BIOGRAPHY:

Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Resistance movement, was interested in military affairs as a child; in his youth he wrote manifestos, taught the art of tactics, and dreamed of being on the battlefield. Largely thanks to his audacity and skill in studying the enemy, France was freed from the oppression of Nazi Germany in 1944. Now de Gaulle is a major historical figure, standing on a par with Napoleon I.

Childhood and youth:

Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890 in Lille, France. The third of five children of professor of literature and history Henri de Gaulle and Jeanne (nee Mayo), the daughter of wealthy entrepreneurs.

His father was involved in the education of Charles, his three brothers and sister: he talked about the history of France, encouraged the children’s interest in philosophy and eloquence. A sensitive mother, who described how she cried during France’s surrender to the Germans at Sedan in 1870, encouraged Charles to study the art of war on his own.

Already at the age of 10, Charles studied adult literature: medieval history, the works of philosophers Henri Bergson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Immanuel Kant, Plato. Young Charles dreamed of taking revenge on Germany for 1870. At the age of 15, the boy wrote the essay “General de Gaulle,” imagining himself as the ruler of a French army marching to victory.

Military service:

Good performance at the Collège Stanislas in Paris secured de Gaulle a place at the special military school Saint-Cyr in 1909. They say that the young man was inclined towards a career as a writer or historian, but chose a different path to please his father. Later in his War Memoirs, de Gaulle wrote:

“Joining the army is the greatest event in my biography.”

The young man served in the 33rd Infantry Regiment of the French Army, a unit that took part in the battles of Borodino, Austerlitz, and the Battle of Wagram. The regiment was commanded by Philippe Pétain, who became de Gaulle’s mentor for the next 15 years.

In August 1914, World War I came to France. The 33rd Infantry Regiment was sent on reconnaissance to the Belgian city of Dinan. 3 days after entering the battle with the Germans, de Gaulle was wounded in the knee. The second time the bullet hit his left arm. Interesting fact: the blood turned out to be infected, the hand was mutilated, so Charles was forced to wear a wedding ring on his right hand all his life.

During the third wound, de Gaulle lost consciousness and was captured by the Germans for 32 months. He tried to escape 5 times: he hid in a laundry basket, dug a tunnel in the wall, and even posed as a nurse. The guy fell into despair at the thought that the war was going on without his participation. De Gaulle met victory while still in captivity, and returned home on December 1, 1918. After the First World War, de Gaulle instructed the Polish infantry in battles with Russia in 1919-1921, gave lectures on tactics, and wrote military works. In September 1927, he was appointed commander of the 19th battalion of the elite infantry of the French army.

Charles believed that victory could be achieved with the help of tanks and quick maneuvers. In 1934, the man issued “Address to the Army” (“Vers l’Armée de Métier”), in which he proposed reform to mechanize the infantry. De Gaulle claimed that he could win the war with 100 thousand infantry and 3 thousand tanks. On the eve of World War II, the Frenchman was appointed commander of 80 “light” tanks, which he called “specks of dust.”

De Gaulle’s finest hour came in 1940. On May 10, Germany declared war on Europe, and on May 15, it broke through to Sedan. Charles’s unit had to buy time. On May 17, the commander lost 23 of 90 tanks, and the next day his strength reached 150 units. Fierce fighting by de Gaulle forced the Germans to retreat briefly to Comona. On May 23, Charles was named General for his valor.

The French government did not want war. Together with Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the authorities of the republic advocated an armistice with Germany. Not wanting to extend a hand to his enemies, on June 18, 1940, de Gaulle, through British radio, called on the French people to create a Resistance movement. On June 22, France and Germany signed an armistice.

Political activity:

The Vichy regime was established in France, in other words, occupation. Winston Churchill understood that someone as passionate as de Gaulle could break the ring. On June 24, the British Prime Minister recognized de Gaulle as “the head of all free Frenchmen” and instructed to provide him with a safe route to enter France.

Exactly one year later, on June 22, 1941, de Gaulle established contact with Joseph Stalin, Generalissimo of the USSR. He supported the Frenchman “from the air”: the alliance between de Gaulle and Stalin led to the creation of the legendary Normandy-Niemen squadron. These aircraft played a key role in the fight against the Nazi coalition.

In 1944, de Gaulle was greeted in liberated Paris as a hero: he was credited with liberating France from occupation. In August of the same year, Charles headed the Provisional Government.

