The General: Charles de Gaulle and the France He Saved by Jonathan Fenby (PDF)

Description

Provides insight into the life and personality of the great French generalHighlights the relationship between Charles de Gaulle and the France he fought so hard to save Balances the general’s private and public lives Few modern leaders anywhere in the world fought as fiercely for their nation as Charles de Gaulle. When he was just in his twenties, he fought for France in the depths of the trenches and at the battle of Verdun. In the 1930s, he fought alone to better equip France to resist the reign of Hitler. He interacted with England and Winston Churchill to save his beloved France. Afterwards, he saved France from defeat and destruction by fantastic shows of leadership, political prowess, bravery, and bluff. He prevented civil war and left behind a heritage that benefitted all leaders who came after him. While it might be easy to write him off as someone who was always staid and consistent, “Le General” was complicated. He had deep personal feelings and consistent mood swings. He cared deeply for his family and often sought reassurance from the people around him. This biography highlights both the general that de Gaulle presented to the world and his more private side. It tells the story of a complicated man in a way that grips the reader.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Jonathan Fenby reported from France for a variety of newspapers, including the Economist, Christian Science Monitor, Times of London, Guardian, and London Observer. Married to a Frenchwoman, he was, to his surprise, made a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur and the Ordre du Mérite in 1990. He is also the author of acclaimed biographies of Chiang Kai-shek and Charles de Gaulle—called a “page-turner” by the New York Times Book Review, which wrote: “Fenby knows how to turn breadth and depth into enthrallment.”—among other works. He lives in England.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I can’t ever recall reading a book that started out so promising, so enrapturing, and yet by the midway point, turned into a disappointing thud of a clunker. It might be a tad unfair to blame this sudden reversal of fortune on the author. Instead, one might concede that the life of the subject matter just became uninteresting as did the events that surrounded him at a certain point. Still, one wishes that the author may have realized this as well, and therefore had handled the latter half of the man’s life in not so quite of a meticulous fashion.As the title implies, yes, Charles De Gaulle did save France, and he “saved” it on more than one occasion. For me, the story that was the most engrossing was the role De Gaulle played in World War II. At the conclusion of World War II, the story then shifts to De Gaulle’s political life. Sadly, this is where the book became about as interesting as picking out a pair of socks to wear for the day.The author treats his subject matter in a fairly balanced way. He comes across in the author’s view as a positive figure (after all, he ‘saved’ France), yet it makes your head spin how many of De Gaulle’s contemporaries loathed him. Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Khrushchev, Truman….none of them had kind words for the man. As we see, however, this is mainly due to his hard, uncompromising arrogance and such a trait is necessary because of the circumstances.De Gaulle’s early life is quickly glossed over – a bit more attention is focused on his comings and goings during the first world war. He was quickly made a commander, quickly became one of the first of the wounded, quickly resumed command and was quickly captured by the enemy and made prisoner. He then attempted an escape no less than five times. This stuff is exciting to read about.Even better is the transition to World War II. France, the ultimate victor of World War I is basically so exhausted and fatigued, that they ignore Hitler and rival Germany as they slowly grow to become the most fearsome army in modern civilization. With revenge on Hitler’s mind, France is quickly added to his list of conquests. France capitulates – mainly because they simply don’t have it in them to fight anymore. The battle scars from 25 years ago are still fresh. Except De Gaulle. He remains the only key player that refuses any part of the puppet Vichy government and quickly sets up base in the French North Africa. Although the allies ultimately prevail, the hawk De Gaulle isn’t allowed to be a major player, and is rather upset when the U.S. and England basically leave him as a spectator on the sidelines. This is the case even during the Battle of Normandy (D-Day). De Gaulle simply can’t fathom this. It is after all, HIS ‘country’. So one begins to see why the other leaders consider him a burr in the butt. Again, exciting stuff.I wish the book would have wound down at this point. After World War II, the book turns into a giant Wikipedia article with mostly the everyday comings and goings of the French government. There are brief bits of interesting material – such as the failures in Algiers and Indochina, but the book focuses too much on the minutia of the fall of the Fourth Republic, the rise of the Fifth Republic, etc. Yes, De Gaulle was a major player, but all of this is simply not exciting stuff. I confess that there were times where I became so bored, I would basically scan a 50-page chapter in about five minutes. At least it helped me fall asleep some nights.Another minor irritant is that the author simply won’t refer to his subject as “De Gaulle”. He is always referring to him by his rank, title, or some other euphemism. It became confusing when he’s referred to as “The Colonel”, “The General”, and “The Free French Leader” all in a span of about 50 pages. On a positive note, a fair amount of time is spent with his immediate family, and De Gaulle does come across as quite the loving husband and father – especially with his daughter who suffered from Down’s Syndrome.Perhaps a reader with a more thorough understanding of the ins and outs of the French government and its personalities will enjoy the latter half of the book more than I did. I still would recommend it, just be prepared to be bogged down rather heavily during the latter portions.

