“Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished. Tomorrow, as today, I will speak on Radio London.”
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Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany and Vichy France in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 to restore democracy in France. Following the 1958 Algiers putsch, he came out of retirement at the request of President René Coty, who appointed him Prime Minister. He commissioned a new constitution which was approved by voters in a referendum, establishing the Fifth Republic. He was subsequently elected President of France later that year, a position he held until his resignation in 1969.
culture · French general and statesman (1890–1970) · statesperson · memoirist · military theorist · military officer · politician · author · also Charles de Gaulle, General Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle, Gaulle
Born 22 November 1890 · Died 9 November 1970 · Q2042
120 published statements · 0 followers
Updated 1 day agoSee & hear
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202623 items
“I will finish three books, if God grants me life.”
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“you have betrayed France and betrayed the West. That cannot be forgotten”
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“I consider the act of the Vichy men as void; I shall have an explanation with them after the victory”
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“a master has to make his appearance [...] whose orders cannot be challenged – a man upheld by public opinion”
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Sortir à Paris: Jornadas del Patrimonio 2026: visiten el aeropuerto de París Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle
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Sortir à Paris: Heritage Days 2026: visit Paris's Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport.
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DFNI: Valentino Beauty introduces Vendetta with Paris Charles de Gaulle pop-up
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Clarin.com: Polémica y pelea familiar por la venta de la casa de Charles de Gaulle en un pueblito de Francia
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ENTREVUE.FR: Vice Admiral Olivier Lebas, former commander of the Charles de Gaulle, dies in the mountains – Interview
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entrevue.fr: El vicealmirante Olivier Lebas, antiguo comandante del Charles de Gaulle, muere en las montañas.
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Stuff: WATCH: Cars ablaze in huge fire near Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport
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The Times: Dark horse of De Gaulle clan shatters peace at general’s retreat
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bernama: Large Fire Near France's Charles De Gaulle Airport Closes Two Runways
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ET Now: Charles de Gaulle Airport Fire: Car park blaze sends smoke over Paris, two runways closed- WATCH VIDEO
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Anadolu Ajansı: Large fire breaks out near France's Charles de Gaulle Airport, closes 2 runways
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Anadolu Ajansı: Major fire near Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport closes two runways, disrupts transport
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thenationalnews.com: Warehouse fire shuts two runways at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
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Lavender Hotel: Why the Massive Warehouse Fire Near Charles de Gaulle Airpor
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Informat.ro: Un incendio estalló en un depósito de Louvres, cerca del aeropuerto Charles de Gaulle, lo que provocó el cierre temporal de dos pistas.
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Informat.ro: A fire broke out in a warehouse in Louvres, near Charles de Gaulle Airport, causing the temporary closure of two runways.
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Aviation24.be: Massive fire destroys dozens of cars at parking facility near Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
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Sortir à Paris: Incendio activo cerca del aeropuerto Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle: dos pistas y una estación cerradas
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20211 item
AFP Fact Check rated the claim “Rodents were in a takeout window at Charles de Gaulle airport” FALSE.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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20141 item
De Gaulle's Legacy: The Art of Power in France's Fifth Republic (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)
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20071 item
Another grandson, Jean de Gaulle, was a member of the French parliament for the centre-right UMP until his retirement in 2007.
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20021 item
“Reflections on De Gaulle: Political Founding in Modernity.”
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19991 item
Charles de Gaulle and the End of the Algerian War," Armed Forces & Society(1999) 25#2 pp: 267–287 online
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19942 items
One of de Gaulle's grandsons, also named Charles de Gaulle, was a member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 2004, his last tenure being for the far-right National Front.
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De Gaulle and Twentieth-Century France. (1994). 158 pp. essays by experts
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19921 item
Cogan, Charles G. "The Break-up: General de Gaulle's Separation from Power," Journal of Contemporary History Vol. 27, No. 1 (Jan. 1992), pp. 167–199, re: 1969 .
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19901 item
President Mitterrand, de Gaulle's old political rival, presided over the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth
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19705 items
Died 1970-11-09.
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“A la base de notre civilisation, il y a la liberté de chacun dans sa pensée, ses croyances, ses opinions, son travail, ses loisirs.”
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“Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé.”
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France under de Gaulle (Facts on File, 1970), highly detailed chronology 1958–1969. 319pp
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“Rien ne rehausse l'autorité mieux que le silence, splendeur des forts et refuge des faibles.”
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19682 items
Shortly before leaving office, de Gaulle refused to devalue the Franc on grounds of national prestige, but upon taking over Pompidou reversed the decision almost immediately
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Covering all crimes committed by the French army during the war
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19673 items
“Le Général de Gaulle et la construction de l'Europe”
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De Gaulle declared an arms embargo against Israel on 2 June, just three days before the outbreak of the Six-Day War
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At the time of the Six-Day War played a part in France's new-found popularity in the Arab world
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19653 items
Awarded Knight of the Order of the Elephant (1965).
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De Gaulle's Republic (1965) online edition Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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Faced widespread protests by students and workers in May 68 but had the Army's support and called and won early elections with an increased majority in the National Assembly
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19641 item
For the first time in nearly 100 years France's GDP overtook that of the United Kingdom for a time
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19632 items
Awarded Grand Cross of the Order of Mono (1963).
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And 1967 contradicts the decisive majority the French people returned in the 1972 referendum on the matter
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19621 item
Awarded Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (1962).
