Contents
Charles de Gaulle
Leading Free France and founding the Fifth Republic.
Appeal of 18 June · Fifth Republic
- Born
- 22 November 1890
- Birthplace
- Lille, France
- Died
- 9 November 1970
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Charles de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who became president after returning to power in 1958.
Early life
Military education
Trained at Saint-Cyr.
First World War
Was wounded and held as a prisoner of war.
Career
- Interwar years
Military thinking
Argued for a more mobile armoured army.
- 1940–1946
Free France and liberation
Led resistance from abroad and then a provisional government.
- 1958–1969
Return to government
Established the Fifth Republic and served as president.
Leadership & policies
Appeal of 18 June
Called for continued resistance after France’s military collapse.
Fifth Republic
Backed a constitution with a strong presidency.
Algerian independence
Accepted the settlement ending French rule after a brutal war.
Beyond work
Writing
Published military works and memoirs.
Family
His daughter Anne inspired a family foundation supporting people with intellectual disabilities.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Office of War Information, Overseas Picture Division. [1] The image prefix (LC-USW3) at the Library of Congress image page matches that of pictures from the OWI collection (see prefix list here .. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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