Who was Charles de Gaulle?
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century French history. Soldier, statesman and leader of the Free French Forces, he became the symbol of French resistance after refusing to accept his country's surrender to Nazi Germany in 1940. From exile in London, de Gaulle rallied the French people to continue the fight against the Axis powers and ensured that France remained among the victorious Allied nations. Following the liberation of France, he led the Provisional Government of the French Republic before later founding the Fifth Republic, serving as its first president. His commitment to national sovereignty, strong leadership and an independent French foreign policy continues to influence France today.
Quick Facts
Full name: Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle
Born: 22 November 1890, Lille, France
Died: 9 November 1970, Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, France
Nationality: French
Education: Saint-Cyr Military Academy
Rank: General of Brigade (temporary, 1940); later General of the Army (honorary)
Service: French Army (1912–1940)
Commands: 4th Armoured Division, Free French Forces, Provisional Government of the French Republic
Known for: Leading the Free French Forces during the Second World War and restoring French authority following the liberation of France
Major campaigns: Battle of France, Liberation of Normandy, Liberation of Paris, Liberation of France, Western Allied Campaign in Europe
Later career: President of France (1959–1969)
Early Life
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was born on 22 November 1890 in Lille, France, into a patriotic and well-educated Catholic family. His father, Henri de Gaulle, was a teacher who encouraged his son's lifelong interest in French history, literature and military affairs. Raised in an environment that valued public service and national identity, de Gaulle developed a strong sense of duty from an early age.
Inspired by France's military traditions, de Gaulle entered the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 1909. He graduated in 1912 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the French Army. His military education emphasised discipline, leadership and strategic thinking, qualities that would define his later career.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, de Gaulle served on the Western Front. He distinguished himself in combat, was wounded several times and was captured by German forces during the Battle of Verdun in 1916. Despite making several daring escape attempts, he remained a prisoner of war until the Armistice in 1918. These experiences profoundly shaped his views on leadership, military discipline and the importance of national honour.
Military Thinker and Visionary
During the interwar period, Charles de Gaulle emerged as one of France's most innovative military thinkers. Drawing on his wartime experiences, he became convinced that future conflicts would be won through speed, mobility and the coordinated use of tanks, infantry and air power rather than static defensive warfare.
In 1934, he published his influential book Vers l'armée de métier (Toward a Professional Army), advocating the creation of a professional, mechanised army built around independent armoured divisions. Although his proposals received little support within the French military establishment, the rapid German victories of 1939–1940 demonstrated the effectiveness of the very concepts he had advocated years earlier. While France relied heavily on the Maginot Line, Germany employed fast-moving armoured formations and combined-arms tactics that closely resembled de Gaulle's own theories.
Ironically, many of the military ideas dismissed by French leaders before the war became fundamental principles of modern armoured warfare. Although unable to persuade his own government before the outbreak of hostilities, de Gaulle would later apply these same principles during the struggle to liberate France.
The Voice of Free France in World War II
When Nazi Germany invaded France in May 1940, de Gaulle, then a relatively junior general, commanded the 4th Armoured Division and earned praise for his aggressive counterattacks during the Battle of France. On 6 June 1940, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for National Defence and War in the French government.
Following France's military collapse, de Gaulle refused to recognise the authority of Marshal Philippe Pétain's Vichy government and travelled to London. On 18 June 1940, he delivered his famous Appeal of 18 June (Appel du 18 Juin) over the BBC, urging the French people to continue the fight against German occupation. Although relatively few people heard the original broadcast, it became the defining moment in the birth of the Free French Forces and established de Gaulle as the voice of French resistance.
Relationship with the Allied Leaders
From exile, de Gaulle built a government-in-waiting and ensured that Free France remained an active member of the Allied coalition. Throughout the war, he worked, often contentiously, with Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and later General Dwight D. Eisenhower to secure recognition of France as a major Allied power. While relations with the Allied leaders were sometimes strained, de Gaulle remained determined that France should be treated as an equal partner rather than a liberated nation under foreign administration.
Among the Allied leaders, Winston Churchill remained de Gaulle's strongest supporter, even though the two men frequently disagreed over military strategy and political questions concerning the future of France.
Return to France and the Liberation of Bayeux
Following the success of Operation Overlord and the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, de Gaulle worked closely with the Western Allies to ensure that liberated French territory would immediately return to French civil administration rather than remain under Allied military government. This objective became one of his highest priorities during the liberation of France. With the support of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, arrangements were made for de Gaulle to travel safely into the Allied bridgehead in Normandy.
On 14 June 1944, just eight days after D-Day, de Gaulle returned to mainland France for the first time since leaving for exile in 1940. Landing in Normandy, he travelled to Bayeux, the first major French town to be liberated by the Allies.
Ignoring suggestions that France should remain under Allied military administration, de Gaulle used his visit to assert the authority of the Provisional Government of the French Republic. Addressing large crowds from the balcony of the town hall, he declared that the French Republic had never ceased to exist and that French civil authority would immediately be restored in the liberated territories. The visit to Bayeux became a powerful symbol of France's return to sovereignty and greatly strengthened de Gaulle's position as the legitimate leader of Free France.
