French military and public figure. Full name - Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle. During World War II, it became a symbol of the French Resistance. First President of the Fifth Republic (1959-1969).
Childhood. Carier start
Charles de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890 into a patriotic Catholic family. Although the de Gaulle family is noble, the de in the family name is not a “particle” of noble surnames traditional for France, but the Flemish form of the article. Charles, like his three brothers and sister, was born in Lille in the house of his grandmother, where his mother came every time before giving birth, although the family lived in Paris. His father Henri de Gaulle was a professor of philosophy and literature at the Jesuit school, which greatly influenced Charles. From early childhood he was very fond of reading. The story struck him so much that he had an almost mystical concept of serving France.
Already as a boy, he showed great interest in military affairs. After a year of preparatory training at the Stanislav College in Paris, he is admitted to the Special Military School in Saint-Cyr. He chooses the infantry as his kind of troops: it is more "military", since it is closest to combat operations. The training took place in the 33rd Infantry Regiment under the command of the then Colonel Petain. He graduated from the military college in 1912 in the 13th rank.
World War I
Since the beginning of World War I on August 12, 1914, Lieutenant de Gaulle takes part in hostilities as part of Charles Lanrezac's 5th Army, stationed in the northeast. Already on August 15 in Dinan, he received his first wound, he returned to service after treatment only in October. On March 10, 1915, he was wounded a second time at the Battle of Menil-le-Hurlu. He returned to the 33rd regiment with the rank of captain and became a company commander. In the Battle of Verdun near the village of Duomon in 1916, he was wounded for the third time. Left on the battlefield, he - already posthumously - receives honors from the army. However, Charles survives, is captured by the Germans; he is being treated at Mayenne Hospital and held in various fortresses.
De Gaulle makes five attempts to escape. MN Tukhachevsky, the future Marshal of the Red Army, was also in captivity with him; communication is established between them, including on military-theoretical topics. In captivity, de Gaulle reads German authors, learns more and more about Germany, which later greatly helped him in the military command. It was then that he wrote his first book, Discord in the Camp of the Enemy (published in 1916).
1920s. A family
De Gaulle was released from captivity only after the armistice on November 11, 1918. From 1919 to 1921, de Gaulle was in Poland, where he taught the theory of tactics at the former Imperial Guard School in Rembertow near Warsaw, and in July-August 1920 he fought for a short time on the front of the Soviet-Polish war of 1919-1921 with the rank of major (by the troops of the RSFSR in this conflict, ironically, it is Tukhachevsky who commands). Rejecting the offer of a permanent position in the Polish Army and returning to his homeland, he married Yvonne Vandrou on April 6, 1921. On December 28 of the following year, his son Philip is born, named after the chief - later notorious traitor and de Gaulle's antagonist Marshal Philippe Petain. Captain de Gaulle teaches at the Saint-Cyr school, then in 1922 he was admitted to the Higher Military School. Daughter Elizabeth is born on May 15, 1924. In 1928, the youngest daughter Anna was born, suffering from Down syndrome (the girl died in 1948; later de Gaulle was the trustee of the Foundation for Children with Down Syndrome).
Military theorist
In the 1930s, Lieutenant Colonel, and then Colonel de Gaulle became widely known as the author of military theoretical works, such as For the Professional Army, On the Edge of the Epee, France and Its Army. In his books, de Gaulle, in particular, pointed out the need for the comprehensive development of tank forces as the main weapon of a future war. In this, his works are close to the works of the leading military theorist in Germany - Guderian. However, de Gaulle's proposals did not evoke sympathy from the French military command.
The Second World War. Leader of the Resistance
First declarations
By the beginning of World War II, de Gaulle had the rank of colonel. On May 14, 1940, he was assigned command of the new 4th regiment (5,000 soldiers and 85 tanks). From June 1, he temporarily served as a brigadier general (they did not have time to officially approve him in this rank, and after the war he received only a colonel's pension from the Fourth Republic). On June 6, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud appointed de Gaulle deputy foreign minister during the war. The general invested with this position did not accept the terms of the armistice, and on June 15, after the transfer of power to Marshal Pétain, he emigrated to Great Britain.
