The Last Great Frenchman: A Life of General de Gaulle

The politicians of today are often - I`m sorry to say it - vague and unreliable. But to read about Charles de Gaulle is refreshing - in this book, at least. The author describes vividly his development from soldier to politician, the dramas of war and peace, his special place in history. Among other fascinating things, the glimpses of the general`s private life and thoughts, his come-back in 1958, and the way he managed to influence France and the world, are not easy to forget!

De Gaulle was loved and hated by many people (oddly enough, the same people at different times) but whether you liked him or not you couldn't argue that he didn't love his country. And he loved his country so much he was unwillingly to see it subjected by the fascists and their collaborators during World War II. He chose resistance and ultimately the Resistance chose him. Charles Williams does an excellent job with this book. De Gualle moves beyond the stereotypes that we may have of him to make him out of the ordinary, but not larger than life. Abrasive, but a man who was so because he felt that was what was needed. A man who took the courage to explore uncharted territory when he established not a "government-in-exile" but an alternate regime to Vichy, which has sold itself to the Devil. They may not have sold ALL, but they sold enough to forever stain their honor. Well written and researched. I particularly liked the thumbnail sketches of many of the characters involved with De Gaulle, a device which provided info without detracting from the narrative.

Truly a great figure of the 20th century. As the author points out de Gaulle would have been a minor footnote in French history if he had died before 1940. At the age of 50 he stepped unto English soil after leaving France where he had been condemned to death for refusing to go along with the French government in signing the armistice with Germany. His strength and moral courage brought France out of the abyss of collaboration to (once again) a player on the world stage. De Gaulle is accurately portrayed by Williams as an uncompromising man - he skillfully out-maneuvered his rival, Giraud in Algeria during the war to place himself as the sole leader of Fighting France. De Gaulle was to share power with no man. The constant quarrels with Churchill would be humorous if there was not a war to be won. And as Williams states that war, for De Gaulle, was against Britain and the U.S. De Gaulle's single-minded vision was to return France to a position of power at the conclusion of the war. If that meant irritating Roosevelt and Churchill more than Hitler - so be it. Probably De Gaulle's biggest miscalculation, as Williams' points out was with Roosevelt. De Gaulle never comprehended the man or the nation. De Gaulle had a European view of the world and did not have Churchill's grasp of everything that the U.S. had to offer for the liberation of Europe. Roosevelt was reluctant to fight for the British empire and was therefore much less interested in preserving France's external holdings and viewed De Gaulle as a brash upstart with truthfully little to offer in terms of military strength. Ironically De Gaulle himself came to see that anti-colonial point of view in the early 60's when Algeria was granted autonomy with the blessing of European France. Williams' illustrates on several occasions how De Gaulle's sheer strength of personality and his ability to irritate most anyone on any occasion, including his fellow countrymen, makes for a great historical biography of an extraordinary individualist.

De Gaulle was, as this book points out, the last great frenchmen. Some will debate this raising the name of Mitterand, but De Gaulle looms over france like an albatross as the conscience of the nation.De Gaulle was influenced as a young man by the injustice of the Dreyfuss case. The hatred of inequality would later convince De Gaulle to fight to the death rather then submit to Nazi terror.The book details De Gaulle as the war hero in WWI. He went on to write about the new generation of tanks and how best to employ them(as the Germans would) in concentrations. During WWII De Gaulle found himself watching the government vascilate and finally give in to the hated Germans. To cap it off De Gaulles WWI hero Petain was the one to give in to the Nazis. De Gaulle fled to Britian to carry on the conflict and he was found guilty of treason by the Vichy french.De Gaulle carrried the honor of france abroad, helped to liberate hte colonies from the Vichy and finally leading the french back to Paris. De Gaulles later carerr found him helping to extricate the french from Algeria.A wonderful book, easy to read and enthralling.

As is well known, DeGaulle infuriated most world leaders beginning with Churchill and Roosevelt. This book shows why and is an entertaining and insightful biography of this difficult man. It illuminates an important but secondary aspect of WWII and the cold war. In addition, it shows how a "nobody" can rise to power purely by obstinacy in the complete absence of personal charm.