Charles de Gaulle

Military Commander

1890 – 1970

 Credit »
46

Who was Charles de Gaulle?

Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first president from 1959 to 1969.

De Gaulle came to the fore in the interwar army as a proponent of mobile armoured divisions. During World War II, he attained the rank of brigadier general. De Gaulle led the Free French Forces and a government in exile against France's pro-German Vichy government while he was in London and Africa, gained control of most French colonies, and participated in the liberation of Paris. Despite his initial defeat, de Gaulle insisted that France be treated as a great power by the other Allies. His promotion of French national interests led to confrontations with Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, as did his refusal to participate in the D-Day landings in June 1944.

De Gaulle secured a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for France in 1945. After the war ended, de Gaulle became prime minister in the French Provisional Government, resigning in 1946 because of political conflicts. He founded his own political party, the Rally of the French People- Rassemblement du Peuple Francais, in 1947. When the Algerian war crisis was ripping apart the Fourth Republic, the Assembly brought him back to power as President of the Council of Ministers during the May 1958 crisis. De Gaulle led the writing of a new constitution founding the Fifth Republic, and was elected President of France. Gaullism, de Gaulle's foreign policy strategy as president, asserted that France is a major power and should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. Often criticized for his "Politics of Grandeur", de Gaulle oversaw the development of French atomic weapons and promoted a foreign policy independent of "Anglo Saxon" influences. He withdrew France from NATO military command—although remaining a member of the Western alliance—and twice vetoed Britain's entry into the European Community. In May 1968, he appeared likely to lose power amidst widespread protests by students and workers, but survived the crisis with an increased majority in the Assembly. However, de Gaulle resigned in 1969 after losing a referendum in which he proposed more decentralization.

Famous Quotes:

  • Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone.
  • I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
  • For glory gives herself only to those who have always dreamed of her.
  • The sword is the axis of the world, and grandeur is indivisible.
  • How can you govern a country with two hundred and forty six varieties of cheese?
  • Treaties are like roses and young girls -- they last while they last
  • Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.
  • The graveyards are full of indispensable men.
  • Church is the only place where someone speaks to me and I do not have to answer back.
  • Old age is a shipwreck.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
Nov 22, 1890
Lille
Also known as
  • Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle
  • Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle
  • The Great Asparagus
  • de Gaulle, Charles
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Christianity
  • Catholicism
Ethnicity
  • French people
Nationality
  • France
Profession
Education
  • Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
  • Collège Stanislas de Paris
Died
Nov 9, 1970
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Charles de Gaulle." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/charles_de_gaulle>.

Discuss this Charles de Gaulle biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net