It was this moment that became a turning point in de Gaulle's biography. In his Memoirs of Hope, he writes: “On June 18, 1940, responding to the call of his homeland, deprived of any other help to save his soul and honor, de Gaulle, alone, unknown to anyone, had to take responsibility for France ". On this day, the BBC broadcasts de Gaulle's radio address calling for the creation of the Resistance. Leaflets were soon distributed in which the general addressed “To all Frenchmen” (A tous les Français) with a statement:
“France lost the battle, but she did not lose the war! Nothing is lost because this is a world war. The day will come when France will return freedom and greatness ... That is why I appeal to all French people to unite around me in the name of action, self-sacrifice and hope. "
The general accused the Pétain government of betrayal and declared that "in full consciousness of duty he speaks on behalf of France." Other appeals of de Gaulle also appeared.
So de Gaulle became the head of "Free (later -" Fighting ") France" - an organization designed to resist the occupiers and the collaborationist Vichy regime.
At first, he had to face considerable difficulties. “I… at first didn’t represent anything… In France there was no one who could vouch for me, and I didn’t enjoy any fame in the country. Abroad - no trust and justification for my activities. " The formation of the Free French organization was rather protracted. Who knows what de Gaulle's fate would have been if he had not enlisted the support of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The desire to create an alternative to the Vichy government led Churchill to recognize de Gaulle as "the head of all free French" (June 28, 1940) and to help in promoting de Gaulle internationally. Nevertheless, in his memoirs about the Second World War, Churchill does not give a very high assessment to de Gaulle, and considers his cooperation with him forced - there was simply no other alternative.
Control over the colonies. Development of the Resistance
Militarily, the main task was to transfer to the side of the French patriots of the "French Empire" - vast colonial possessions in Africa, Indochina and Oceania. After an unsuccessful attempt to seize Dakar, de Gaulle created in Brazzaville (Congo) the Council of Defense of the Empire, the manifesto on the creation of which began with the words: "We, General de Gaulle (nous général de Gaulle), head of the free French, decree," etc. The council includes the anti-fascist military governors of the French (usually African) colonies: Generals Catroux, Ebouet, Colonel Leclerc. From this point on, de Gaulle emphasized the national and historical roots of his movement. He establishes the Order of the Liberation, the main sign of which is the Lorraine cross with two crossbars - an ancient symbol of the French nation dating back to the era of feudalism. The decree on the creation of the order is reminiscent of the statutes of the orders of the times of royal France.
A great success of the Free French was the establishment shortly after June 22, 1941 of direct ties with the USSR (without hesitation, the Soviet leadership decided to transfer Bogomolov, its ambassador under the Vichy regime, to London). For 1941-1942. the network of partisan organizations in occupied France also grew. Since October 1941, after the first mass shootings of hostages by the Germans, de Gaulle called on all Frenchmen for a total strike and for mass actions of disobedience.
Conflict with allies
Meanwhile, the actions of the "monarch" irritated the West. In the Roosevelt apparatus, they openly talked about the "so-called free French", "sowing poisonous propaganda" and interfering with the conduct of the war. On November 7, 1942, American troops land in Algeria and Morocco and negotiate with local French military leaders who supported Vichy. De Gaulle tried to convince the leaders of England and the United States that cooperation with the Vichy in Algeria would lead to the loss of the moral support of the allies in France. "The United States," de Gaulle said, "brings elementary feelings and complex politics into great things." The contradiction between de Gaulle's patriotic ideals and Roosevelt's indifference in the choice of supporters (“all those who help me solve my problems suit me,” as he openly stated) became one of the most important obstacles to coordinated action in North Africa.
The head of Algeria, Admiral Darlan, by that time had already gone over to the side of the Allies, was killed on December 24, 1942 by 20-year-old Frenchman Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle. A suspiciously quick investigation ended with the hasty shooting of La Chapelle just a day after Darlan's assassination. The Allied leadership appoints General of the Army Henri Giraud as the "civil and military commander-in-chief" of Algeria. In January 1943, at a conference in Casablanca, de Gaulle became aware of the Allied plan: to replace the leadership of the "Fighting France" by a committee headed by Giraud, which was planned to include a large number of people who had supported the Petain government. In Casablanca, de Gaulle is quite understandable intransigence towards such a plan. He insists on the unconditional observance of the country's national interests (in the sense that they were understood in "Fighting France"). This leads to the split of the "Fighting France" into two wings: the nationalist, led by de Gaulle (supported by the British government led by W. Churchill), and the pro-American, grouped around Henri Giraud.
