CHARLES DE GAULLE (1890- 1970)
CHARLES DE GAULLE (1890- 1970)
Few people have played such a decisive role in the history of
their country as Charles de Gaulle, without which neither France
nor the European Union will be what it is today
Charles Andr Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general,
resistant, writer, statesman, leader of the Free French during
World War IIand the architect of the Fifth French Republic
He was born in Lille in 1890 and grew up in Paris.
He was an honored officer of the First World War, wounded
several times and later taken prisoner at Verdun
Refusing to accept his government's armistice with Nazi Germany
in 1940, de Gaulle exhorted the French population to resist
occupation and to continue the fight against Axis powers in his
famous speech from BBC on 18 June 1940
Despite his status and the fact that he had actually fought in
World War Two, de Gaulle was a difficult ally for Winston Churchill
and F. D. Roosevelt
His personality did not help make friends and he was not invited
to attend with the Big Three (Stalin, Churchill and
Roosevelt/Truman) meetings at Yalta and Potsdam
De Gaulle enjoyed wide support at home and in 1945 became
president of France's provisional government. He held this post
until his resignation in 1946
However, during the Algerian crisis of 1958, De Gaulle was
recalled to power.
He was elected President and helped found the new constitution
of the Fifth French republic.
Despite being a strong nationalist, he agreed to give Algeria
independence
De Gaulle supported the idea of a united Europe, but he wanted
Europe to be free from the superpowers' influences
"Yes, it is Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals, is the whole
of Europe that will decide the destiny of the world"
He fought to keep Britain out of the European Economic Community
because of its close ties to the United States
Sometimes inflexible and intractable, de Gaulle nearly saw his
government toppled by student and worker protests in 1968
He managed to restore order to the country, but left power soon
after, following a battle over political and economic reforms. In
April 1969, de Gaulle resigned from the presidency
He died of a heart attack on 9 November 1970
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