The life and legacy of Charles de Gaulle
Michael is joined by Professor Robert Aldrich, Professor of European History at Sydney University, regarding the life and legacy of Charles de Gaulle who died 50 years ago.
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was born 22 November 1890 and died on the 9th November 1970.
He was a French army officer and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II, and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to re-establish democracy in France.
In 1958, de Gaulle came out of retirement as President of the Council of Ministers, rewrote the Constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic after approval by referendum.
Elected President of France later that year, it was a position to which he was re-elected in 1965 and held until his resignation in 1969.
Charles de Gaulle was the dominant figure of France during the early part of the Cold War era and his memory continues to influence French politics today.
Download this podcast here