On May 27, 1943, the National Council of the Resistance convened for a constituent secret meeting in Paris, which (under the auspices of de Gaulle) assumed many of the powers to organize the internal struggle in the occupied country. De Gaulle's position was increasingly strengthened, and Giraud was forced to compromise: almost simultaneously with the opening of the NSS, he invited the general to the ruling structures of Algeria. He demands the immediate submission of Giraud (the commander of the troops) to civilian authority. The situation is heating up. Finally, on June 3, 1943, the French Committee for National Liberation was formed, headed by de Gaulle and Giraud as equals. The majority in it, however, are received by Gaullists, and some of his rival's adherents (including Couve de Murville - the future prime minister of the Fifth Republic) - go over to de Gaulle's side. In November 1943, Giraud was removed from the committee. The Giraud story is exactly the moment when the military leader de Gaulle becomes a politician. For the first time, he is faced with the question of political struggle: "Either I, or he." For the first time, de Gaulle uses effective political means of struggle, rather than declarations.
On June 4, 1944, de Gaulle was summoned by Churchill to London. The British Prime Minister announced the upcoming landing of the allied forces in Normandy and, at the same time, about the full support of the Roosevelt line to the full dictate of the will of the United States. De Gaulle was made clear that his services were not needed. In the draft of the appeal, written by gene. D. D. Eisenhower instructed the French people to comply with all the orders of the allied command before the election of legal authorities. It is clear that the De Gaulle Committee was not seen as such in Washington. De Gaulle's sharp protest forced Churchill to grant him the right to speak to the French on the radio separately (and not to join Eisenhower's text). In his address, the general declared the legitimacy of the government formed by the "Fighting France", and strongly opposed plans to subordinate it to the American command.
Liberation of France
On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces successfully landed in Normandy, thus opening a second front in Europe. De Gaulle, after a short stay on liberated French soil, again went to Washington for talks with President Roosevelt, the goal of which is still the same - to restore the independence and greatness of France (a key expression in the general's political vocabulary). “Listening to the American president, I finally became convinced that in business relations between the two states, logic and feeling mean very little in comparison with real power, that here the one who knows how to grab and hold what is captured is appreciated; and if France wants to take its former place, it must rely only on itself, ”de Gaulle writes.
After the Resistance rebels, led by Colonel Rol-Tanguy, open the tank troops of one of de Gaulle's most loyal associates, the military governor of Chad Philippe de Otklok (who went down in history under the name of Leclerc), the way to Paris, de Gaulle arrives in the liberated capital. A grandiose performance takes place - de Gaulle's solemn procession through the streets of Paris, in the presence of a huge crowd of people, to whom a lot of space in the General's Military Memoirs is dedicated. The procession passes by the historical sites of the capital, consecrated by the heroic history of France, and the general confesses: "With every step I take, walking in the most famous places in the world, it seems to me that the glory of the past, as it were, joins the glory of today." De Gaulle never considered himself a politician only of his time, did not put himself in line with such figures as Churchill or Roosevelt, but realized his significance, his mission in the context of centuries-old French history.
Post-war government
Since August 1944, de Gaulle - Chairman of the Council of Ministers of France (Provisional Government). He later describes his short, one and a half year activity in this post as "salvation." France had to be “saved” from the plans of the Anglo-American bloc: the partial remilitarization of Germany, the exclusion of France from the ranks of the great powers. And in Dumbarton Oaks, at the conference of the Great Powers on the creation of the UN, and at the Yalta conference in January 1945, the representatives of France are absent. Shortly before the Yalta meeting, de Gaulle went to Moscow to conclude an alliance with the USSR in the face of the Anglo-American danger. The general first visited Moscow from 2 to 10 December 1944. On the last day of this visit in the Kremlin, JV Stalin and de Gaulle signed an agreement on "alliance and military assistance." The significance of this act was primarily in the return of France to the status of a great power and its recognition among the victorious states. The French general Delattre de Tassigny, together with the generals of the allied powers, receives the surrender of the German armed forces in Karlshorst on the night of May 8-9, 1945. For France, the occupation zones in Germany and Austria have been set aside.
