Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle (1890-1970) - French statesman, general. During World War II, it was recognized as a symbol of the French Resistance. Considered the founder and was the first president of the Fifth Republic. Twice he led the country and each time took it at the peak of a national catastrophe, and during his reign he raised the economy and international prestige of France. During his eighty-year life, he managed to become the second greatest national hero after Joan of Arc.
Childhood
Charles was born on November 22, 1890 in the French city of Lille. My grandmother lived here, and my mother came to her every time to give birth. Charles also had a sister and three brothers. Having recovered a little from the birth, the mother and baby returned to Paris to her family. De Gaulle lived quite prosperously, professed Catholicism and were deeply patriotic people.
Charles's dad, Henri de Gaulle, born in 1848, was a thinker and educated person. He was brought up in patriotic traditions, as a result of which Henri believed in the high mission of France. He had a professorship and taught philosophy, history and literature at a Jesuit school. All this had a huge impact on little Charles. WITH early years the boy really liked reading. The father thoroughly introduced his son to French history and culture. This knowledge made such an impression on the child that he developed a mystical concept - it is obligatory to serve his country.
Mom, Zhanna Mayo, loved her homeland infinitely. This feeling was comparable only to her piety. The parents raised their children in this spirit of patriotism; all five of them loved their country from childhood and were worried about its fate. Little Charles was literally in awe of the French heroine Joan of Arc. Moreover, the de Gaulle family, although indirectly, was connected with this great French woman, their ancestor took part in the D’Arc campaign. Charles was incredibly proud and repeatedly repeated this fact, even when he became an adult, and therefore received the nickname “Joan of Arc with a mustache” from the sharp-tongued Churchill.
When Charles was a little boy and suddenly began to cry for some reason, his father came up to him and said: “Son, do generals cry?” And the child fell silent. From an early age, Charles felt that his fate was predetermined: he would definitely be a military man, and not a simple man, but a general.
College studies
He showed great interest in military affairs; from childhood he knew how to organize and educate himself. For example, Charles independently invented and learned an encrypted language, when all the words are read backwards. It should be noted that in French this is much more difficult to do than in English or Russian. The boy trained himself so much that he could speak long phrases in this way without hesitation. At the same time, his ability to manage people and obsessive persistence manifested itself, because Charles forced his brothers and sister to learn the encrypted language.
He also independently developed willpower. If all his lessons were not learned, Charles forbade himself to sit down to dinner. When it seemed to him that he had not completed some task well enough, the boy deprived himself of dessert. De Gaulle was eleven years old when his parents sent him to a Jesuit college in Paris. The boy was in class with mathematical bias and graduated in 1908.
In his early youth, Charles also developed a thirst for fame. For example, when he won a poetry competition, the boy was asked to choose his own reward - a cash prize or the opportunity to be published. He chose the latter.
Military education
By the time he graduated from college, Charles already had a firm decision - to build a military career. He completed one year preparatory training at Stanislas College and in 1909 continued his education at the Special Military School in Saint-Cyr, where Napoleon Bonaparte once studied. Among all branches of the military, de Gaulle's choice fell on the infantry, since he considered it more “military” and closer to combat operations.
During the formation, Charles always stood first, which is not surprising given his almost two-meter height (for this he even received the nickname “asparagus” from his fellow students). But at the same time, friends joked: “Even if de Gaulle was a dwarf, he would still be first.” So strongly were his leadership skills.
Even then, in his youth, he clearly realized: the meaning of his life was to accomplish an outstanding feat in the name of his beloved France. And I was sure that the day was not far off when such an opportunity would present itself.
In 1912, de Gaulle graduated from his studies as a junior lieutenant. He was thirteenth in academic achievement among all graduates of the military school.
The path from lieutenant to general
Charles was assigned to the 33rd Infantry Regiment under the command of Colonel Henri-Philippe Pétain. In the summer of 1914, de Gaulle's combat path began on the fields of the First World War. He ended up in the army of the famous French military leader and division general Charles Lanrezac. Already on the third day he was wounded and returned to duty two months later.
In 1916, Charles received two wounds, the second was so severe that he was considered killed and left on the battlefield. So de Gaulle found himself in German captivity. He attempted to escape six times, but was unsuccessful, and was released only in November 1918 after the armistice. In captivity, Charles met and became close to the future Soviet marshal Tukhachevsky, they talked a lot on topics military theorist. At the same time, de Gaulle was working on his first book, Discord in the Enemy's Camp.
After Charles's release, three years was in Poland, where he first studied teaching activities– taught cadets at the school imperial guard theory of tactics. He fought on the fronts for a couple of months Soviet-Polish war, received an offer of a permanent position in the Polish Army, but refused and returned to his homeland.
In the 1930s, he already held the rank of lieutenant colonel, wrote and published a number of well-known military theoretical books, in which he analyzed the results of the First World War.
From 1932 to 1936 he held the post Secretary General at the French Supreme Defense Council. In 1937, he was assigned to command a tank regiment.
By the beginning of World War II, Charles was already a colonel. In 1939, Germany attacked France and the following year, 1940, forced French army retreat. In May 1940, Charles was promoted to brigadier general and appointed deputy minister of defense, the latter before the surrender French government.
