Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France during World War II and founded the Fifth Republic.

Philippe Pétain: A French marshal who headed the Vichy regime during World War II. Pétain’s accommodation with Germany sharply opposed de Gaulle’s call for continued resistance.
Battle of France: The German campaign that defeated France and its allies in May and June 1940. The defeat created the crisis in which de Gaulle urged continued resistance.
French Constitution of 1958: The constitution that established France’s Fifth Republic and its institutions. De Gaulle’s government drafted it to strengthen the executive after repeated political crises.
French Algeria: The territory of Algeria governed as part of France until its independence in 1962. De Gaulle’s shift toward Algerian self-determination transformed the conflict and his presidency.
French Third Republic: The French republican regime that lasted from 1870 until its collapse in 1940. Its unstable parliamentary politics informed de Gaulle’s demand for a stronger executive.
Winston Churchill: British prime minister who led the United Kingdom through most of World War II. Churchill recognized de Gaulle as the leader of Free France, despite frequent political friction.
Armistice of 22 June 1940: The agreement that ended major fighting between France and Germany in June 1940. De Gaulle rejected the armistice as surrender and continued the war from abroad.
Fifth Republic: The French republican regime established by the Constitution of 1958. De Gaulle founded this regime and served as its first president.
Algerian War: A war from 1954 to 1962 over Algeria’s independence from France. The war precipitated the 1958 crisis that brought de Gaulle back to power.
French Fourth Republic: The French republican regime that governed from 1946 to 1958. Its cabinet instability preceded de Gaulle’s return and constitutional redesign.

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