This period was marked by an aggravated contradiction between the foreign policy "greatness" of the country and not the best internal situation. After the war, the standard of living remained low, unemployment grew against the background of the strengthening military-industrial complex. It was not even possible to properly define the political structure of the country. Elections to the Constituent Assembly did not give advantages to any party (the relative majority - which eloquently testifies to the situation - was won by the Communists, Maurice Torez became Deputy Prime Minister), the draft Constitution was repeatedly rejected. After one of the regular conflicts over the expansion of the military budget, on January 20, 1946, de Gaulle left his post as head of government and retired to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, a small estate in Champagne (Haute Marne department). He himself compares his position with the expulsion of Napoleon. But, unlike the idol of his youth, de Gaulle has the opportunity to observe French politics from the outside - not without hope to return to it.
, Statesman, Minister, Prime Minister, President
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) - French politician and statesman, founder and first president (1959-1969) of the Fifth Republic. In 1940 he founded in London the patriotic movement "Free France" (since 1942 "Fighting France"), which joined the anti-Hitler coalition; in 1941 he became the head of the French National Committee, in 1943 - the French Committee for National Liberation, created in Algeria. In 1944 - January 1946 de Gaulle was the head of the Provisional Government of France. After the war, he was the founder and leader of the Unification of the French People party. In 1958, Prime Minister of France. On the initiative of de Gaulle, a new constitution was prepared (1958), which expanded the rights of the president. During his presidency, France carried out plans to create its own nuclear forces, withdrew from the NATO military organization; Soviet-French cooperation developed significantly.
In this world, no one can separate opinion from politics.
de Gaulle Charles
Origin. Formation of a worldview
Charles de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890, in Lille, into an aristocratic family and was brought up in the spirit of patriotism and Catholicism. In 1912 he graduated from the Saint-Cyr military school, becoming a professional military man. He fought on the fields of the First World War 1914-1918, was captured, was released in 1918.
De Gaulle's worldview was influenced by such contemporaries as the philosophers Henri Bergson and Emile Boutroux, the writer Maurice Barres, the poet and publicist Charles Peguy.
Back in the interwar period, Charles became an adherent of French nationalism and a supporter of a strong executive power. This is confirmed by the books published by de Gaulle in the 1920s-1930s - "Discord in the enemy's country" (1924), "On the edge of the sword" (1932), "For the professional army" (1934), "France and its army" (1938). In these works devoted to military problems, de Gaulle was essentially the first in France to predict the decisive role of armored forces in a future war.
Humans, in essence, can do no more without management than they can eat, drink, and sleep. These political animals need organization, that is, order and leaders.
de Gaulle Charles
The Second World War
The Second World War, at the beginning of which Charles de Gaulle received the rank of general, turned his whole life upside down. He decisively refused the armistice concluded by Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain with Nazi Germany, and flew to England to organize the struggle for the liberation of France. On June 18, 1940, de Gaulle spoke on London radio with an appeal to his compatriots, in which he urged them not to lay down their arms and to join the Free France association founded by him in exile (after 1942 Fighting France).
At the first stage of the war, de Gaulle directed his main efforts towards establishing control over the French colonies, which were under the rule of the pro-fascist Vichy government. As a result, Chad, Congo, Ubangi Shari, Gabon, Cameroon and later other colonies joined the Free French. Free French officers and soldiers were constantly involved in Allied military operations. De Gaulle strove to build relations with Britain, the USA and the USSR on the basis of equality and the defense of the national interests of France. After the landing of Anglo-American troops in North Africa in June 1943, the French Committee for National Liberation (FCNL) was created in the city of Algeria. Charles de Gaulle was appointed its co-chairman (along with General Henri Giraud), and then the sole chairman.
When I want to know what France thinks, I ask myself.
de Gaulle Charles
In June 1944, the FKNO was renamed the Provisional Government of the French Republic. De Gaulle became its first head. Under his leadership, the government restored democratic freedoms in France and carried out socio-economic reforms. In January 1946, de Gaulle resigned as prime minister, diverging views on basic domestic political issues with representatives of the left parties of France.
