David G.

Charles De Gaulle 

When thinking of important leaders of World War II countless names come to mind. They are the names of men and women who shaped the history of the world through their actions in one of the most pivotal and turbulent times in human history. Churchill, FDR, and Hitler, all led their countries to heights never dreamed possible before. Charles de Gaulle also led his country, but unlike the men listed above, he did it almost entirely through sheer determination, tenaciousness, and charisma. Charles de Gaulle had nothing to his name, but a uniform and his voice, but was still able to change the tides of history. 

Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille on November 22, 1890 (BBC). De Gaulle grew up in a unique situation because his parents were patriots and held a deep love of France, but were not part of the upper class. His father was said to hold a mystical love for France and often took his children to the battlefield where he was wounded (Hoffman). De Gaulle's family could be traced back in France to the thirteenth century, giving him an extremely long lineage that had existed in French culture for centuries. De Gaulle's parents were both hyper-conservative and Catholic; both traits they attempted to pass on to him (Gopnik). Despite this conservative upbringing, France was moving toward a government that was more heavily reliant on democracy, so De Gaulle, ever politically savvy, moved with it. As a child De Gaulle, took after his parents and was enamored with both history and the nation of France. This experience gained from reading history and growing up with educated parents helped to shape De Gaulle and his philosophies for the rest of his life. 

Charles De Gaulle’s rise to fame began with his service during World War I. Following in his father's footsteps, De Gaulle joined the French army and was moderately successful. De Gaulle survived the battle of Verdun and was promoted to lieutenant by the end of the war. (Lucasfilm). Seeing the price France had to pay for its success during World War I, De Gaulle spent the interwar period writing and making suggestions about how France should improve its military. Among smaller suggestions, De Gaulle’s main point was that the French army needed to modernize and introduce mechanized divisions to be ready for future wars. De Gaulle’s advice would prove to be pertinent, but ultimately it fell on deaf ears. Paul Reynaud, who was president of France, had surrounded himself with a cabinet of conservative, defense military leaders who showed no interest in preparing the army for a war they did not want to be fighting (Gopnik). 

When the Nazis broke through the French lines and took Paris in a matter of weeks, Reynaud surrendered. Historians now debate whether it was truly necessary for France to surrender. Indeed, if the remaining French forces had retreated and tried to fight a long, positional, defensive war, there might have been hope for France (Jackson). However, Reynaud, along with the French public, did not have the will to fight another World War I. The Germans had spent the interwar period stirring up their citizens using propaganda to fight against the Treaty of Versailles. The French, on the other hand, had been doing their best to move on. De Gaulle, now a brigadier general, disagreed with the public. Instead of accepting surrender, he exiled himself to Britain where he would become the leader of free France. (Jackson)

While De Gaulle was only moderately successful in France, when he was exiled to Britain his image began to grow. Being a French general, he was able to make speeches talking about continuing the French resistance to the Nazis. At this point in the war, the Vichy France government had replaced France and been reduced to a puppet state. Due to this, there were no leaders of the French people who were speaking out against the Nazis. While not extremely famous, people knew who De Gaulle was which gave him the initial audience to start making speeches. In response, the Vichy government started a campaign of hate speech and propaganda against him. In a humorous turn of events, the unpopular, puppet government taking a stand against De Gaulle only made his image grow ever larger (Jackson). De Gaulle's personality also made it easier for the French people to rally behind him. By all accounts De Gaulle was frustrating and egotistical at times. Fornutently for De Gaulle, France needed someone with a corrosive personality and the daringness to say anything to anyone no matter the consequences. Churchill was reportedly at odds with De Gaulle on numerous occasions because of his unwillingness to compromise (Gopnik). FDR, however, knew the importance of having a man like De Gaulle act as a symbol for the French people to rally behind in the days approaching the Normandy invasion (Office of the Historian).  

By the time Paris was liberated, De Gaulle had become a larger-than-life figure. He only worked to reinforce this image by hosting a parade for himself. De Gaulle famously walked alone, ahead of the other members of the resistance (Gopnik). De Gaulle also managed to convince the other leaders of the allies to make France an official part of the peace negotiations, despite having formally surrendered years ago. This act went a long way toward restoring national pride to a nation that had had very little to be proud of for years. Due to his actions throughout the war, it was no surprise that upon De Gaulle’s glorious return to France, he was put in charge. However, the very same traits that made him an excellent rallying point for France, made his initial stint in office short-lived (Yang). De Gaulle left office after a short period of rule.

De Gaulle’s career as the savior of France should have ended, but when France needed him again he answered the call. Algeria, which had long been a French colony, was in open rebellion. In 1958, far-right leaders were able to take over the country and demand a change of leadership in Paris (Gopnik). With no other obvious choice for leader, France again turned to Charles De Gaulle to save the day. Despite his best efforts, De Gaulle was forced to give up Alergia anyway to prevent further bloodshed. However, De Gaulle’s magic here was that he made it seem like a strategic decision or even a victory for the French people. Over the next ten years, De Gaulle would help to ratify a new constitution and officially began the era of the Fifth French Republic which has lasted to this day. De Gaulle helped to transform France into the modern country it is today and was the catalyst that helped France recover from World War I. De Gaulle famously said, “I am trying to give France the appearance of a solid, firm, confident and expanding country, while it is a worn-out nation. . . . The whole thing is a perceptual illusion.” De Gaulle's legacy is cemented in the countless monuments to him seen throughout France. Through political strategy and a larger-than-life personality, Charles De Gaulle created a nation with national pride out of a war-torn country controlled by a puppet government. 

Works Cited

Gopnik, Adam. “How Charles de Gaulle Rescued France.” The New Yorker, 13 August 2018, Accessed 11 October 2024.

“Memorandum of Conversations at the White House on August 22, 1945, Between President Truman and General de Gaulle.” Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume IV, 851.00/8–2245. Historical Documents - Office of the Historian. Accessed 11 October 2024.

“History - Historic Figures: Charles de Gaulle (1890 - 1970).” BBC News. Accessed 11 October 2024.

Hoffmann, Stanley, and Inge Hoffmann. “The Will to Grandeur: De Gaulle as Political Artist.” Daedalus, vol. 97, no. 3, 1968, pp. 829–87. JSTOR. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

“I Am France: The Myth of Charles de Gaulle | Historical Documentary | Lucasfilm.” YouTube, 28 August 2024, Accessed 11 October 2024.

Jackson, Julian. A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle. Penguin Books, 2018. 

Yang, Jiahao. "Reinterpreting de Gaulle: Nationalist or Realist?" University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Journal, vol. 16, no. 0, University of Michigan Library, Mar. 2023.