A month later, he moved to London, from where he addressed the people of France with a call for resistance: "We lost the battle, but not the war." Started painstaking work to create the strength of the Free French. He called on the French people for mass actions of disobedience and total strikes, thanks to which in 1941-1942 a riot grew in the territory of occupied France. partisan movement. Charles established control over the colonies; as a result, Cameroon, Ubangi-Shari, Chad, Congo, Gabon joined the Free French, their military personnel participated in allied operations.
In the summer of 1944, de Gaulle became Provisional Ruler of the French Republic. Charles's undoubted merit in saving the dignity of France. He spared the country the disdain that would have been experienced after 1940. And when the war ended, thanks to de Gaulle, France regained its status as a member of the Big five.
Policy
At the beginning of 1946, Charles left the government because he did not agree with the adopted constitution, according to which France became a parliamentary Republic. He modestly retired to the Colombe estate and wrote his famous “War Memoirs”.
They remembered him at the end of the 1950s, when France was mired in crises - a severe defeat from the national liberation movement in Indochina, the height of the Algerian coup. On May 13, 1958, French President Rene Coty himself offered de Gaulle the post of prime minister. And already in September 1958, they adopted a new constitution, which was developed under the clear leadership of the general. In essence, this was the birth of the Fifth Republic that still exists today. In December of the same year, 75% of voters gave their vote to de Gaulle in the elections for the President of France, while he practically did not conduct any election campaign.
He immediately began to carry out reforms in the country and introduced a new franc. Under de Gaulle, the economy showed rapid growth, the greatest ever post-war years. In 1960, in Pacific waters, the French tested atomic bomb.
In foreign policy, he set a course to make Europe independent of the two superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union. Between these two poles he successfully balanced, while knocking out the most for France profitable terms.
In 1965, Charles was re-elected to a second presidential term and immediately dealt two blows to US policy:
- announced that France was moving to a single gold standard and refusing to use the dollar in international payments;
- France left the NATO military organization.
WITH Soviet Union On the contrary, de Gaulle built friendly relations, agreements on scientific and technical cooperation and trade were concluded. In 1966, Charles visited the USSR, and visited not only Moscow, but also Volgograd, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Kyiv. During this visit, an agreement was concluded on direct communication between the Elysee Palace and the Kremlin.
In the spring of 1969, the French did not support the Senate reform project put forward by de Gaulle, after which the President resigned.
Personal life
Charles with youth dreamed of marrying a girl from a good, wealthy family. In 1921, his wish came true; he met Yvonne Vandroux, the daughter of a pastry shop owner from Calais.
De Gaulle liked the girl so much that he invited her to prom in your military school. How could she refuse a hero who fought at the front, survived injury, capture and made so many attempts to escape. Although before this, Yvonne categorically stated that she would never become a military wife. When she returned home after the festive event, she told her family that she was not bored with this young man.
A few more days passed, and Yvonne announced to her parents that she would only marry Charles. On April 6, 1921, the newlyweds got married and spent time in Italy Honeymoon. Returning from vacation, the couple began to expect their first child. De Gaulle studied at the Higher Military School and really wanted a son to be born. And so it happened, on December 28, 1921, their boy Philip was born.
In May 1924, a girl, Elizabeth, was born. Charles was an insane workaholic, but at the same time he managed to pay attention to his wife and children, he made an excellent father and an exemplary family man. Although even during rest, his favorite pastime was work. Yvonne always treated this with understanding; when they were going on vacation, she packed two suitcases - one with things, the second with her husband’s books.
In 1928, the de Gaulle couple gave birth to their youngest girl, Anna; unfortunately, the baby turned out to have one of the forms of genomic pathology - Down syndrome. The mother's joy gave way to despair and grief, Yvonne was ready for any hardship, if only her little daughter would suffer less. Charles often came home from military exercises, at least for one night, to be with the baby as a nurse and to sing her a lullaby. own composition and so that the wife could rest a little during this time. One day he told his spiritual father: “Anna is our pain and trial, but at the same time our joy, strength and mercy of God. Without her, I wouldn't have done what I did. She gave me courage."
Their youngest daughter destined to live only twenty years, she died in 1948. After this tragedy, Yvonne became the founder of the Foundation for Sick Children, and Charles was a trustee of the Foundation for Children with Down Syndrome.
The de Gaulle family never gave rise to gossip and special attention journalists. They always went through everything together life difficulties- diagnosis of the youngest daughter and her death, moving to London, Second world war, numerous assassination attempts.
A total of 32 attempts were made on de Gaulle's life, but he died quietly and calmly. On November 9, 1970, on his Colombe estate, Charles was playing his favorite card game of solitaire when his aorta ruptured, and “the last great Frenchman” passed away. He was buried in a modest village cemetery next to his daughter Anna; only family and close comrades were present at the ceremony.
The twentieth century brought to humanity many personalities who had a tangible influence on the course of world history. One of these personalities is Charles de Gaulle.
The first president and founder of the Fifth French Republic, the creator (in 1940) of the patriotic movement of the French people "Free France", since 1941 the chairman of the "French national committee", 1944-1946 - Chairman of the "French Provisional Government".
On his initiative, it was prepared and adopted by parliament in 1958, new Constitution France. It significantly expanded the rights of the president and recognized the independence of Algeria.
This outstanding historical event began on November 22, 1890, when baby Charles was born into a family of French aristocrats in the city of Lille. The family of the future general and president was Catholic and adhered to patriotic views, which also affected the formation of the future views of Charles de Gaulle.
