Charles de Gaulle

:For the Paris airport, see Charles de Gaulle International Airport. For the aircraft carrier, see FS Charles de Gaulle.

1958–1962: Founding of the Fifth Republic

In the November 1958 elections, de Gaulle and his supporters (initially organised in the Union pour la Nouvelle République-Union Démocratique du Travail, then the Union des Démocrates pour la Vème République and later still the Union des Démocrates pour la République) won a comfortable majority, in December de Gaulle was elected President by the parliament with 78% of the vote, he was inaugurated in January 1959.

Related Topics:
Union des Démocrates pour la République - 1959

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He oversaw tough economic measures to revitalise the country, including the issuing of a new franc (worth 100 old francs). Internationally he rebuffed both the United States and the Soviet Union, pushing for an independent France with its own nuclear weapons, and strongly encouraged a "Free Europe" where he believed a confederation between all European nations would revitalize the past glories of the great European Empires. He set about building Franco-German cooperation as the cornerstone of the EEC (now the European Union), giving the first state visit to Germany by a French head of state since Napoleon.

Related Topics:
Franc - United States - Soviet Union - Nuclear weapon - EEC - European Union - State visit - Germany - Napoleon

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He also took the opportunity to deny the British entry to the EEC for the first time (in January of 1963), citing his belief that the United Kingdom would not accept the rules of the Community, and would prefer its overseas alliances (the United States and the British Commonwealth) to its European partners, French ties to its own former empire notwithstanding. Although his supporters would argue that British ambivalence toward the EU justified his fears, many Britons took De Gaulle's "non" as an insult. (See Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom).

Related Topics:
January - 1963 - United Kingdom - British Commonwealth - Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom

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De Gaulle believed that while the war in Algeria was militarily winnable it was not defensible internationally, and he became reconciled to the former colony's eventual independence. This stance created huge anger among the French settlers and their metropolitan supporters, and de Gaulle was forced to suppress two uprisings in Algeria by French settlers and troops, in the second of which (in April of 1961) France herself faced threatened invasion by rebel paratroops. He was also targeted by the settler Organisation de l'Armée Secrète terrorist group and several assassinations attempts were made on him; the most famous is that of August 22, 1962, when he and his wife narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when their Citroën DS was targeted by machine gun fire arranged by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry at the Petit-Clamart. In March of 1962 de Gaulle arranged a cease-fire in Algeria and a referendum supported independence, finally accomplished on July 3, 1962.

Related Topics:
Algeria - April - 1961 - Organisation de l'Armée Secrète - August 22 - 1962 - Assassination - Citroën DS - Machine gun - Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry - Clamart - March - July 3

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In September of 1962 he sought a constitutional amendment to allow the president to be directly elected by the people. Following a defeat in the National Assembly, he dissolved that body and held new elections; the Gaullists won an increased majority. Although the Algerian issue was settled the prime minister, Michel Debré, still resigned over the final settlement and was replaced with Georges Pompidou.

Related Topics:
September - 1962 - Michel Debré - Georges Pompidou

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