Charles de Gaulle
| Charles de Gaulle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 18th President of France | |
|
In office 8 January 1959 – 28 April 1969 |
|
| Prime Minister |
Michel Debré Georges Pompidou Maurice Couve de Murville |
| Preceded by | René Coty |
| Succeeded by | Alain Poher (Acting) |
| 98th Prime Minister of France | |
|
In office 1 June 1958 – 8 January 1959 |
|
| President | René Coty |
| Preceded by | Pierre Pflimlin |
| Succeeded by | Michel Debré |
| Chairman of the Provisional Government of France | |
|
In office 20 August 1944 – 20 January 1946 |
|
| Preceded by | Philippe Pétain (Chief of the French State) |
| Succeeded by | Félix Gouin |
| Leader of the Free French | |
|
In office 18 June 1940 – 3 July 1944 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Minister of Defence | |
|
In office 1 June 1958 – 8 January 1959 |
|
| Preceded by | Pierre de Chevigné |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Guillaumat |
| Minister of Algerian Affairs | |
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In office 12 June 1958 – 9 January 1959 |
|
| Preceded by | André Mutter |
| Succeeded by | Louis Joxe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles André Joseph Pierre Marie de Gaulle 22 November 1890 Lille, France |
| Died | 9 November 1970 (aged 79) Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, France |
| Resting place | Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises Churchyard Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, France |
| Spouse(s) | Yvonne Vendroux (1921–1970) |
| Children |
Philippe Élisabeth Anne |
| Alma mater | École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 French Third Republic Free France
|
| Service/branch |
French Army French Armed Forces Free French Forces |
| Years of service | 1912–1944 |
| Rank | Brigade general |
| Unit | Infantry Armoured cavalry |
| Commands | Free French Forces |
| Battles/wars |
World War I • Battle of Verdun • Battle of the Somme World War II • Battle of France • Battle of Montcornet • Battle of Dakar • Liberation of Paris |
| Awards | See list |
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (French: [ʃaʁl də ɡol]; 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French general and statesman. He was the leader of Free France (1940–44) and the head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944–46). In 1958, he founded the Fifth Republic and was elected as the 18th President of France, a position he held until his resignation in 1969. He was the dominant figure of France during the Cold War era and his memory continues to influence French politics.
Born in Lille, he graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1912. He was a decorated officer of the First World War, wounded several times, and later taken prisoner at Verdun. During the interwar period, he advocated mobile armoured divisions. During the German invasion of May 1940, he led an armoured division which counterattacked the invaders; he was then appointed Under-Secretary for War. Refusing to accept his government's armistice with Nazi Germany, de Gaulle exhorted the French population to resist occupation and to continue the fight in his Appeal of 18 June. He led a government in exile and the Free French Forces against the Axis. Despite frosty relations with Britain and especially the United States, he emerged as the undisputed leader of the French resistance. He became Head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic in June 1944, the interim government of France following its Liberation. As early as 1944, de Gaulle introduced a dirigist economic policy, which included substantial state-directed control over a capitalist economy which contributed to thirty years of unprecedented growth.
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