In 1912 he, after successful completion military educational institution Saint Cyr becomes a professional military man. In one of the battles of the First World War he was captured. In 1918 he returned to his homeland. After his return, Charles de Gaulle makes successful career military During this period, de Gaulle wrote several books on military and political topics.
But Charles de Gaulle truly revealed his abilities as a statesman and political figure, with the beginning, which he met already with the rank of general. After Marshal Henri Pétain concluded a peace truce with Germany, General de Gaulle left his homeland and on June 18, 1940, by radio from London, appealed to the French not to lay down their arms and to join the Free France movement he created.
At the beginning of the war main task Free France had control of the territory French colonies. General de Gaulle coped with this task perfectly. Cameroon, Congo, Chad, Gabon, Oubangui-Shari joined the Free France. And later other colonies followed their example. At the same time, Free French fighters actively participated in Allied military operations.
In 1943, General de Gaulle became co-chairman and then chairman of the “French Committee of National Liberation” created in 1943, and remained in this post until 1946. In 1947, Charles de Gaulle founded the RPF ("Union of the French People") and became involved in political struggle. But, despite more than 1 million members, the RPF did not achieve success and was dissolved in 1953.
Finest hour Charles de Gaulle's death came in 1958 during the Algerian crisis. The crisis paved the way for him to power. Under his leadership, the French Constitution of 1958 was developed and then adopted, which became the beginning of the Fifth French Republic, which still exists today.
Since then, France has changed from a parliamentary-presidential republic to a presidential-parliamentary republic with the president elected by popular vote. Despite strong resistance from ultra-colonialists and mutinies in the army, and a number of assassination attempts on de Gaulle, Algeria gained independence in 1962. Despite the fact that de Gaulle was a French nationalist, he fiercely defended the right of all nations and peoples to self-determination. He also came up with the idea of a united Europe.
In 1965, Charles de Gaulle was re-elected as President of France for another seven-year term. However, his new ideas did not receive support and in 1969 he resigned, completely abandoning all political activities.
Charles de Gaulle died in Colombe-les-deux-Églises, Champagne, on November 9, 1970. His grave is located in a modest local cemetery. This is the biography of one of the most famous French rulers, Charles de Gaulle.
Charles de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890 into a patriotic Catholic family. Although the de Gaulley family is noble, the de in the surname is not the traditional French “particle” of noble surnames, but the Flemish form of the article. Charles, like his three brothers and sister, was born in Lille in his grandmother's house, 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 a Jesuit school, which greatly influenced Charles. From early childhood he loved to read. History struck him so much that he developed an almost mystical concept of serving France.
Already as a boy he showed great interest in military affairs. After a year of preparatory exercises at the Stanislav College in Paris, he was accepted into the Special Military School in Saint-Cyr. He chooses the infantry as his branch of the army: it is more “military” because it is closest to combat operations. Study took place in 1933 infantry regiment under the command of the then Colonel Pétain. He graduated from military college in 1912 with 13th rank.
Since the beginning of the First World War on August 12, 1914, Lieutenant de Gaulle has taken part in military operations as part of the 5th Army of Charles Lanrezac, stationed in the northeast. Already on August 15 in Dinan he received his first wound; he returned to duty after treatment only in October. On March 10, 1915, at the Battle of Mesnil-le-Hurlu, he was wounded for the second time. He returns to the 33rd Regiment with the rank of captain and becomes company commander. In the Battle of Verdun near the village of Douaumont in 1916, he was wounded for the third time. Left on the battlefield, he - posthumously - receives honors from the army. However, Charles survives and is captured by the Germans; he is treated at the Mayenne hospital and held in various fortresses.
De Gaulle makes five attempts to escape. M. N. Tukhachevsky, the future marshal of the Red Army, was also captured with him; Communication begins between them, including on military-theoretical topics. While in captivity, de Gaulle read German authors, learned more and more about Germany, this later greatly helped him in his military command. It was then that he wrote his first book, “Discord in the Enemy's Camp” (published in 1916).
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 (in the troops of the RSFSR in this conflict, the commander, ironically, is Tukhachevsky). Having rejected the offer of a permanent position in the Polish Army and returning to his homeland, on April 6, 1921 he married Yvonne Vandrou. December 28th next year his son Philippe is born, named after the boss - later the notorious traitor and antagonist of de Gaulle, Marshal Philippe Pétain. Captain de Gaulle taught at the Saint-Cyr school, then in 1922 he was admitted to the Higher Military School. On May 15, 1924, daughter Elizabeth is born. In 1928, the youngest daughter Anna was born, suffering from Down syndrome (the girl died in 1948; de Gaulle was subsequently a trustee of the Foundation for Children with Down Syndrome).
In the 1930s, Lieutenant Colonel and then Colonel de Gaulle became widely known as the author of military theoretical works, such as “For a Professional Army”, “On the Edge of the Sword”, “France and Its Army”. In his books, de Gaulle, in particular, pointed out the need for comprehensive development tank troops as the main weapon future war. In this, his works come 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.
By the beginning of World War II, de Gaulle had the rank of colonel. On May 14, 1940, he was given command of the new 4th Regiment (5,000 soldiers and 85 tanks). From June 1, he temporarily acted as a brigadier general (he was never officially confirmed 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 as deputy foreign minister during the war. The general invested with this position did not accept the terms of the truce, and on June 15, after the transfer of power to Marshal Pétain, he emigrated to Great Britain.
