Biographical Background:
Charles De Gaulle was a French general who served as President of France from 1959 to 1969. (Charles De Gaulle, 2015) De Gaulle was born into a Catholic and strongly patriotic family. Seeking a career as a military leader, he went to a military academy and joined the French military. Soon after fighting in one of the battles of World War I in 1916 and being captured and injured, he was promoted to become captain. After his promotion, he went on to serve on the Supreme War Council where he gained military, politic, and international experience. (Charles De Gaulle Biography, 2015) This experience in the military also motivated De Gaulle into writing several books about the French military strategies and its weaknesses. …show more content…
(Charles De Gaulle Biography, 2015) He was welcomed by the exited crowd when he returned to France after the capital’s liberation. However, due to his hopes for a strong presidency being ignored, he resigned from his position and went into retirement. De Gaulle returned to lead France once more when a revolt in Algeria emerged and destroyed the Fourth Republic. He established a new constitution, and granted the president more power. (Charles De Gaulle, 2015) As president of the Fifth Republic, he sought to strengthen France in many ways such as in the military, economy, and international affairs. The Politics of Grandeur- political decisions that made France less dependent on superpowers- were part of his plans to achieve this. In May 1968, De Gaulle’s rule was put into danger by a group of students and workers who violently protested against the government. He settled the crisis, but resigned after a conflict over ideas of reform. (Charles De Gaulle Biography, 2015)
This is a photo of Charles De Gaulle when he was president for the second time. It can be seen in this photo that he is wearing a rather military-influenced suit, showing his military …show more content…
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an alliance established to protect North America and Europe from communist powers. (NATO , 2015) France was one of the founding countries of NATO and had been a leading country in the early years of establishment. However, De Gaulle thought that the organization was too dominated by the US and UK and therefore restricted France’s military independence. When France and the US came into conflict over naval forces and having control over them in 1963, De Gaulle decided to withdraw all French ships from the North Atlantic fleet. (French withdraw navy from NATO) Not only that, he declared that France itself was withdrawing from any military involvement in NATO and ordered all non-French NATO forces to leave French territory. This unexpected move startled many countries, especially the US. It worsened the relationship between the US and France, but also showed the world that France was on its way to developing a more independent military structure that will benefit its own national interests. De Gaulle’s decision to remove French forces from NATO allowed France to have absolute control over its military, reducing US and UK’s impact on its
Charles De Gaulle was a French general who served as President of France from 1959 to 1969. (Charles De Gaulle, 2015) De Gaulle was born into a Catholic and strongly patriotic family. Seeking a career as a military leader, he went to a military academy and joined the French military. Soon after fighting in one of the battles of World War I in 1916 and being captured and injured, he was promoted to become captain. After his promotion, he went on to serve on the Supreme War Council where he gained military, politic, and international experience. (Charles De Gaulle Biography, 2015) This experience in the military also motivated De Gaulle into writing several books about the French military strategies and its weaknesses. …show more content…
(Charles De Gaulle Biography, 2015) He was welcomed by the exited crowd when he returned to France after the capital’s liberation. However, due to his hopes for a strong presidency being ignored, he resigned from his position and went into retirement. De Gaulle returned to lead France once more when a revolt in Algeria emerged and destroyed the Fourth Republic. He established a new constitution, and granted the president more power. (Charles De Gaulle, 2015) As president of the Fifth Republic, he sought to strengthen France in many ways such as in the military, economy, and international affairs. The Politics of Grandeur- political decisions that made France less dependent on superpowers- were part of his plans to achieve this. In May 1968, De Gaulle’s rule was put into danger by a group of students and workers who violently protested against the government. He settled the crisis, but resigned after a conflict over ideas of reform. (Charles De Gaulle Biography, 2015)
This is a photo of Charles De Gaulle when he was president for the second time. It can be seen in this photo that he is wearing a rather military-influenced suit, showing his military …show more content…
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an alliance established to protect North America and Europe from communist powers. (NATO , 2015) France was one of the founding countries of NATO and had been a leading country in the early years of establishment. However, De Gaulle thought that the organization was too dominated by the US and UK and therefore restricted France’s military independence. When France and the US came into conflict over naval forces and having control over them in 1963, De Gaulle decided to withdraw all French ships from the North Atlantic fleet. (French withdraw navy from NATO) Not only that, he declared that France itself was withdrawing from any military involvement in NATO and ordered all non-French NATO forces to leave French territory. This unexpected move startled many countries, especially the US. It worsened the relationship between the US and France, but also showed the world that France was on its way to developing a more independent military structure that will benefit its own national interests. De Gaulle’s decision to remove French forces from NATO allowed France to have absolute control over its military, reducing US and UK’s impact on its