⭐Fendy’s new biography on Charles de Gaulle is a welcome worthwhile contribution of our understanding and appreciation for a man and his times. This is an excellent portrayal of one very complex, brilliant, conflicted, paranoid and ultimately important and critical leader. He has foibles galore along with the self importance, bravado and confidence (and perhaps arrogance) of a thousand peacocks. My own thought is that it is probably best for those pre-disposed with a curiosity for de Gaulle rather than a random reader of biography.On June 18, 1940 Charles de Gaulle made his first and now most famous speech from the BBC in London to launch the French Resistance and declare that there were no legitimate rulers in France, squarely breaking with and opposing his old commander Marshal Philippe Pétain, France’s biggest hero of the Great War and the leader of the Vichy government. He was an obscure soldier only recently promoted from Colonel to one stare General, hardly the only resistance and not an obvious figure to rally around by either the Allies or his countrymen. And yet by force of will, determination, daring and bluff he earned the support of Churchill and Eisenhower and the backing of many French. The Vichy government charged him with treason and sentenced him to prison if he ever returned. For 4 long years he worked day by day to support and build a legitimate army of resistance that France could ultimately rally around and he had the intelligence and presence to pull it off.English written WWII history books are generally not kind to de Gaulle; portraying him as leading a non-existant army into Paris claiming a false glory and implying that there wasn’t much else to tell. That’s unfair and untrue. His military credentials were well earned. In WWI he was both a courageous soldier and a POW that tried to escape on at least 7 occasions earning harsher treatment with each attempt. Between the wars he was a lonely voice for mechanized warfare and the need for tanks and airplanes. In the early stages of war he lead a French tank command that performed admirably. He was hurt in battle in both wars.The book gives a rich account of his dealings with the Allies, particularly Churchill along with his cunning political gains at the expense of other would be French leaders based in North Africa.The middle of the book slows along with de Gaulle’s life as he was largely sidelined during the post war era and not a part of some of the major historical events of the time; Indochina, the Suez Canal or the economic struggle leading to the Marshall Plan. However we are quickly back to the fast pace as de Gaulle is critical to unifying the disparate constituencies fighting over the future of Algeria. This was to me, the meat of the book with both fascinating anecdotes and valuable lessons on the price and complexity of long-term colonial rule. I had not appreciated how close France was to civil war and how the army had gone nearly rogue. It is a moment of high drama. Simultaneously he tears up the constitution and leads the creation of the 5th Republic.Throughout both the the early post WWII era and his Presidency France is struggling with how to bring unity between collaborators and the resistance. Resistance included many communists, socialists and Jews. Collaborators were from the most conservative elements of the Army, Church and Royalists. Both groups have been around for 100 years or more but this was a schism that might not be repairable. Fendy presents how these challenges played out organically (reprisals) and the efforts of de Gaulle to shape them and unify the country. He consistently highlights de Gaulle’s overall aim to restore France to the league of greatest nations. He falls short in terms of the hard power won through guns, ammo and money but perhaps unappreciated by de Gaulle he has won the soft power game where French food, culture and thought are welcome and with outsized influence.This is a well delivered biography; fast paced, excellently research and consistent in its objectives.