The war-stricken country demanded a restructuring of the state system. Faced with this complexity, de Gaulle broke down: on January 20, 1945, he left the post of chairman of the Provisional Government due to a dispute about the form of government – de Gaulle wanted to become the full-fledged president of France, and most politicians advocated parliamentary control over the government.

Charles declared war on the Fourth Republic (France from 1946-1958), calling himself the only possible contender for government. The political elite did not hear his appeals, and then de Gaulle went to live in Colombe-les-Deux-Eglises, a marginal French colony, for 5 years.

Here the general wrote the famous “War Memoirs” in 3 volumes: “Conscription”, “Unity”, “Salvation”. He thought about the war, imagined himself at the helm of the state, said that France must be given into the hands of what will go to greatness, “otherwise it may find itself in mortal danger.”

De Gaulle’s internal crisis echoed the crisis in France. The Algerian War, poverty and unemployment brought the republic to a dangerous edge, and ultimately the leadership turned to de Gaulle with a demand to “break the silence” and form a “government of public trust.” The politician spoke on the radio with the assurance that he was “ready to assume all the powers of the republic.” On June 1, 1958, de Gaulle was declared Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

This time, the leaders of France accepted all of de Gaulle’s proposals on the political system. He decided that the powers to govern the country should be in the hands of the president, who appoints ministers and, above all, the prime minister. The postulates formed the basis of the constitution by which France still lives. The adoption of the main state document in 1958 dates back to the formation of the Fifth Republic under the leadership of de Gaulle.

De Gaulle’s activities were aimed primarily at foreign policy. In 1960, he granted independence to Vietnam and Cambodia, and in 1962 to Algeria and a dozen African states. In these countries there remained citizens who loved France, therefore, by “spinning off” friendly territories, de Gaulle secured support for himself on the world stage.

In 1965, France left NATO and refused to use the dollar in international payments. For the country, the gold standard became the currency of diplomacy. Changes also occurred in the internal politics of the Fifth Republic. De Gaulle advocated the creation of unique nuclear weapons, because possessing them meant being a world power. Testing of the dangerous substance stopped only with Francois Mitterrand coming to power in 1981.

In 1965, de Gaulle’s 7-year reign was coming to an end. Confident in his abilities, the politician insisted on introducing direct elections, that is, by popular vote. The move turned out to be dangerous: de Gaulle received 54%, and Mitterrand, who harshly criticized the Fifth Republic, received 45%.

The sharp decline in de Gaulle’s popularity was facilitated by the arms race, which was not needed by the common people, the total liquidation of peasant farms, and the monopoly on television and radio. The politician was called a “dictator gone crazy.” The frequency of assassination attempts on de Gaulle increased. By the way, his life was threatened a record number of times – 32.

On May 2, 1968, students called for the resignation of the president. A rebellion demanding the opening of the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Paris, which had been closed after similar uprisings against the authorities, grew into a national revolt. 10 million people took to the streets. To save the country from civil war, the president proposed to give him “broad powers” ​​to “renew” France, but he did not specify what powers. The proposal was met with hostility.

Personal life:

On April 6, 1921, Yvonne Vandroux became de Gaulle’s wife. Their happy personal life lasted half a century, until de Gaulle’s death in 1970.

On December 28, 1921, a son, Philip, was born into the union, named after Philippe Pétain. On May 15, 1924, a daughter, Elizabeth, was born, and in 1928, Anna, who suffered from Down syndrome. The girl lived for 20 years. Her illness led de Gaulle to subsequently become a trustee of the Down Syndrome Foundation.

Resignation and death:

De Gaulle’s “renewal” consisted of reorganizing the Senate into an economic and social body serving the benefit of entrepreneurs and trade unions. This was supposed to combat unemployment. When putting the reform to a referendum, de Gaulle announced that if the proposal was not supported, he would resign. On April 28, 1969, de Gaulle, having learned the results, telegraphed the country’s Prime Minister from Colombe:

“I cease to serve as President of the Republic. This decision comes into effect at noon today."

Political life gave way to a quiet existence with his wife Yvonne and daughter Elizabeth in Ireland and Spain. De Gaulle wrote “Memoirs of Hope”, which he did not manage to finish, reaching only until 1962.