De Gaulle's appeal “To all Frenchmen,” 1940. It was this moment that became a turning point in de Gaulle’s biography. In “Memoirs of Hope” he writes: “On June 18, 1940, answering 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 a radio speech by de Gaulle calling for the creation of the Resistance. Leaflets were soon distributed in which the general addressed “To all the French” (A tous les Français) with the statement:
“France lost the battle, but it did not lose the war! Nothing is lost because this war is a world war. The day will come when France will regain freedom and greatness... That is why I appeal to all French people to unite around me in the name of action, sacrifice and hope."
The general accused the Pétain government of treason and declared that “with full consciousness of duty he speaks on behalf of France.” Other appeals from 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 did not represent anything... In France, there was no one who could vouch for me, and I did not enjoy any fame in the country. Abroad - no trust and no justification for my activities.” The formation of the Free French organization was quite protracted. Who knows what de Gaulle's fate would have been like 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 Frenchmen” (June 28, 1940) and to help “promote” de Gaulle internationally. However, in his memoirs about the Second World War, Churchill does not give de Gaulle a very high assessment, and considers his cooperation with him forced - there was simply no other alternative.
Militarily, the main task was to transfer to the side of the French patriots the “French Empire” - vast colonial possessions in Africa, Indochina and Oceania. After unsuccessful attempt capture Dakar de Gaulle creates 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, decide,” etc. The Council includes anti-fascists determined military governors of the French (usually African) colonies: generals Catroux, Eboue, Colonel Leclerc. From this point on, de Gaulle emphasized the national and historical roots of his movement. He establishes the Order of 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.
The 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, their 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 executions of hostages by the Germans, de Gaulle called on all French people for a total strike and mass actions of disobedience.
Meanwhile, the actions of the “monarch” irritated the West. Roosevelt's staff spoke openly about the “so-called free French” who were “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 Vichys in Algeria would lead to the loss of moral support for the allies in France. “The United States,” said de Gaulle, “introduces elementary feelings and complex politics into great affairs.” The contradiction between de Gaulle's patriotic ideals and Roosevelt's indifference in the choice of supporters (“all those who help solve my problems suit me,” as he openly declared) became one of the most important obstacles to coordinated action in North Africa.
De Gaulle (left) in Tunisia, 1943The head of Algeria, Admiral Darlan, who by that time had already defected to the Allies, was killed on December 24, 1942 by 20-year-old Frenchman Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle. The suspiciously quick investigation ended in the hasty execution of La Chapelle just a day after Darlan's murder. The Allied leadership appoints Army General 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 “Fighting France” with a committee headed by Giraud, which was planned to include a large number of people who had once supported the Pétain government. In Casablanca, de Gaulle shows understandable intransigence towards such a plan. He insists on unconditional respect for the country's national interests (in the sense as they were understood in "Fighting France"). This leads to the split of “Fighting France” into two wings: nationalist, led by de Gaulle (supported by the British government led by W. Churchill), and pro-American, grouped around Henri Giraud.
On May 27, 1943, the National Council of the Resistance gathers at a founding conspiratorial meeting in Paris, which (under the auspices of de Gaulle) assumes many of the powers to organize internal struggle in an occupied country. De Gaulle's position became increasingly stronger, 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 civil authority. The situation is heating up. Finally, on June 3, 1943, the French Committee was formed national liberation, headed by de Gaulle and Giraud on equal terms. The majority in it, however, goes to the Gaullists, and some adherents of his rival (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 story of Giraud is precisely 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 him.” 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 allied forces in Normandy and, at the same time, full support for Roosevelt's line of complete dictate of the will of the United States. De Gaulle was made to understand that his services were not needed. In the draft appeal written by Gen. D. D. Eisenhower ordered the French people to comply with all instructions of the allied command until the elections of legitimate authorities. It is clear that in Washington the de-Gaulle Committee was not considered such. De Gaulle's strong protest forced Churchill to grant him the right to speak separately to the French on the radio (rather than join Eisenhower's text). In the address, the general declared the legitimacy of the government formed by Fighting France and strongly opposed plans to subordinate it to American command.
June 6, 1944 allied forces carry out a successful landing in Normandy, thereby opening a second front in Europe. De Gaulle, after a short stay on liberated French soil, again headed to Washington for negotiations with President Roosevelt, the goal of which was still the same - to restore the independence and greatness of France (a key expression in the general’s political vocabulary). "Listening American President, I was finally convinced that in business relations between two states, logic and feeling mean very little in comparison with real power that the one who knows how to grab and hold what is captured is valued here; and if France wants to take its former place, it must rely only on itself,” writes de Gaulle.
De Gaulle in liberated CherbourgAfter the Resistance rebels led by Colonel Rolle-Tanguy open the way to Paris for the tank troops of one of de Gaulle's most loyal associates, the military governor of Chad Philippe de Hautecloque (who went down in history under the name Leclerc), de Gaulle arrives in the liberated capital. A grandiose performance takes place - de Gaulle’s solemn procession through the streets of Paris, with a huge crowd of people, to which a lot of space is devoted in the general’s “War Memoirs”. The procession passes by historical places capitals, consecrated by the heroic history of France, and the general admits: “With every step I take, walking through the most famous places in the world, it seems to me that the glory of the past seems to join the glory of today.” De Gaulle never considered himself a politician only of his time, did not put himself on a par with such figures as Churchill or Roosevelt, but was aware of his significance, his mission in the context of centuries-old French history.