Charles de Gaulle during the Fourth Republic
In the same year, the Fourth Republic was established in France. According to the 1946 Constitution, the real power in the country belonged not to the president of the republic (as de Gaulle suggested), but to the National Assembly. In 1947 de Gaulle again joined the political life of France. He founded the Association of the French People (RPF). The main goal of the RPF was to fight for the abolition of the 1946 Constitution and the conquest of power by parliamentary means to establish a new political regime in the spirit of de Gaulle's ideas. The RPF was initially a great success. 1 million people joined its ranks. But the Gaullists failed to achieve their goal. In 1953, de Gaulle dissolved the RPF and retired from political activities. During this period, Gaullism finally took shape as an ideological and political trend (ideas of the state and "national greatness" of France, social policy).
Politics is too serious a matter to be trusted by its politicians.
de Gaulle Charles
Fifth Republic
The 1958 Algerian crisis (Algeria's struggle for independence) paved the way for de Gaulle to power. Under his direct leadership, the 1958 Constitution was developed, which significantly expanded the prerogatives of the country's president (executive branch) at the expense of parliament. This is how the Fifth Republic, which still exists today, began its history. Charles de Gaulle was elected its first president for a seven-year term. The primary task of the president and the government was to resolve the "Algerian problem".
De Gaulle firmly pursued the course of self-determination of Algeria, despite the most serious opposition (the mutinies of the French army and ultra-colonialists in 1960-1961, the terrorist activities of the SLA, a number of attempts on de Gaulle's life). Algeria was granted independence after the signing of the Evian Accords in April 1962. In October of the same year, at a general referendum, the most important amendment to the 1958 Constitution was adopted - on the election of the president of the republic by universal suffrage. On its basis, in 1965, de Gaulle was re-elected president for a new seven-year term.
You will live. Only the best are killed.
de Gaulle Charles
Charles de Gaulle strove to implement his foreign policy in line with his idea of the "national greatness" of France. He insisted on the equality of France, the United States and Great Britain within NATO. Failing to achieve success, the president in 1966 withdrew France from the military organization of NATO. In relations with the FRG, de Gaulle managed to achieve noticeable results. In 1963, a Franco-German cooperation agreement was signed. De Gaulle was one of the first to put forward the idea of a "united Europe". He thought of it as a "Europe of fatherlands", in which each country would retain its political independence and national identity. De Gaulle was a supporter of the idea of easing international tension. He set his country on the path of cooperation with the USSR, China and third world countries.
Charles de Gaulle paid less attention to domestic policy than to foreign policy. Student riots in May 1968 testified to a serious crisis that gripped French society. Soon, the president put forward to a general referendum a project on a new administrative division of France and a reform of the Senate. However, the project did not receive the approval of the majority of the French. In April 1969, de Gaulle voluntarily resigned, finally giving up political activity.
When I'm right, I'm usually angry. And he gets angry when he is wrong. And so it turned out that we were very often angry with each other.
de Gaulle Charles
How General de Gaulle defeated America
In 1965, General Charles de Gaulle flew to the United States and, at a meeting with American President Lyndon Johnson, announced that he intended to exchange 1.5 billion paper dollars for gold at the official rate of $ 35 per ounce. Johnson was informed that a French ship loaded with dollars was in New York port, and a French plane had landed at the airport with the same cargo on board. Johnson promised the French president serious problems. De Gaulle responded by announcing the evacuation of NATO headquarters, 29 NATO and US military bases and the withdrawal of 33,000 alliance troops from France.
In the end, both were done.
GOLL CHARLES DE - statesman of France, president of the Fifth Republic (1959-1969).
Born into an aristocratic family. In 1912 he graduated from the Saint-Cyr military school. Member of the 1st World War, was wounded three times. In 1916-1918 he was in German captivity. In 1919-1921 he was an officer of the French military mission in Poland.
In 1922-1924 he studied at the Higher Military School in Paris. In 1925-1931 he served in the headquarters of the vice-chairman of the Supreme Military Council of France, Marshal A.F. Peten, in the Rhineland and Lebanon.
In 1932-1936, Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Defense. In 1937-1939, the commander of a tank regiment.
At the beginning of World War II, he commanded a tank corps of the 5th French army (1939), in May 1940 he led the 4th armored division and was promoted to brigadier general. 5/5/1940 appointed Deputy Minister of War. After the government of A.F. Petain (6/16/1940) flew to Great Britain and on 6/18/1940 addressed the French on the radio with an appeal to continue the fight against Nazi Germany. While in exile, he headed the Free France movement, which joined the anti-Hitler coalition.
