de Gaulle explains the new constitution TO A very young Marianne

1958 Charles de Gaulle tries to explain the new 5th French Constitution to very young Marianne, the emblem of the Republic

Arguably, this is one of De Gaulle’s greatest victories.

Firstly, because the Fifth Republic he masterminded in 1958 is still with us. France would not be France if there were no demonstrations and no arguments between the President and the people. 

President Macron has recently been forced to dismiss his Prime Minister because of pressure from the public. France still reverberates with the echoes of the French revolution!

Secondly because he was able solve the Algerian problem. The Fourth Republic lacked the power to bring to an end the brutal civil war between people who wanted to keep Algeria as part of France and forces within Algeria fighting to liberate their own country. The new Fifth Republic was de Gaulle’s baby and enhanced the President’s power vis a vis the National Assembly. The need for a strong President is not new and we will in due course look at a similar battle which ended the Second Republic.

An engraving by M. Fromentin

Have you experienced culture shock when travelling? This picture brought this vividly to my mind. Who ever saw a shepherd on a horse? Were the shepherds in the field guarding their flocks at night mounted on similar horses. Why not? It makes a lot of sense for the area which bred and valued their unique breed of Arab horses to use them. Much faster for chasing off wolves and bears!

France had been in Algeria since 1830 and there were 1 million French nationals there, about 10% of the population. Naturally, the National Liberation Front, on behalf of Algerians, targeted French soldiers and French residents. Parts of the army, including a number of generals  decided to act on behalf of the French residents and formed an illegal network of soldiers called OAS which finally came out in open rebellion against the state. De Gaulle was, naturally enough, incensed at this.

A referendum showed a substantial majority in favour of leaving Algeria and in the end De Gaulle was able to carry this through. For me, this resonates with Cromwell dealing with the English Civil War and the new Government which followed.

Poster published by the OAS

This poster shows a Lieutenant Colonel in the French Airforce. He was arrested and executed by a firing squad for his role in an attempted assassination of De Gaulle. The text reads “The National Resistance is united; it will not tolerate any division; it will be active as long as the dictatorship lasts and as long as the abandonment [of Algeria] lasts.”

De Gaulle’s enemies did not give in easily. There were many assassins out to kill him.  He was once travelling with  his wife from the Elysee Palace in Paris to Orly Airport when he was ambushed by a group with machine guns. They killed a number of the escorting motorbike riders and managed to damage the tyres of the vehicle he was travelling in, expecting the vehicle to come to a halt or crash. They were surprised when the driver of the Citroen managed to retain control and made good his escape.  

This was due to a very new Citroen rebalancing trick which enabled the car to carry on regardless. This event was picked up by Frederick Forsyth in his book, “The day of the Jackal”

One has to admire de Gaulle. On a trip to the principal town in Algeria, he spoke from the balcony of the Town Hall, facing a screaming mob who wanted France to stay in Algeria.  “I have understood you” he said and everyone cheered. Oh yes, he did understand them and had no intention of giving in to their demands.

Many years later, I had the pleasure of owning several Citroen Safaris with a similar system.  One day as I was travelling to work I ran into a traffic jam and I was stationary.  The man in the next lane wound down his window to tell me that I had a flat tyre on the front wheel.  I thanked him and carried on, eventually getting through and finding a suitable garage to change the wheel.  I had never noticed the flat tyre.  I wonder why this lovely innovation was discontinued!