Since August 1944, de Gaulle has been Chairman of the French Council of Ministers (Provisional Government). He subsequently characterizes 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 list of great powers. And in Dumbarton Oaks, at the Great Powers Conference on the creation of the UN, and at Yalta Conference in January 1945 there are no representatives from France. Shortly before the Yalta meeting, de Gaulle went to Moscow with the aim of concluding an alliance with the USSR in the face of the Anglo-American danger. The general first visited Moscow from December 2 to 10, 1944. On the last day of this visit in the Kremlin, J.V. 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 as one of the victorious states. French General Delattre de Tassigny, together with the commanders of the Allied powers, accepted the surrender of the German armed forces in Karlshorst on the night of May 8-9, 1945. France has occupation zones in Germany and Austria.
This period was marked by an intensified contradiction between the foreign policy “greatness” of the country and the poor 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 in constituent Assembly did not give an advantage to any party (the Communists received a relative majority - which eloquently demonstrates the situation; Maurice Thorez became Deputy Prime Minister), the draft Constitution was repeatedly rejected. After one of the next conflicts over the expansion of the military budget, de Gaulle left the post of head of government on January 20, 1946 and retired to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, a small estate in Champagne (Haute-Marne department). He himself compares his situation 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 the hope of returning to it.
Further political career The general is associated with the “Union of the French People” (according to the French abbreviation RPF), with the help of which de Gaulle plans to come to power through parliamentary means. The RPF is organizing a noisy campaign. The slogans are still the same: nationalism (the fight against US influence), adherence to the traditions of the Resistance (the emblem of the RPF becomes the Cross of Lorraine, which once shone in the middle of the “Order of Liberation”), the fight against a significant communist faction in the National Assembly. Success, it would seem, accompanies de Gaulle. In the fall of 1947, the RPF won the municipal elections. In 1951, 118 seats in the National Assembly were already at the disposal of the Gaullists. But the triumph that de Gaulle dreamed of is far away. These elections did not give the RPF an absolute majority, the communists further strengthened their positions, and most importantly, de Gaulle’s electoral strategy brought bad results. The famous English analyst Alexander Werth writes: “He was not a born demagogue. At the same time, in 1947, the impression was created that he decided to behave like a demagogue and resort to all demagogic tricks and tricks. This was difficult for people who in the past had been greatly impressed by de Gaulle’s stern dignity.” Indeed, the general declares war on the system of the Fourth Republic, constantly emphasizes his right to power in the country due to the fact that he and only he led it to its liberation, spreads openly offensive anti-communist statements, etc. A large number of careerists and people adhere to de Gaulle , which did not perform well during the Vichy regime. Within the walls of the National Assembly, they are involved in the parliamentary “mouse race”, giving their votes to the extreme right. Finally, the complete collapse of the RPF comes - in the same municipal elections as those with which the story of its ascent began. On May 6, 1953, the general dissolves his party.
The least open period of de Gaulle's life begins. He spends five years in seclusion in Colombey, working on the famous “War Memoirs” in three volumes (“Conscription”, “Unity” and “Salvation”). The general not only sets out the events that have become history, but also seeks to find in them the answer to the question: what led him, an unknown brigadier general, to the role of a national leader? Only the deep conviction that “our country, in the face of other countries, must strive for great goals and bow to nothing, because otherwise it may find itself in mortal danger.”
1957-1958 became the years of deep political crisis of the IV Republic. The war in Algeria (which spread to the territory of the neighboring colony of Tunisia, which led to senseless casualties), unsuccessful attempts to form a Council of Ministers, and finally the economic crisis. The so-called “ultra” are semi-fascist groups that put strong pressure on the Algerian military leadership. On May 10, 1958, four Algerian generals addressed President Rene Coty with an essentially ultimatum demand to prevent the abandonment of Algeria. On May 13, armed ultra forces seize the colonial administration building in Algeria; the generals telegraphed to Paris with a demand addressed to Charles de Gaulle to “break the silence” and make an appeal to the citizens of the country with the aim of creating a “government of public trust.”
“...For 12 years now, France has been trying to solve problems that are beyond the capabilities of the party regime, and is heading towards disaster. Once, in a difficult hour, the country trusted me so that I would lead it to salvation. Today, when the country faces new challenges, let it know that I am ready to assume all the powers of the Republic.”
If this statement had been made a year ago, at the height of the economic crisis, it would have been perceived as a call for a coup d'etat. Now, in the face of the serious danger of a coup, the centrists of Pflimlin, the moderate socialists of Guy Mollet, and - above all - the Algerian rebels, whom he did not directly condemn, are pinning their hopes on de Gaulle. The scales tip towards de Gaulle after the putschists capture the island of Corsica in a matter of hours. Rumors are circulating about a parachute regiment landing in Paris. At this time, the general confidently turns to the rebels demanding that they obey their command. On May 27, the “ghost government” of Pierre Pflimlen resigns. President Rene Coty, addressing the National Assembly, demands the election of de Gaulle as prime minister and the transfer of emergency powers to him to form a government and revise the Constitution. On June 1, with 329 votes, de Gaulle was confirmed as Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
Decisive opponents of de Gaulle's coming to power were: radicals led by Mendes-France, left-wing socialists (including future President Francois Mitterrand) and communists led by Thorez and Duclos. They insisted on unconditional compliance with the democratic foundations of the state, which de Gaulle wanted to revise in the very near future.