In June 1943, after the landing of Anglo-American troops in North Africa, he created the French Committee for National Liberation in Algeria (FKNO; he headed it until November 1943 together with General A.O. Giraud, then alone).
Since June 1944, after the FKNO was renamed into the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the head of the government. The cabinet led by Gaulle restored democratic freedoms in France, nationalized a number of industries and carried out socio-economic reforms.
In December 1944 he paid an official visit to the USSR and signed the Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance between the USSR and the French Republic.
In January 1946, due to disagreements on basic domestic political issues with representatives of leftist parties, he left the post of head of government. In 1947, he founded the Unification of the French People (RPF) party, whose main goal was to abolish the 1946 Constitution, which transferred real power in the country to the National Assembly, and not to the president, as Gaul wanted. The RPF advocated the creation of a state with a strong presidential power, France's independent policy in the international arena and the creation of conditions for the "association of labor and capital."
Unable to come to power with the help of the RPF, Gaul dissolved it in 1953 and temporarily retired from active political activity. 1.6.1958, amid an acute political crisis caused by the military mutiny in Algeria, the National Assembly approved Gaul as head of government. Under his leadership, the 1958 Constitution was developed, which narrowed the powers of parliament and significantly expanded the rights of the president. In October 1958, Gaulle's supporters united in the Union for a New Republic (YNR) party, which declared itself "completely devoted" to his "ideas and personality."
On December 21, 1958, Gaulle was elected president; on December 19, 1965, he was re-elected for a new, 7-year term. In this post, overcoming the resistance of the ultra-colonialists and part of the military, he achieved the granting of independence to Algeria (see the Evian agreements of 1962), pursued a course to increase the role of France in solving European and world problems.
During Gaul's reign, France became a nuclear power (January 1960); in 1966, having failed to achieve equality with the United States and Great Britain in NATO, she left the military organization of this alliance. In 1964, the French leadership condemned the US aggression against Vietnam, and in 1967 the Israeli aggression against the Arab states. As a supporter of European integration, Gaulle understood "United Europe" as "Europe of the Fatherland", in which each country must preserve its political independence and national identity. Gaulle advocated a rapprochement between France and the FRG, in 1963 he signed a Franco-German cooperation agreement. Twice (in 1963, 1967) he vetoed Britain's accession to the EEC, not wanting to admit to this organization a strong competitor closely connected with the United States and capable of claiming leadership in Western Europe. Gaulle was one of the first to put forward the idea of easing international tension. During the years of Gaulle's rule, cooperation between France and the USSR developed significantly. In 1964, France recognized the People's Republic of China and established diplomatic relations with it.
In May 1968, student riots gripped France, which escalated into a general strike (see the 1968 General Strike in France), which indicated a deep crisis in French society. Gaulle voluntarily resigned as president of the republic and withdrew from political activity after the referendum on April 28, 1969 did not receive the support of the majority of the population for his proposals for reforming the Senate and changing the administrative-territorial structure of France. Gaulle devoted the last year and a half of his life to writing his memoirs.
Illustrations:
BDT Archive.
Compositions:
La discorde chez l'ennemi. R., 1924;
Professional army. M., 1935;
La France et son armé. R., 1938;
Discours et messages. R., 1970. Vol. 1-5;
Lettres, notes et carnets. R., 1980-1997. Vol. 1-13
The content of the article
DE Gaulle, CHARLES(De Gaulle, Charles André Marie) (1890-1970), President of France. Born November 22, 1890 in Lille. In 1912 he graduated from the Military Academy of Saint-Cyr. During the First World War, he was wounded three times and taken prisoner near Verdun in 1916. In 1920-1921, with the rank of major, he served in Poland at the headquarters of the military mission of General Weygand. In the period between the two world wars, de Gaulle taught military history at the School of Saint-Cyr, served as assistant to Marshal Petain, and wrote several books on military strategy and tactics. In one of them, called For the professional army(1934), insisted on the mechanization of ground forces and the use of tanks in cooperation with aviation and infantry.
Leader of the French Resistance during the Second World War.
In April 1940, de Gaulle was promoted to brigadier general. On June 6, he was appointed Deputy Minister of National Defense. On June 16, 1940, when Marshal Petain was negotiating surrender, de Gaulle flew to London, from where on June 18 he sent a radio call to his compatriots to continue the fight against the invaders. He founded the Free France movement in London. After the landing of Anglo-American troops in North Africa in June 1943, the French Committee for National Liberation (FKLO) was created in Algeria. De Gaulle was first appointed as its co-chairman (together with General Henri Giraud), and then as sole chairman. In June 1944, the FKNO was renamed the Provisional Government of the French Republic.
