3. The Beginning…
Born in Lille, Educated in Paris at College
Stanislas
Fought in WWI as a Captain, wounded
several times, captured and spent the rest of
the war in Germany
Post-war served as an advisor in Poland,
won the Virtutis Military (Highest Polish
Decoration)
Returned to France after being offered a job in
Poland
4. Exciting times!…War…encore
De Gaulle started the war as a colonel
Lead a successful Armored Division during the
invasion of France 1940
Designated the liaison to the UK
Opposed the surrender of France to Germany,
fled to London established Free France
"France has no friends, only interests.”
Lead the Free French Forces in their liberation
of France.
5. Post War France, what now?
Became the President of the Provisional
Government of the French Republic.
Attempted to maintain French Indo-china.
Resigned power after disagreeing with the
new constitution and a parliamentary system
in 1946.
6. Post War France, what now?
1946 to 1958 his “Formal Retirement” Wrote his
war memoires.
May 1958 Crisis…Defeats in Indo-china
independence of Tunisia and Morocco and defeat in
Egypt and the “Algerian Question”
De Gaulle is back!
7. The 5th Republic
Nov 1958 De Gaulle voted in.
Issued new France
Pressed for Nuclear Weapons
Made Treaties with Germany
Pushed for European Integration
Granted Independence to Algeria (Complicated)
8. All good things come to an end
Left NATO’s Military Command
All NATO Forces left France 1967
1960 France became a Nuclear Power
Recognized Communist China
“May 68” Huge Demonstrations and Strikes
challenged De Gaulle’s Government
9. Works and Inventions
Charles wrote memoirs after resigning as
president of France in January of 1946.
de Gaulle continued to write more memoirs after
resigning as president of France again in 1969.
10. Why de Gaulle is
Remembered Today
Charles was the best-known figure in the French
Resistance in WWII.
de Gaulle was the First president of France.
His best service to his country was preserving
democracy in France.
Charles de Gaulle
delivering a speech on the
radio during World War II.
11. Legacy & quates
Airport
“The General”
General De Gaulle
A powerful France that stud up for itself
12. The End
De Gaulle Dissolves Parliament, reelections were
held his party did well but he remained unpopular
Too old, too self-centered, too authoritarian, too
conservative and too anti-American
Continued to write memories and then died in 1970
suddenly while writing. He was quite healthy even
after recovering from Prostate Cancer.