De Gaulle

Abstract

With in months of the allied landings in Normandy in the summer of 1944, Charles de Gaulle returned to Paris, the idol of France and commander of five hundred thousand armed men. As the provisional leader of a new government, he could have created what amounted to a temporary dictatorship by general consent. Determined, however, to restore what he called “republican order” and “let the people pronounce,” he refused to live in the Elysée Palace, the traditional residence of the head of state. He was, he said, only the head of the government, and with French soil cleared of enemy troops and two and a half million prisoners of war and deported laborers (all potential voters) back from German prison camps, an election would confirm his leadership. Because few favored going back to the discredited Third Republic, because the Right was discredited by Vichy, and because of de Gaulle’s immense popularity, no referendum to ratify his transitory government was considered necessary. On September 9 the general announced the establishment of a provisional French government, one recognized by the United States and Great Britain a month later. When, however, the Americans, the British, the Russians, and the Chinese met that autumn at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington to draw up plans for a United Nations Organization, France was excluded. Considering himself insulted by comments that his country’s role in the war had been that of a small power, de Gaulle left for Moscow to sign a friendship treaty with the Soviets. It would last for 11 years and be terminated well after France entered NATO.KeywordsTransitory GovernmentLarge PartyNational AssemblyStrong ExecutiveProvisional GovernmentThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.