De Gaulle

ISBN: 1913368785

Author: Jackson, Julian

Condition: New

A deep look into Charles de Gaulles personality and upbringing and how these factors influenced the creation of the Fifth Republic in France.Charles de Gaulle, savior of Frances honor in 1940 and founder of the Fifth Republic, was a man and leader of deep contradictions. A conservative and a Catholic from a monarchist family, he restored democracy on his return to France in 1944, bringing the Communists into his government. An imperialist, he oversaw the final stages of Frances withdrawal from its last colonies in the 1960s. As a soldier, he spent much of his career in opposition to Frances military establishment. Yet, as Julian Jackson shows in De Gaulle, it was precisely because of these contradictions that he was able to reconcile so many of the conflicting strands in French politics. In 1958, in response to a coup by the French military in Algeria, De Gaulle introduced a new political system, the Fifth Republic, ushering in a period of stability that has been held to the present day.

• A compact, distinguished work - Andrew Roberts, The Telegraph | Engaging and insightful; a top modern French history read - Times Literary Supplement | An excellent, must-read account - The Good Book Guide | Jackson masterfully weaves de Gaulle's life into a clear picture; an excellent introduction - Booklist | De Gaulle: A man of contradictions who united France - Julian Jackson | About the Author: Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor and renowned scholar of 20th-century France