A noteworthy life

On November 9th, 1970, a man died at the village of Colombey-les-deux-Églises in France. He had twice served as President of the Fifth French Republic, and had been a wartime leader who infuriated and antagonized both friend and enemy -but demanded, and earned, their respect.

His name was Charles de Gaulle.




His life story is far too long to relate here. To give just a few highlights:

• He fought in World War I, being taken prisoner by the Germans at the battle of Verdun in 1916.
• After the Great War, he was posted to Poland to assist that country resist Communist (Bolshevik) invasion. He proved brave and resourceful in combat, winning the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest decoration for valor in action, equivalent to the US Medal of Honor or the British Victoria Cross.
• In the years leading up to World War II he developed advanced theories of mechanized warfare, in the same vein as theorists and strategists such as J. F. C. Fuller of England, Heinz Guderian of Germany and George S. Patton of the US. Their ideas were to be vindicated by the German Blitzkrieg of 1940 and subsequent campaigns, and have influenced warfare to this day.
• de Gaulle commanded the French 4th Armored Division during the German invasion. He successfully attacked the advancing German forces in his sector, forcing them to retreat - one of the few French successes of the campaign. Promoted to Brigadier-General (a rank he held for the rest of his life, refusing further military promotion), he opposed the armistice, and escaped to England to rally the so-called 'Free French' (those who had escaped the advancing German forces, or who were stationed in French colonies abroad) to continue the war. As a result, he was sentenced to death in absentia by the Vichy regime.
• de Gaulle was fiercely nationalistic, trying to emphasize French national pride and importance even after the military defeat of his country. This sometimes infuriated and antagonized the British and US leadership, who were deeply distrustful of his ambitions, and refused to accept him as the de facto leader of France. Undeterred, he maintained his independence, and exercised considerable (and unwelcome) control over Free French formations in the Allied armies. It was largely at his insistence that the French 2nd Armored Division liberated Paris, far in advance of the Allied timetable for that event.
• He served as Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944-46. He campaigned for a new Constitution with a strong Presidency, restricting the influence of political parties in the Assembly (which had contributed to France's lack of preparedness for and poor military performance in the opening years of World War II), but was unable to persuade other political parties to support him. He consequently withdrew from public life.
• The Fourth Republic, which took over from the Provisional Government, was in a perpetual state of political crisis. This culminated in its collapse in 1958. de Gaulle was called upon by many leaders to take the reins once more, but refused unless a new Constitution, giving greater power to the Presidency, was accepted. This was done by referendum in September of that year, and in November de Gaulle and his political party won a massive majority in elections. He would serve as President of the Fifth Republic for two terms.
• Under de Gaulle's Presidency, French colonies around the world achieved self-government in a form of Commonwealth. He ended the war in the Algerian colony, to the distaste of right-wing French settlers, who rose in revolt. de Gaulle survived several assassination attempts launched by them and their sympathizers. He also developed an independent nuclear deterrent for France, and withdrew its armed forces from central NATO control. He insisted that France should be a strong, independent international power, again infuriating politicians in the UK and USA. He worked for a strong European community, but demonstrated intransigence by paralyzing its operations when he disagreed with its policies.
• Retiring from politics under a cloud of opposition and protest in April 1969, de Gaulle retired to Colombey-les-deux-Églises to write his political memoirs. He refused all pensions due to him for his Presidential service and his Brigadier-General's rank, accepting only the pension of an Army Colonel. This left him in severely straitened circumstances. He died suddenly, of a ruptured aneurysm, in 1970.
  

He had earlier refused a State funeral, insisting on a private ceremony, to be attended only by those who had fought for the liberation of France alongside him. French dignitaries and foreign heads of State had to be content with a separate service in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. His grave in Colombey-les-deux-Églises bears only a simple gravestone. However, so many turned up to pay their respects after the private service that the daily population of the village swelled from a few hundred to over 50,000! The pilgrimages lasted for many weeks.




de Gaulle remains a controversial figure, reviled by many, held up as a hero and example by others. I'm ambiguous about his military and political achievements, but he has my respect for his fierce, unwavering commitment to his country, and his unimpeachable personal probity. He was a man of the highest ethical and moral standards: a 'man of honor' who would have been recognized as such in any age of the world. His moral standards may have appeared unduly harsh and stringent to many, but he stood by them until death. One wishes more politicians would learn from his example!

He was certainly the most important French leader since Napoleon Bonaparte, and had a lasting impact on the world we live in. His influence is still felt today.

Peter