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19611 item
Awarded Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1961).
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19602 items
Awarded Royal Victorian Chain (1960).
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Failed, and another attempted coup failed in April 1961
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19594 items
Awarded Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1959).
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Career landmark: President of the French Republic (1959–1969).
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Career landmark: Prime Minister of France (1959–1959).
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Career landmark: French co-prince of Andorra (1959–1969).
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19586 items
The two nations signed the Mutual Defence Agreement
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The Republic of de Gaulle 1958–1969 (The Cambridge History of Modern France) (2006) excerpt and text search
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Career landmark: President of the Council (1958–1959).
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Career landmark: Minister of National Defence (1958–1959).
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“Carnets secrets de la politique”
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“in the whole of Algeria there is only [one] category of inhabitant: there are none here but fully-fledged Frenchmen, fully-fledged Frenchmen with the same rights and the same duties.”
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19541 item
Pierce, Roy, "De Gaulle and the RPF—A Post-Mortem," The Journal of Politics Vol. 16, No. 1 (Feb. 1954), pp. 96–119 .
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19511 item
Lacking its own press and access to television, its support ebbed
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19471 item
Career landmark: pilgrimage.
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19461 item
But continued to be politically active as founder of the Rally of the French People
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19451 item
Awarded honorary citizen of Brussels (1945).
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19444 items
Career landmark: president of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944–1946).
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“France may still one day need an image that is pure ... If Joan of Arc had married, she would no longer have been Joan of Arc”
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That he planned to retire because "France may still one day need an image that is pure
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Career landmark: French co-prince of Andorra (1944–1946).
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19431 item
Eisenhower gave de Gaulle the assurance in person that a French force would liberate Paris and arranged that the army division of French General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque would be transferred from North Africa to
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19404 items
Awarded Companion of the Liberation (1940).
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(the exact date is uncertain), de Gaulle proposed to Reynaud that he be appointed Secretary-General of the War Council, which would in effect make him the government's military adviser
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Jackson, Julian. "General de Gaulle and His Enemies: Anti-Gaullism in France Since 1940," Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 6th Ser., Vol. 9 (1999), pp. 43–65 .
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Career landmark: president (1940–1944).
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19391 item
Awarded Marcelin Guérin Prize (1939).
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19371 item
General Bineau, who had taught him at Saint-Cyr, wrote on his report on his lectureship at CHEM that he was highly able and suitable for high command in the future, but that he hid his attributes under "a cold and lofty
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19362 items
Supposedly because his service record was not good enough
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Although French military doctrine remained that tanks should be used in penny packets for infantry support (ironically, in 1940 it would be German panzer units that would be used in a manner similar to what de Gaulle had
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19351 item
Was for the best, likening it to Francis I's alliance with the Turks against Emperor Charles V
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19342 items
De Gaulle wrote Vers l'Armée de Métier (Towards a Professional Army)
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And 1936 or the many foreign policy crises of the decade
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19321 item
“Armée de Métier (Towards a Professional Army). He proposed mechanization of the infantry, with stress on an élite force of 100,000 men and 3,000 tanks. The book imagined tanks driving around the country like cavalry. De Gaulle”
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19291 item
Pétain did not use de Gaulle's draft text for his eulogy for the late Ferdinand Foch, whose seat at the Académie Française he was assuming
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19281 item
For reform of that institution, asked Pétain to create a special post for him which would enable him to lecture on "the Conduct of War" both to the École de Guerre and to the Centre des Hautes Études Militaires (CHEM – a
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19261 item
After which de Gaulle was seen to emerge, white with anger, from Pétain's office
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19253 items
(he was later known to remark that "Marshal Pétain was a great man
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But he did not know it") and of what he saw as the lust for public adulation of Pétain and his wife
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De Gaulle began to cultivate Joseph Paul-Boncour, his first political patron
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19212 items
De Gaulle married Yvonne Vendroux on 7 April 1921 in Église Notre-Dame de Calais.
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They had three children: Philippe (1921–2024), Élisabeth (1924–2013), who married General Alain de Boissieu, and Anne (1928–1948).
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19151 item
Awarded Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (1915).
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19131 item
It is unlikely that he stood out among the 19 captains and 32 lieutenants under his command
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19121 item
Graduated 13th in his class and his passing-out report noted that he was a gifted cadet who would undoubtedly make an excellent officer
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19081 item
Down from 2,000 at the turn of the century
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19051 item
And the reduction in the term of military service to two years
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190021 items
Awarded Order of the Redeemer.
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Awarded Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit.
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Awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
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Awarded Grand Master of the Legion of Honour.
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Awarded honorary citizen of Mons.
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Awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav.
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Awarded Order of the Royal House of Chakri.
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Awarded honorary doctor of the University of Brasília.
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Awarded Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar.
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Awarded Godfather promotion of Special Military School of Saint-Cyr.
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Awarded Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
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Awarded Order of the Dragon of Annam.
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Awarded Croix de guerre 1939–1945.
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Awarded Royal Order of Cambodia.
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Earned Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari.
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Won Inter-Allied Victory Medals.
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Awarded Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.
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Awarded Member 1st Class of the Order of the Umayyads.
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Studied at École supérieure de guerre.
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Studied at École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr.
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Studied at Collège Stanislas de Paris.
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18901 item
Born 1890-11-22.
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18701 item
Developed a keen interest in military strategy
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