On November 9, 1970, less than a month short of his 80th birthday, Charles de Gaulle died. The cause of death was aortic rupture. On November 12, the man was buried in the village cemetery in Colombe next to his daughter Anna. Judging by the photo of the grave, later Yvonne shared the last monastery with her relatives. Charles’s hearse was very eccentric – an armored car with a dismantled turret.

Memory:

In the last years of his reign, de Gaulle was not the most popular figure, but in memory of him, mourning was declared in France for the second time in history (after Napoleon I). Announcing the death of the ex-president, his successor Georges Pompidou said:

"General de Gaulle died, France became a widow."

The airport in Paris, the square on which the Arc de Triomphe is installed, and a nuclear aircraft carrier are named after de Gaulle. A monument appeared near the Champs Elysees in 2000. By the way, the second monument stands in Moscow in front of the Cosmos Hotel, and the square is named after Charles de Gaulle.

Awards:

• Legion of Honor
• National Order of Merit
• Order of Liberation
• Order of the Black Star
• Royal Order of Cambodia
• Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam
• Order of the Star of Anjouan
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• Royal Victorian Order
• Order of the Renaissance of Poland
• Order of the White Rose of Finland
• Order of a Million Elephants and White Umbrella
• Order of the Savior

The best books by Charles Andre Marie de Gaulle:

Battle for Europe. From World War II to cold war:

Charles de Gaulle is one of the most significant political figures of the 20th century. During World War II, de Gaulle became a symbol of the French Resistance, then led France as president from 1959 to 1969. In his extensive memoirs, on which this book is based, Charles de Gaulle talks about the battle for France and Europe, which was fought during the Second World War and its aftermath; he describes in detail the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition, his relations with Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, and later with Khrushchev, Eisenhower and Kennedy. Much attention in the book is paid to the project of a “pan-European big house from the Atlantic to the Urals,” in which Russia is given an important place. Despite his rejection of the communist system, de Gaulle considered an alliance with Russia the only guarantee against American hegemony in Europe. 4.8 War memoirs. Volume 1.

War memoirs. Volume 1. Call. 1940-1942:

De Gaulle’s memoirs provide an opportunity to see through the eyes of a World War II hero, founder of the Free French movement and head of the French Resistance, France’s selfless struggle against fascist occupation. The dramatic events of the Second World War are described in lively, vivid language, in the author’s unique manner with the most interesting details. In the middle of the 20th century, the world recognized de Gaulle as a new, personified symbol of France. On the pages of the book, de Gaulle appears as a unique personality, a leader of the nation, whose clear mind, patriotism, impeccable analytical skills, oratorical talent and unbending will to achieve goals helped France win the most difficult and most important victory in its history.

Stalin. Marshal who won the war:

Charles de Gaulle, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill are outstanding political figures of the 20th century, leaders of France, the USA and England in the most difficult, dramatic moments in the life of these states. They repeatedly met with Joseph Stalin, negotiated about the fate of the world, about the war, about economic problems in relation to their countries and much more. The memoirs they left behind present the image of the Father of Nations as they saw him, with many interesting details and unexpected touches. Despite the difference in approaches to Stalin’s personality and policies, in the memoirs of Churchill, Roosevelt and de Gaulle there is a high assessment of his activities as the leader of the Soviet state. The book is illustrated with many unique photographs dedicated to Stalin’s meetings with these great politicians.

On the edge of the sword:

This book is about the rarest quality of both a politician and a military man. About the courage of the decision and responsibility for it. Regardless of the content, the essay can surprise the Russian reader, who is by no means spoiled after Peter the Great and Suvorov.

Help to Russia. The Great Patriotic War in Memories:

Memoirs of W. Churchill, C. de Gaulle, C. Hall, W. Legy and D. Eisenhower are dedicated to the cooperation of the USSR and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition during the Great Patriotic War. In those years, they stood at the center of political and military events, playing a decisive role in shaping the policies of their countries, planning and carrying out strategic operations against the Axis powers. Memoirs of prominent Western figures make it possible to more fully illuminate the events of those years and show the degree of participation of each side in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Memoirs of W. Churchill, C. de Gaulle, C. Hall, W. Legy and D. Eisenhower are dedicated to the cooperation of the USSR and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition during the Great Patriotic War. In those years, they stood at the center of political and military events, playing a decisive role in shaping the policies of their countries, planning and carrying out strategic operations against the Axis powers. Memoirs of prominent Western figures make it possible to more fully illuminate the events of those years and show the degree of participation of each side in the defeat of Nazi Germany.