Charles de Gaulle

1
Charles de Gaulle

• Carrington Dillon

2
Early Life

• Born November 22nd, 1890, in Paris to a wealthy
  family
• Father was a History professor
• France was going through military and political
  turmoil during de Gaulles early life
• Losing the Franco-Prussian War
• Losing a race to imperial power at the hands of
  Britain
• In 1904, at the age of fourteen, he decided that
  he wanted to be a military officer
• The German Campaign, age fifteen

3
Early Life

• Captured by German forces in WWI Battle of
  Verdun, 1916
• Escape attempts
• Certainly war is an evil, and I am the first to
  agree, but it is a necessary evil.
• The Enemys Dissensions
• Assigned to staff of Supreme Defense Council from
  1925 to 1927

• Exhibited great leadership and
• powerful charisma
• In many cases, outshining ranking
• military leaders

4
Early Life

• France and Its Army
• Marshal Philippe Petain
• A very great man who died around 1925 de
  Gaulle on Petain
• Toward a Professional Army, 1937
• Sought to change policy of conscripted to a
  professional army
• Seen as the left as an anti-republican
  instrument of coup
• Struggles in military reform
• Disagreed with the treatment of Germany after WWI

5
World War II

• Named Brigadier General in June, 1940
• Power play
• Named Junior Minister two days later
• German aggression
• Devised fall-back plan in case of complete
  German takeover
• Escapes to London in mid-June, 1940
• Gives BBC radio address
• Petain-controlled government Vichy France,
  stays in France

The battle of France has begun. Throughout the
nation, the Empire and the armed forces there is
now only one determination, only one hope shared
by all. Behind the cloud, so heavy with our blood
and tears, behold!the sun of our greatness is
shining forth once again! Charles de Gaulle,
BBC Radio Address, 1940
6
World War II

• Calls Petain government party of surrender
• Petain government surrenders and signs armistice
  with Germany
• This armistice is dishonorable
• Britain denounces this action
• Broke past British/American French deal that
  promised no surrender
• Refuses to acknowledge Petains France
• De Gaulle believes that he is the last hope for
  France
• http//youtube.com/watch?vH6rvJtVzITwfeaturerel
  ated
• Petain and Hitler

Free France
7
Gaullism

• Extreme nationalism
• Considered naïve by some
• It is proper time to...eliminate the Jeanne
  dArc complex and return to realism Franklin
  D. Roosevelt, 1943
• General disdain for organizations like NATO and
  the UN
• Refused any help from other nations (US and UK
  especially)
• Set out to fix the historical French disunity
• Aggrandizement

8
Liberation Struggles

• From 1940-1944 deals with the British and
  American governments became bitter
• Struggle to be taken seriously
• Fight for complete control

• Absolutist Gaullist views vs.
• (Communists and Vichys)

9
Liberation

• Eisenhowers promises
• August 25th, 1944 Germany surrenders Paris
• Assuming control
• August 26th procession
• French Interference in the rest of the war
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vjYzlerGxXJIfeature
  related
• Le General de Gaulle

10
Post WWII

• Troubles with Left-leaning parties (Communists,
  Socialists, etc.)
• Parliamentary government vs. Gaullist views
• The Parliament is becoming more and more odious
  and stupid...We will be victorious as soon as we
  have swept away this scum, and there is not a
  Frenchman who would not shout for joy, especially
  those who are fighting. de Gaulle, 1915
• Referendum of 1945
• Retired in 1946 from active politics

11
Post WWII

• Bayeux Speech, 1946
• A chief of state must be placed above all
• Strong executive, weak parliament
• Wilderness Years
• Memories of war
• Fourth Republic falls in 1958
• Algerian Crisis
• De Gaulle returns to take control
• Fifth Republic of France formed

12
Later Years

• 1962 Assassination attempt
• Universal Suffrage referendums
• Proof that existing political parties didnt
  represent French populous
• Monarchy of the Republic
• Improved relations with the United States
• Nuclear Power
• Anti-Imperialistic ideas
• Israeli/Palestinian Relations

13
End of an Era

• Widespread criticism
• Prime Minister replaced by popular vote
• Refused to stay in power without popular and
  unwavering support
• Resigned April 28th, 1969
• Died November 9th, 1970

14
Legacy

• Charles de Gaulle remains one of the most
  influential French leaders in history
• France returned to an economic and political
  world power
• Nicolas Sarkozy currently pressing legislation
  reducing Presidents powers

• Increasing Parliaments

Check on Presidents Powers

• Sixth Republic?

15
List of things named after Charles de Gaulle

• France
• Charles de Gaulle International Airport
• Charles de Gaulle, an aircraft carrier in the
  Marine Nationale
• Charles de Gaulle-Étoile, the name of the large
  plaza around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
• Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Neuilly, the extension
  of one of the many avenues in Paris that radiate
  from the Charles de Gaulle-Étoile
• Charles de Gaulle, member of the European
  Parliament for the National Front Party was named
  after his grandfather.
• In addition, a large number of cities and towns
  in France have a street and/or a square named
  after de Gaulle. Considering the number of towns
  where this is the case, it would be impractical
  to attempt to list them all here.
• Belgium
• Avenue du Général de Gaulle (Brussels)
• Brazil
• Avenida General Charles de Gaulle (Sao Paulo)
• Cambodia
• Charles de Gaulle Boulevard (Phnom Penh)
• Cameroon
• Avenue du Général de Gaulle (Duoala)
• Chad
• Avenue Charles de Gaulle (N'djamena)
• Canada
• Boulevard De Gaulle (Lorraine)

16
List of things named after Charles de Gaulle
(Cont.)

• Egypt
• Charles de Gaulle Avenue, formerly known as Giza
  Street, in the Giza area of Cairo
• French Guiana
• Avenue General de Gaulle (Cayenne)
• Germany
• Charles de Gaulle Avenue (Berlin)
• Lycée de Gaulle-Adenauer (Bonn)
• Côte d'Ivoire
• Avenue du Général de Gaulle (Abidjan)
• Lebanon
• General de Gaulle Avenue (Beirut)
• Paraguay
• Calle Charles de Gaulle (Asunción)
• Mexico
• Parque Charles de Gaulle (Guadalajara)
• Poland
• A statue of De Gaulle stands facing Rondo de
  Gaulle'a in Warsaw. It is identical to the one
  near Charles de Gaulle-Étoile in Paris.
• Rondo Charlesa de Gaulle'a, now with an
  artificial palm tree (Warsaw)
• Romania

17
Quotes

• No nation has friends only interests
• Patriotism is when love of your own people comes
  first nationalism, when hate for people other
  than your own comes first.
• I have come to the conclusions that politics are
  too serious a matter to be left to the
  politicians.
• Since a politician doesnt believe what he says,
  he is surprised to be taken at his word.
• I have tried to lift France out of the mud. But
  she will return to her errors and vomitings. I
  cannot prevent the French from being French.
• The cemeteries of the world are all full of
  indispensable men.

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The EndQuestions?
19
Works Cited

• Biography. Charles de Gaulle Foundation.
  Retrieved March 27, 2008, from
• lthttp//www.charles-de-gaulle.org/rubrique.php3?i
  d_rubrique82gt
• Cogan, Charles G. Charles de Gaulle A Brief
  Biography with Documents. New York. 1996.
• Charles de Gaulle. Wikipedia Organization.
  Retrieved March 25, 2008, from
• lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_De_Gaullegt
• Nicolas Sarkozy Plans Constitutional Reforms. The
  Telegraph. Retrieved March 23, 2008, from
• lthttp//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml/
  news/2007/10/30/wfra130.xmlgt