Charles de Gaulle

About Charles de Gaulle

The founder of the French Fifth Republic and its first President. De Gaulle led the Free French forces during World War II from exile in London. He returned to power in 1958 during the Algerian Crisis and wrote a new constitution strengthening the presidency. De Gaulle granted independence to Algeria in 1962, ending a brutal colonial war. He pursued an independent foreign policy, withdrawing France from NATOs military command and blocking British entry into the EEC. De Gaulle was a towering figure who embodied French grandeur. He resigned in 1969 after losing a referendum on Senate reform.