support and won a snap election with an increased majority in the National Assembly. De Gaulle resigned in 1969 after losing a referendum in which he proposed more decentralisation. He died a year later at the age of 79, leaving his presidential memoirs unfinished. Many French political parties and leaders claim a Gaullist legacy; many streets and monuments in France and other parts of the world were dedicated to his memory after his death. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 34 for search 'Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970', query time: 0.06s Refine Results
  1. 1

    Discours et messages. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1970
    Book
  2. 2

    The complete war memoirs. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1964
    Book
  3. 3

    De Gaulle : implacable ally / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1966
    Book
  4. 4

    War memoirs. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1955
    Book
  5. 5

    The enemy's house divided / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 2002
    Full Text (via Internet Archive)
    eBook
  6. 6

    War memoirs / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1955
    Book
  7. 7

    Mémoires d'espoir. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1970
    Book
  8. 8
  9. 9

    The edge of the sword. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1960
    Book
  10. 10

    La France n'a pas perdu la guerre : discours et messages / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1944
    Book
  11. 11

    Mémoires de guerre. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1954
    Book
  12. 12

    Polska w pamiętnikach gen. de Gaulle'a 1944-1946 : wybór tekstów / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1940
    Book
  13. 13

    The enemy's house divided / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 2002
    Book
  14. 14

    The speeches of General de Gaulle. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1942
    Book
  15. 15

    Memoirs of hope: renewal and endeavor / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1971
    Book
  16. 16

    Lettres, notes et carnets / by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1980
    Book
  17. 17

    The complete war memoirs of Charles de Gaulle, 1940-1946. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1984
    Book
  18. 18
  19. 19

    Vers l'armée de métier. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1944
    Book
  20. 20

    Le fil de l'épée. by Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970

    Published 1944
    Book
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