Already in August, a draft of a new Constitution, according to which France has lived to this day, was placed on the Prime Minister’s desk. The powers of parliament were significantly limited. The government's fundamental responsibility to the National Assembly remained (it can declare a vote of no confidence in the government, but the president, when appointing the prime minister, should not submit his candidacy to parliament for approval). The President, according to Article 16, in the case where “the independence of the Republic, the integrity of its territory or the fulfillment of its international obligations is under serious and immediate threat, and the normal functioning of state institutions has been terminated” (what is meant by this concept is not specified) may temporarily take over your hands have completely unlimited power.
The principle of electing the president also changed fundamentally. From now on, the head of state became the representative not only of the will of parliament, but also of the entire people. It was originally planned to elect the president by an expanded electoral college, since 1962, after constitutional amendments - by popular vote.
On September 28, 1958, the twelve-year history of the IV Republic ended. The French people supported the Constitution with more than 79% of the votes. It was a direct vote of confidence in the general. If before this all his claims, starting from 1940, for the post of “Head of the Free French” were dictated by some subjective “calling”, then the results of the referendum eloquently confirmed: yes, the people recognized de Gaulle as their leader, and it is in him that they see a way out of the current situation .
On December 21, 1958, less than three months later, 76 thousand electors in all cities of France elect a president. 75.5% of the electors cast their votes for the prime minister. On January 8, 1959, de Gaulle was solemnly inaugurated.
The post of Prime Minister of France during de Gaulle's presidency was held by Gaullist Party figures Michel Debreu (1959-1962), his future successor, the Dauphin Georges Pompidou (1962-1968) and Maurice Couve de Murville (1968-1969).
“The first in France,” the president was by no means eager to rest on his laurels. He poses the question:
“Can I make it possible to solve the vital problem of decolonization, to begin the economic and social transformation of our country in the era of science and technology, to restore the independence of our politics and our defense, to turn France into a champion of the unification of all European Europe, to return France to its halo and the influence in the world, especially in the Third World, which it has enjoyed for many centuries? There is no doubt: this is the goal that I can and must achieve."
De Gaulle puts the problem of decolonization first. Indeed, in the wake of the Algerian crisis, he came to power; he must now reaffirm his role as a national leader by finding a way out. In trying to accomplish this task, the president encountered desperate opposition not only from the Algerian commanders, but also from the right-wing lobby in the government. Only on September 16, 1959, the head of state offered three options for resolving the Algerian issue: a break with France, “integration” with France (to completely equate Algeria with the metropolis and extend the same rights and obligations to the population) and “association” (Algerian in national composition a government that relied on the help of France and had a close economic and foreign policy alliance with the metropolis). The general clearly preferred last option, in which he met the support of the National Assembly. However, this further consolidated the ultra-right, which was fueled by the never-replaced Algerian military authorities.
On September 8, 1961, an attempt was made on de Gaulle's life - the first of fifteen organized by the right-wing "Organisation of the Secret Army" (Organisation de l'Armée Secrète) - abbreviated as OAS. The story of the assassination attempts on de Gaulle formed the basis of Frederick Forsyth’s famous book “The Day of the Jackal.”
The war in Algeria ended with the signing of the bilateral agreements at Evian (March 18, 1962), which led to the formation of an independent Algerian state. De Gaulle’s statement is significant: “The era of organized continents is replacing the colonial era.” The French Empire ceased to exist. France has ceased to be great power in the sense as it was understood at the beginning of the 20th century.
And indeed, de Gaulle became the founder new policy France in the post-colonial space: politicians cultural relations between francophone (that is, French-speaking) states and territories. After all, Algeria was not the only country that left the French Empire, for which de Gaulle fought in the forties. In 1960 (the “Year of Africa”), more than two dozen African states gained independence. Vietnam and Cambodia also became independent. In all these countries, thousands of French remained who did not want to lose ties with the mother country. the main objective was to ensure French influence in the world, the two poles of which - the USA and the USSR - had already been determined.
In 1959, the newly appointed president transferred the air defense command to the French command, rocket troops and troops being withdrawn from Algeria. The decision, taken unilaterally, could not but cause friction with Eisenhower, and then with his successor Kennedy. De Gaulle repeatedly asserts the right of France to do everything “as the mistress of its policy and on its own initiative.” The first test of atomic weapons, carried out in February 1960 in the Sahara Desert, marked the beginning of a whole series of French nuclear explosions, stopped under Mitterrand and briefly resumed by Chirac. De Gaulle personally visited nuclear facilities several times, paying great attention to both the peaceful and military development of the latest technologies.
1965 - the year of de Gaulle's re-election for a second presidential term - became the year of two powerful blows according to the bloc's policy. On February 4, the general announced the abandonment of the use of the dollar in international payments and the transition to a single gold standard. On September 9, the president reports that France does not consider itself bound by obligations to the North Atlantic bloc. February 21, 1966 marks the end of de Gaulle's seven-year struggle against the foreign military presence in France. The Republic leaves military organization NATO. In an official note, the Pompidou government announced the evacuation of 29 bases with 33 thousand people personnel from the territory of the country.