⭐As other reviewers have remarked the book can be divided in two parts. The wartime years and the political events and the leader that emerged in the post war era. Both sections are excellent, but can appeal to very different audiences. Readers not interested in the internacional politics of France, the constitutional reform that lead to the fifth Republic, the ins and outs of negotiations on Algerian independence or the events of May 1968 may find the second less appealing. This is understandable. I found both excellent. A very good overview and a solid attempt to give an explanation of the events, tied together by the biography.

⭐The history of the twentieth century provides plenty of examples of men who did great deeds, but whose character flaws were so marked that most people feel uncomfortable about describing them as great men. After reading ‘The General’, Jonathan Fenby’s excellent biography of Charles de Gaulle, I am much better informed about the man, but feel no closer to reaching a conclusion about de Gaulle’s true place in history. Fenby treads a neutral line – he certainly doesn’t play down de Gaulle’s overwhelming ego, which amongst other things led him to believe that he personified the French state even before he came to power, and his assurance that only he could save it from its internal and external enemies. However he also acknowledges de Gaulle’s significant role in directing and leading France after the Second World War. Perhaps de Gaulle’s finest achievement was extricating France from bloody conflict in Algeria, as it demonstrates his skill as a politician, especially his ability to put pragmatism above any personal views he may have held.It is difficult for a British reader to warm to a man who behaved in such an ungracious and ungrateful way to the country which took him in and supported him through the war years. Indeed, while I was reading this book the British electorate voted to leave the European Community, and I couldn’t help but wonder how different things might have been if de Gaulle’s vision for Europe had embraced the UK.’The General’ is an excellent account of the life of an extraordinary man.

⭐The best biography I have read about Charles de Gaulle. Although long and very detailed it holds you from the first page to the very last. Written in good prose which allows the reader to immediately grasp the point the author is trying to make. One gets the sense that the author wants to share his knowledge with his reader. By the end I wanted to learn more or read other biographies by Mr Fenby. This is so much better than more recent publications about de Gaulle. If you only read one book about him, this should be it.

⭐Coming from a partly French background, I have some indirect knowledge of the period and the difficulties faced by some members of my family; the problem with biographies of De Gaulle has been the fact that many have been uncritical hagiographies on the one hand or overly critical ones on the other; this work strikes an impressive middle-ground in that De Gaulle’s personal idiosyncrasies and difficult character are not downplayed, but are also given their proper context, and this is where the book shines in my opinion. The complexities of the situation facing the Free French (unlike all other occupied countries, the French had the added problem that they were fighting their own legitimate government) are expressed clearly and in detail. There is a very clear picture created of a complex and not always attractive personality who nevertheless earned respect for the fact that he set high standards for himself as well as others. It is a relevant question to ask whether anyone else could have stepped up to the mark and taken on the mantle of his country’s battered reputation, but “cometh the hour, cometh the man”. A thorough exposé, evidence of meticulous research and an objective, yet respectful tone – Jonathan Fenby’s clarity and writing style are also big plusses.

⭐This is a highly readable account of an unforgettable and exceptional hero with dictatorial tendencies and political savvy who twice forced his way into the pages of history when his country came off the rails. He did so despite overwhelming adversity – either from his own bankrollers during WW2, or many of his own people in 1958, and bravely took on the dangerous frictions over the de-colonisation of Algeria. He was clearly a pain to deal with and predictably unpredictable. His stubborn nature and tendency to grandstand remain a recognisable national trait as much as his tendency to spot adversaries among all those around him. He was exceptional in so strongly believing in his mission and sticking to it, keeping above the fray, and avoiding enriching himself in the process. His personal credentials were further strengthened by the devotion of his wife and his own devotion to his stricken daughter Anne. Towards the end of such biographies one tends to accelerate, but Jonathan Fenby’s account of de Gaulle’s fall from power and death leave a long-lasting emotional trace like no other book.

⭐Having read de Gaulle’s own account of the war years I wondered if this account would be as interesting. In fact it helped me understand this complex man, who lived to bring France back to the position he felt it deserved on the world stage. He was difficult, arrogant, and demanding, but exactly what France needed. An excellent study.

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