The Liberation of Paris
As Allied forces advanced across France during the summer of 1944, de Gaulle remained determined that French troops should play a leading role in the liberation of their capital. Working closely with General Philippe Leclerc, commander of the 2nd French Armoured Division, he ensured that French forces entered Paris alongside the advancing Allied armies. The liberation of Paris ensured that France was represented among the victorious Allied powers rather than being viewed merely as a liberated nation.
On 25 August 1944, following the German surrender in Paris, de Gaulle entered the liberated capital and delivered his famous speech from the Hôtel de Ville, proclaiming that Paris had liberated itself with the support of the armies of France. The following day, he led a triumphant march along the Champs-Élysées, greeted by enormous crowds celebrating the liberation of the French capital. These events firmly established his authority as leader of liberated France and reinforced the legitimacy of the Provisional Government of the French Republic.
Although widely admired for his wartime leadership, de Gaulle resigned as head of the provisional government in 1946, frustrated by parliamentary politics and what he regarded as the inherent instability of the Fourth Republic.
Founding the Fifth Republic
After more than a decade away from frontline politics, de Gaulle returned to power during the national crisis of 1958, triggered by the Algerian War and fears of civil war in France. He was invited to form a new government and granted emergency powers to draft a new constitution.
The result was the creation of the Fifth Republic, which introduced a stronger executive presidency designed to provide greater political stability than previous French republics. The new constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a national referendum and remains the foundation of the French political system today.
De Gaulle became the first President of the Fifth Republic in 1959 and was re-elected in 1965. His presidency was marked by efforts to restore France's political independence, economic strength and international influence while reinforcing the authority of the French state.
A Policy of Independence and Grandeur
One of Charles de Gaulle's most controversial decisions was accepting Algerian independence through the Evian Accords in 1962. Although the decision angered many supporters of French Algeria and sections of the French military, it brought an end to eight years of conflict and fundamentally reshaped France's future.
Throughout his presidency, de Gaulle pursued a foreign policy based on French independence and national sovereignty. He sought to ensure that France remained an influential world power while avoiding excessive dependence on either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In 1966, he withdrew France from NATO's integrated military command, while maintaining the country's membership in the Alliance, and continued developing France's independent nuclear deterrent, the Force de Frappe.
De Gaulle also promoted European cooperation, most notably by strengthening relations between France and West Germany through the Élysée Treaty of 1963, signed with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. At the same time, he twice vetoed British membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), believing that British entry would increase American influence within Europe and weaken French leadership on the continent.
The May 1968 Protests and Resignation
In May 1968, France was shaken by widespread demonstrations led by students and workers, challenging the government's authority and demanding sweeping political and social reforms. What began as student protests quickly developed into the largest general strike in French history, involving millions of workers and bringing much of the country to a standstill.
Although de Gaulle initially appeared uncertain in his response and briefly left France to consult military commanders in Baden-Baden, West Germany, he soon regained control of the situation. His government dissolved the National Assembly and called new elections, resulting in a decisive victory for the Gaullists. Nevertheless, the events of 1968 revealed a growing divide between de Gaulle's traditional style of leadership and the changing expectations of French society.
In 1969, de Gaulle proposed constitutional reforms to decentralise government and reform the French Senate. When the proposals were rejected in a national referendum on 27 April 1969, he honoured his pledge and resigned from the presidency the following day, bringing an end to more than a decade of leadership.
Later Years and Legacy
Following his resignation, de Gaulle retired to his home at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, where he devoted much of his time to writing his memoirs. On 9 November 1970, he died suddenly from a ruptured aneurysm, just weeks before his eightieth birthday. In accordance with his wishes, he was given a simple funeral in his home village, while a separate memorial ceremony attended by world leaders was held in Paris.
Today, Charles de Gaulle is widely regarded as the founder of modern France. His leadership of the Free French Forces during the Second World War, his restoration of French sovereignty following the liberation of the country and his creation of the Fifth Republic continue to shape France's political institutions and its place on the world stage. His commitment to national independence, strong democratic leadership and France's international influence remains one of the defining legacies of the twentieth century.
Key Dates
22 November 1890: Born in Lille, France.
1912: Graduated from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the French Army.
1914–1918: Served during the First World War and was captured at the Battle of Verdun in 1916.
25 May 1940: Promoted to temporary Brigadier General during the Battle of France.
6 June 1940: Appointed Under-Secretary of State for National Defence and War in the French government.
18 June 1940: Delivered the famous Appeal of 18 June (Appel du 18 Juin) from London, urging the French people to continue the fight against Nazi Germany.
24 September 1941: Established the French National Committee as the political leadership of Free France.
6 June 1944: Following Operation Overlord, worked with Allied leaders to ensure French civil authority would be restored in liberated territories.
3 June 1944: Became head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic.
14 June 1944: Returned to mainland France for the first time since 1940 and visited Bayeux, asserting the authority of the Provisional Government in the first major French town liberated by the Allies.
25 August 1944: Entered Paris following its liberation and delivered a historic speech at the Hôtel de Ville.
26 August 1944: Led the victory march along the Champs-Élysées in liberated Paris.
20 January 1946: Resigned as head of the Provisional Government.
8 January 1959: Inaugurated as the first President of the French Fifth Republic.
28 April 1969: Resigned as President following the defeat of his constitutional referendum.
9 November 1970: Died at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, France, at the age of 79.
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