Political activity after the war.
After the liberation of France in August 1944, de Gaulle returned to Paris in triumph as head of the provisional government. However, the Gaullist principle of strong executive power was rejected in late 1945 by voters who opted for a constitution much like that of the Third Republic. In January 1946 de Gaulle resigned.
In 1947, de Gaulle founded a new party - the Unification of the French People (RPF), whose main goal was to fight for the abolition of the 1946 Constitution, which proclaimed the Fourth Republic. However, the RPF failed to achieve the desired result, and in 1955 the party was disbanded.
In order to preserve the prestige of France and strengthen its national security, de Gaulle supported the European Reconstruction Program and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the course of the coordination of the armed forces of Western Europe at the end of 1948, thanks to the influence of de Gaulle, the command of the ground forces and the navy was transferred to the French. Like many French people, de Gaulle continued to be suspicious of a "strong Germany" and in 1949 opposed the Bonn Constitution, which ended the Western military occupation, but did not comply with the plans of Schumann and Pleven (1951).
In 1953 de Gaulle retired from political activity, settled in his home in Colombey-les-deux-Eglise and began to write his War memoirs.
In 1958, the protracted colonial war in Algeria caused an acute political crisis. On May 13, 1958, ultra-colonialists and representatives of the French army revolted in the Algerian capital. They were soon joined by supporters of General de Gaulle. All of them were in favor of keeping Algeria part of France. The general himself, with the support of his supporters, skillfully took advantage of this and achieved the consent of the National Assembly to create his own government on the terms dictated by him.
Fifth Republic.
The first years after his return to power, de Gaulle was engaged in strengthening the Fifth Republic, financial reform, and the search for a solution to the Algerian issue. On September 28, 1958, a new constitution of the country was adopted at a referendum.
December 21, 1958 de Gaulle was elected president of the republic. Under his leadership, the influence of France in the international arena increased. However, in colonial politics, de Gaulle ran into problems. Having embarked on a settlement of the Algerian problem, de Gaulle firmly pursued the course of self-determination for Algeria. In response to this followed the revolts of the French army and ultra-colonialists in 1960 and 1961, the terrorist activities of the Armed Secret Organization (OAS), an attempt on de Gaulle's life. Nevertheless, after the signing of the Evian Accords, Algeria gained independence.
In September 1962, de Gaulle proposed an amendment to the constitution, according to which the election of the president of the republic should be held by universal suffrage. Faced with resistance from the National Assembly, he decided to resort to a referendum. In a referendum held in October, the amendment was approved by a majority vote. The November elections brought victory to the Gaullist party.
In 1963, de Gaulle vetoed accession to the British Common Market, blocked an attempt by the United States to supply nuclear missiles to NATO, and refused to sign an agreement on a partial ban on nuclear weapons tests. His foreign policy led to a new alliance between France and West Germany. In 1963 de Gaulle visited the Middle East and the Balkans, and in 1964 - Latin America.
On December 21, 1965, de Gaulle was re-elected to the presidency for the next 7-year term. The long-standing opposition to NATO culminated in early 1966, when the French president withdrew his country from the bloc's military organization. Nevertheless, France remained a member of the Atlantic Alliance.
The elections to the National Assembly in March 1967 brought the Gaullist Party and its allies a small majority, and in May 1968 student riots and a nationwide strike broke out. The President again dissolved the National Assembly and called for new elections, which were won by the Gaullists. On April 28, 1969, after being defeated in the April 27 referendum on the reorganization of the Senate, de Gaulle resigned.
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DE Gaulle, CHARLES(De Gaulle, Charles André Marie) (1890-1970), President of France. Born November 22, 1890 in Lille. In 1912 he graduated from the Military Academy of Saint-Cyr. During the First World War, he was wounded three times and taken prisoner near Verdun in 1916. In 1920-1921, with the rank of major, he served in Poland at the headquarters of the military mission of General Weygand. In the period between the two world wars, de Gaulle taught military history at the School of Saint-Cyr, served as assistant to Marshal Petain, and wrote several books on military strategy and tactics. In one of them, called For the professional army(1934), insisted on the mechanization of ground forces and the use of tanks in cooperation with aviation and infantry.
