Charles de Gaulle
Général d'Armée; President of France (1959–1969)
"Je vous ai compris. I have understood you."
Biography
Charles de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890, in Lille, France. His role in the Algerian War was the most paradoxical of his extraordinary career: brought back to power in 1958 by men who believed he would keep Algeria French, he instead negotiated Algeria's independence — and thereby saved France from civil war, though at the cost of one of the most painful ruptures in French history. De Gaulle came to power in the crisis of May 13, 1958, when French generals and settlers in Algiers, frustrated by the inability of the Fourth Republic to win the war, threatened a military coup unless de Gaulle returned as leader. The Fourth Republic, paralyzed, indeed handed power to de Gaulle. He was granted emergency powers and a new constitution (the Fifth Republic) was approved by referendum, giving the president vastly expanded powers — the constitutional framework France still uses today. For the first two years, de Gaulle gave ambiguous signals about Algeria, launching a major military offensive (the Challe Plan) while simultaneously offering the FLN negotiations. By 1960, convinced that Algerian independence was inevitable and that prolonging the war was destroying France's international standing and internal cohesion, he pivoted decisively toward negotiating a settlement. His television address during the Generals' Putsch of April 1961 — delivered in his general's uniform, his personal authority deployed against his former comrades — was perhaps the finest moment of his presidency, saving French democracy from a military coup. The Évian Accords of March 1962 represented de Gaulle's victory over history's momentum, but also a profound tragedy: the pieds-noirs, who had trusted France for 132 years, were abandoned; the Harkis who fought for France were left to face FLN reprisals; and Algeria was launched on an authoritarian path. De Gaulle's handling of Algeria shaped his presidency, created the institutions of the Fifth Republic, and remains one of the most debated decisions in French political history.
Did you know?
De Gaulle survived at least 30 assassination attempts by the OAS during the Algerian crisis, including the elaborate Petit-Clamart attack of August 1962 in which gunmen fired over 100 bullets at his car
Key Battles
Barricades Week
France victoryJanuary 24, 1960 · 24 total casualties
Revealed the depth of pied-noir and military opposition to de Gaulle's policy and the potential for a military coup. De Gaulle's television address was a masterful exercise of authority that temporarily reasserted civilian control over the military, but the underlying tensions would resurface in the 1961 Generals' Putsch.
Generals' Putsch
France victoryApril 21, 1961 · 2 total casualties
The Generals' Putsch was the most serious threat to French democratic institutions since World War II. Its failure demonstrated that de Gaulle still commanded personal loyalty in the military, but the generals who refused to return to France would form the OAS and continue terrorism. It accelerated French negotiations with the FLN.
Évian Accords
FLN / ALN victoryMarch 18, 1962 · 0 total casualties
The Évian Accords ended France's bloodiest colonial war and gave birth to the independent Algerian state. They also effectively ended French Algeria — the vast majority of pieds-noirs would leave within months, and the Harkis who had fought for France were largely abandoned to FLN reprisals. The accords shaped Franco-Algerian relations for decades.
Life Journey
Timeline
November 22, 1890
🌅 Birth
Born in Lille, France
June 18, 1940
📍 Posting
Broadcast appeal from London calling on France to continue resistance
June 4, 1958
📍 Posting
Addressed cheering crowd in Algiers with the ambiguous 'Je vous ai compris'
April 23, 1961
⚔️ Battle
Appeared on television in general's uniform to crush Generals' Putsch
March 18, 1962
⚔️ Battle
Signed Évian Accords granting Algeria independence
November 9, 1970
✝️ Death
Died in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, aged 79