Since that time, France's official position in international politics has become sharply anti-American. The general condemns Israel's actions in the Six Day War in 1967 and later the Vietnam War.
On November 9, 1970, one of the world's outstanding politicians, Charles de Gaulle, died. In memory of this figure, the site publishes his short biography and Interesting Facts from life.
Charles Andre de Gaulle (1890−1970) - a military general and an outstanding statesman, served as President of France for many years and is rightfully recognized as one of the greatest politicians of the 20th century. During World War II, he founded the Free France movement, and later strengthened his country's position as a world power and helped maintain world peace.
Outstanding military leader
Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille, into a bourgeois family with strong patriotic traditions. Graduated military academy Saint-Cyr, and then the Higher Military School in Paris. During World War I, Charles de Gaulle proved himself to be a brave officer, and after the war he returned to the Saint-Cyr Academy - now as a teacher. military history. At the beginning of World War II, de Gaulle was appointed commander tank brigade, who distinguished herself in battles on the Somme River. Quickly receiving the rank of brigadier general, he was appointed deputy minister of national defense, but the government of Marshal Petain did not intend to fight the Nazis, preferring to decide on surrender.
Petain's government sentenced de Gaulle to death in absentia. death penalty
When the fateful decision to surrender was made, the general said: “Is there really no hope? […] No! Believe me, nothing is lost yet. […] France is not alone. […] Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance cannot go out. And it won’t go out.” In response to his passionate appeal, the French rose up in an organized fight against the fascists in the occupation zone and beyond. The government of Petain, subordinate to the Nazis, sentenced de Gaulle to death in absentia.
Resistance movement
In 1943, the French National Liberation Committee was created
Not considering it possible to enter into negotiations with the Nazis, de Gaulle flew to London. On June 18, 1940, he made a radio call to his compatriots to continue the fight against the occupiers. This was the beginning of the Resistance, and de Gaulle himself headed the united patriotic forces (“Free France”, and since 1942, “Fighting France”). In 1943, the general moved to Algeria, where he created the French Committee for National Liberation, and in 1945 he became head of government.
Statesman
Marc Chagall painted the Grand Opera commissioned by de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle was convinced that the president of the country should have very broad powers, but the majority of deputies of the Constitutional Assembly categorically disagreed with this. The result of the conflict was de Gaulle's resignation in January 1946. However, 12 years later, when colonial war in Algeria aggravated the situation in France to the limit, 68-year-old de Gaulle was elected president of the Fifth Republic with a strong presidential power and the limited role of parliament. Under his leadership, which lasted until 1969. France has regained its lost position as a leading world power.
Interesting Facts
The Paris airport, Parisian Place des Stars, and a nuclear aircraft carrier are named in honor of Charles de Gaulle French Navy, as well as the square in front of the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow and a number of other memorable places.
Throughout his life, according to historians, 31 attempts were made on Charles de Gaulle’s life. In the two years since Algeria gained independence alone, there have been at least six serious assassination attempts.
In his eighties, Charles de Gaulle's eyesight began to weaken. Once receiving the Prime Minister of the Congo, Abbot Fulbert Yulu, dressed in a cassock, de Gaulle addressed him: “Madame...”.
31 attempts were made on Charles de Gaulle's life
Charles de Gaulle once remarked about France: “How can you govern a country that has 246 types of cheese?”
Charles de Gaulle's military career began immediately after receiving his basic education. Charles de Gaulle entered the French military academy of Saint-Cyr (analogous to West Point in the USA), from which he graduated in 1912.
Charles de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890 in northern France in the city of Lille, near the Belgian border. He was the third of five children in a patriotic Catholic family. His father Henri de Gaulle taught philosophy at a Jesuit college.
Charles de Gaulle came to power thanks to the fact that he managed to convince the French people that with him France would win the Algerian War. In fact, de Gaulle was pessimistic about the fate of French Algeria and his plans included capitulation.
In 1964, Marc Chagall painted the ceiling of the Paris Grand Opera, commissioned by President Charles de Gaulle.
There is not a single building on Charles de Gaulle Square.
General Charles de Gaulle came to power in France twice. The first time - in 1944, when they stood in front of him complex tasks by organization post-war life states. In the second - in 1958, when events in Algeria, which at that time was a colony of France, escalated.
For several years, war raged in Algeria, which led to fears among the French "ultras" fighting there that the government would abandon African colony. On May 13, 1958, they seized the colonial administration building and sent a telegram to Paris to de Gaulle asking him to break the silence and create a new government of popular unity.
Having heeded the requests of the military, two days later main symbol The resistance addressed the French with an appeal:
“For 12 years now, France has been trying to solve problems that are beyond the capabilities of the party regime, and is heading towards disaster. Once, in a difficult hour, the country trusted me so that I would lead it to salvation. Today, when the country faces new challenges, let it know that I am ready to assume all the powers of the Republic,” de Gaulle said.
Behind these in strong words decisive action followed. Fearing that the general might use the power of the military loyal to him, then French President Rene Coty invites de Gaulle to form a new government for the country. “De Gaulle was able to offer himself as the only alternative to the far-right coup and the establishment fascist regime. And the republic fell at his feet,” write the authors of the book “The Beginning of the End. France. May 1968" by Angelo Catrocci and Tom Hire.