Leader of the French Resistance during the Second World War.
In April 1940, de Gaulle was promoted to brigadier general. On June 6, he was appointed Deputy Minister of National Defense. On June 16, 1940, when Marshal Petain was negotiating surrender, de Gaulle flew to London, from where on June 18 he sent a radio call to his compatriots to continue the fight against the invaders. He founded the Free France movement in London. After the landing of Anglo-American troops in North Africa in June 1943, the French Committee for National Liberation (FKLO) was created in Algeria. De Gaulle was first appointed as its co-chairman (together with General Henri Giraud), and then as sole chairman. In June 1944, the FKNO was renamed the Provisional Government of the French Republic.
Political activity after the war.
After the liberation of France in August 1944, de Gaulle returned to Paris in triumph as head of the provisional government. However, the Gaullist principle of strong executive power was rejected in late 1945 by voters who opted for a constitution much like that of the Third Republic. In January 1946 de Gaulle resigned.
In 1947, de Gaulle founded a new party - the Unification of the French People (RPF), whose main goal was to fight for the abolition of the 1946 Constitution, which proclaimed the Fourth Republic. However, the RPF failed to achieve the desired result, and in 1955 the party was disbanded.
In order to preserve the prestige of France and strengthen its national security, de Gaulle supported the European Reconstruction Program and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the course of the coordination of the armed forces of Western Europe at the end of 1948, thanks to the influence of de Gaulle, the command of the ground forces and the navy was transferred to the French. Like many French people, de Gaulle continued to be suspicious of a "strong Germany" and in 1949 opposed the Bonn Constitution, which ended the Western military occupation, but did not comply with the plans of Schumann and Pleven (1951).
In 1953 de Gaulle retired from political activity, settled in his home in Colombey-les-deux-Eglise and began to write his War memoirs.
In 1958, the protracted colonial war in Algeria caused an acute political crisis. On May 13, 1958, ultra-colonialists and representatives of the French army revolted in the Algerian capital. They were soon joined by supporters of General de Gaulle. All of them were in favor of keeping Algeria part of France. The general himself, with the support of his supporters, skillfully took advantage of this and achieved the consent of the National Assembly to create his own government on the terms dictated by him.
Fifth Republic.
The first years after his return to power, de Gaulle was engaged in strengthening the Fifth Republic, financial reform, and the search for a solution to the Algerian issue. On September 28, 1958, a new constitution of the country was adopted at a referendum.
December 21, 1958 de Gaulle was elected president of the republic. Under his leadership, the influence of France in the international arena increased. However, in colonial politics, de Gaulle ran into problems. Having embarked on a settlement of the Algerian problem, de Gaulle firmly pursued the course of self-determination for Algeria. In response to this followed the revolts of the French army and ultra-colonialists in 1960 and 1961, the terrorist activities of the Armed Secret Organization (OAS), an attempt on de Gaulle's life. Nevertheless, after the signing of the Evian Accords, Algeria gained independence.
In September 1962, de Gaulle proposed an amendment to the constitution, according to which the election of the president of the republic should be held by universal suffrage. Faced with resistance from the National Assembly, he decided to resort to a referendum. In a referendum held in October, the amendment was approved by a majority vote. The November elections brought victory to the Gaullist party.
In 1963, de Gaulle vetoed accession to the British Common Market, blocked an attempt by the United States to supply nuclear missiles to NATO, and refused to sign an agreement on a partial ban on nuclear weapons tests. His foreign policy led to a new alliance between France and West Germany. In 1963 de Gaulle visited the Middle East and the Balkans, and in 1964 - Latin America.
On December 21, 1965, de Gaulle was re-elected to the presidency for the next 7-year term. The long-standing opposition to NATO culminated in early 1966, when the French president withdrew his country from the bloc's military organization. Nevertheless, France remained a member of the Atlantic Alliance.
The elections to the National Assembly in March 1967 brought the Gaullist Party and its allies a small majority, and in May 1968 student riots and a nationwide strike broke out. The President again dissolved the National Assembly and called for new elections, which were won by the Gaullists. On April 28, 1969, after being defeated in the April 27 referendum on the reorganization of the Senate, de Gaulle resigned.
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