De Gaulle

Part of the "Profiles in Power" series, this text examines the life and achievements of Charles de Gaulle. The text concentrates primarily on de Gaulle's political involvement and aims to present a critical interpretation of his political career in its various dimensions and phases. If any modern democratic leader has believed in the "great man'' theory of history and acted self-consciously in accordance with it, it was surely de Gaulle. On both occasions when he came to power it was in his own right, as a ``providential figure'', not as the representative of a political or social movement. In office, his wielding of power was, by modern standards, remarkably personal; and his impact on France, and on Europe, was immense. He is a natural subject for Profiles in Power.