De Gaulle did not serve as Prime Minister for long - from June 1958 to January 1959. In January 1959, he was elected president. In this position
he managed to achieve the main thing - constitutional reform, which led to the popular election of the president and the separation of the functions of the president and parliament. The reform was supported by almost 80% of the votes. And although de Gaulle himself was first elected president under the old system, with his accession to this post the birth of the Fifth Republic took place.
Having returned to power in the wake of the situation in Algeria, de Gaulle at the same time did not strive at all costs to preserve this African territory under French influence. However, the President General decided to offer the public several options for resolving the situation - from giving Algeria the status of a territory associated with France, to a complete severance of relations and the creation of a government friendly to Paris in this country.
In Moscow without
In 1962, the military conflict in Algeria ended, which marked the beginning of the formation of an independent Algerian state. Despite the fact that Algerian independence had many opponents who made several attempts on de Gaulle's life, France agreed with the new president. In 1965, the country again chose de Gaulle as its leader.
De Gaulle's second presidential term was marked active steps in foreign policy Confirming the independent nature of the French foreign policy, he withdraws France from the NATO military organization. The organization's headquarters are being moved from Paris to Brussels.
Everything happens in a hurry, one of the most powerful organizations in the world receives a long-term residence permit in a nondescript building former hospital. NATO officers, who gave a Gazeta.Ru correspondent a tour of the alliance’s headquarters, half-jokingly admit that “they still have a grudge against the French president.”
If de Gaulle’s actions are condemned in Washington, then in the USSR, on the contrary, they are treated with undisguised delight, welcoming them in every possible way French Fronde. In 1966, the French President went to the USSR on his first official visit, but this was his second trip to the USSR. He first visited Moscow in 1944 as a leader fighting the Nazis in France.
Never having any sympathy for communist ideas, De Gaulle always had a rather warm attitude towards Russia.
However, he is drawn to Moscow primarily by politics. “De Gaulle needed a “counterbalance” and therefore met the USSR and its allies halfway,” note the then Soviet political heavyweights, Vadim Kirpichenko and.
As a result of the visit of the French President to the USSR, several key documents. In addition, they talked about “détente”, and it was also emphasized that “the USSR and France are responsible for preserving and ensuring both European and world peace.”
Of course, there was no talk of a real rapprochement between the USSR and France - the political and economic approaches two countries. However, de Gaulle saw in Russia not only a large world power, but also part of Europe. “All of Europe - from the Atlantic to the Urals - will decide the fate of the world!” - de Gaulle stated in his historical speech 1959 in Strasbourg.
In addition to the USSR, de Gaulle's France built relations with Eastern European and developing countries and worked to improve relations with Germany. Once hostile to France, Germany, which fought against that country during the war, became a major trading partner of Paris.
From revolution to revolution
However, despite his successes in the international arena, de Gaulle faced a crisis within the country towards the end of his first presidential term.
After the expiration of the first seven-year term, the general intended to be re-elected to the presidency of France. These elections, according to the amendments made to the Constitution, should have been popular. De Gaulle, as expected, won the elections, although only in the second round, defeating his main critic, the socialist.
The second round and the popularity of Mitterrand indicated a decline in the popularity of the Resistance legend himself. This was caused by problems in the economy, the arms race and criticism of the general's largely authoritarian style of government.
De Gaulle's opponents note that he actively used the power of state television to legitimize his power, although this did not exclude sharp criticism of his rule, which came from the pages of the print media.
The political crisis has led to a real revolutionary situation— students at the University of Paris and the Sorbonne, dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the field of education, rebelled. It was led by radical left activists, who would later be joined by trade unions. Tens of thousands of people block the streets and clash with police and gendarmes. The events will become the largest mass unrest in Europe and will be called “May 1968”.
Many slogans of that time - for example, “It is forbidden to prohibit” - would be repeated decades later by the president’s opponents.
De Gaulle, despite the entreaties of some ministers to start negotiations with the protesters, was quite tough and did not want to negotiate, but the situation looked threatening. “By turning politics into theatre, de Gaulle was today confronting a movement that had turned theater into politics,” writes presidential biographer Julian Jackson.
For the first time, the military general seems confused, but he addresses the nation and demands broad powers, since the country, in his words, is “on the brink of civil war.”
While not feeling sympathy for his opponents, the president will still tell them: “I understand you.”
After the appeal, de Gaulle flies out of the country to Baden-Baden, however, not to bask at the resort, but to visit those stationed nearby in Germany French troops. Soon the President returns to France, and his next step- dissolution National Assembly and the announcement of early elections, where the Gaullist party “Rally for the Republic” received the majority of votes. However, the victory turns out to be Pyrrhic.
As the presenter notes Researcher Institute of Europe, de Gaulle's conservatism began to slow down the development of France. “His time was running out, the Senate reform failed, and attempts to do something led to a crisis,” the expert tells Gazeta.Ru. It's about on the reform of the upper house of parliament, which he planned to turn into a body representing the interests of trade unions and business. However, this reform failed. De Gaulle said that if the reform did not take place, he would resign from his post. As befits a military man and a man of honor, the general keeps his word and leaves power.
After his resignation, De Gaulle did not live long and died of a ruptured aorta on November 9, 1970. The head of government, and then the President of France, Georges Pompidou, will say: “De Gaulle is dead, France is a widow.” Coffin of a military general, politician and world statesman saw off thousands of people. Over the years, Charles de Gaulle remains one of the most revered French politicians - many still consider him the most powerful president of the Fifth Republic.