Customer Reviews

The Last Great Frenchman: A Life of General De Gaulle

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Mr. Williams' book is a first rate introduction to the life and times of Gen. de Gaulle. For students of WWII and modern world politics, the perspective presented is fresh and thought provoking. I found it a good companion to the General's own memiors. It is hard not to have a opinion about a man who had such forceful opinions himself, and never seemed to be afraid of expressing them or the resulting controversy. The book is fair and balanced in it's coverage of the subject though occasionally light on background and reasons to explain the General's actions. The fact must be acknowledged that some actions could only be explained "because he was de Gaulle". Mr. Williams' writing of the Petain - de Gaulle relationship is the most complete and impartial report I have read.

The quality of the printing and photo reproduction, in the paperback version I read, was very good.

English language books on modern French history are not abundant. This is a excellant volume to start off with or
add to a collection.

Is it possible to love your county too much? If your love of country leads you to break with most of the political leaders of your day and flee to a foreign shore to resist the creators of the Holocaust, the answer is no. If it leads you to snub leaders of the countries that liberated your captive nation -- with the consequent political fall-out -- the answer may be different. The public de Gaulle emerges from these pages as fiercely patriotic, complex, shrewd and obstinate, even as he appears sensitive and introspective in private, and France was better for his birth. In every good drama, the protagonist undergoes a change. This biography is like a good drama. I won't reveal the personal crisis and other events which, according to the author, enlarged de Gaulle between World War II and his return to power in the 50s, but I will say it makes thoughtful reading. This biography also discusses de Gaule's ten year reign in France as President. Particularly interesting is his cultivation of third world countries in pursuit of French influence in the World. His fall from power is also described. Biographies tend to be bitter-sweet, ending as they do in decline and death. This biography is like that. Yet de Gaulle remained de Gaulle to the end.

Truly a great figure of the 20th century. As the author points out de Gaulle would have been a minor footnote in French history if he had died before 1940. At the age of 50 he stepped unto English soil after leaving France where he had been condemned to death for refusing to go along with the French government in signing the armistice with Germany. His strength and moral courage brought France out of the abyss of collaboration to (once again) a player on the world stage.
De Gaulle is accurately portrayed by Williams as an uncompromising man - he skillfully out-maneuvered his rival, Giraud in Algeria during the war to place himself as the sole leader of Fighting France. De Gaulle was to share power with no man. The constant quarrels with Churchill would be humorous if there was not a war to be won. And as Williams states that war, for De Gaulle, was against Britain and the U.S. De Gaulle's single-minded vision was to return France to a position of power at the conclusion of the war. If that meant irritating Roosevelt and Churchill more than Hitler - so be it. Probably De Gaulle's biggest miscalculation, as Williams' points out was with Roosevelt. De Gaulle never comprehended the man or the nation. De Gaulle had a European view of the world and did not have Churchill's grasp of everything that the U.S. had to offer for the liberation of Europe. Roosevelt was reluctant to fight for the British empire and was therefore much less interested in preserving France's external holdings and viewed De Gaulle as a brash upstart with truthfully little to offer in terms of military strength.
Ironically De Gaulle himself came to see that anti-colonial point of view in the early 60's when Algeria was granted autonomy with the blessing of European France.
Williams' illustrates on several occasions how De Gaulle's sheer strength of personality and his ability to irritate most anyone on any occasion, including his fellow countrymen, makes for a great historical biography of an extraordinary individualist.

De Gaulle was loved and hated by many people (oddly enough, the same people at different times) but whether you liked him or not you couldn't argue that he didn't love his country. And he loved his country so much he was unwillingly to see it subjected by the fascists and their collaborators during World War II. He chose resistance and ultimately the Resistance chose him.

Charles Williams does an excellent job with this book. De Gualle moves beyond the stereotypes that we may have of him to make him out of the ordinary, but not larger than life. Abrasive, but a man who was so because he felt that was what was needed. A man who took the courage to explore uncharted territory when he established not a "government-in-exile" but an alternate regime to Vichy, which has sold itself to the Devil. They may not have sold ALL, but they sold enough to forever stain their honor.

Well written and researched. I particularly liked the thumbnail sketches of many of the characters involved with De Gaulle, a device which provided info without detracting from the narrative.

For the first half of the book, it seems like the British author (who spent time in France) portrays de Gaulle with a little too much sympathy. Any such notions are quickly dispelled in the second half, where de Gaulle is clearly shown to be "in the wrong" on several occasions. On the whole, the writing is very well done. Although fairly thick, it flows well. It normally takes me a while to finish books, but this one went very fast. I was especially captivated by the plays of Roosevelt vs. de Gaulle. It is quite possible that the rift in US/French relations happened as a result of the animosity between these two extremely obstinate men.

As is well known, DeGaulle infuriated most world leaders beginning with Churchill and Roosevelt. This book shows why and is an entertaining and insightful biography of this difficult man. It illuminates an important but secondary aspect of WWII and the cold war. In addition, it shows how a "nobody" can rise to power purely by obstinacy in the complete absence of personal charm.

Charles De Gaulle is one of those enigmatic - to put it mildly - historical figures of the 20th Century. Although not a central figure in world politics - an observation which probably has him rolling in his grave - De Gaulle inserted himself by the sheer force of his personality - usually by being "obstinate", (or a royal pain in the butt, take your pick) - into some of the critical crises of his time, i.e. World War II and the Cold War. And although in my readings De Gaulle has been a supporting character - this is my first De Gaulle biography and The Last Great Frenchman is an excellent read.

De Gaulle was first and foremost a soldier, known as "the General", although he didn't see much time on the battlefield. He was wounded twice in World War I and then captured by the Germans in 1915, spending the rest of the war as a POW. Against the Nazis he fought briefly in mid-May before escaping to England, where he declared himself leader of the Free French. This chapter in his life the one most of us are familiar with; De Gaulle "leading" his country with words and not much else.

After the liberation of France in 1944, he served briefly as the Provisional Leader of his country, (August 1944 - January 1946), and after resigning spent over a dozen years in "the wilderness". In 1959, during the French/Algerian crisis, he assumed the premiership - A story in and of itself and chronicled extremely well here - and stayed there until 1969, when he resigned once again.

During the mid-20th Century, De Gaulle was inseparable or at least synonymous with France - An identity that "the General" not only didn't attempt to correct, but actively fostered. Claiming he was acting in his country's best interest, De Gaulle had an uncanny ability to not only anger and frustrate people, but with his arrogant and petulant behavior, consistently and almost universally alienated himself from those around him - many of whom who were trying to help him. De Gaulle personified/epitomized the stereotype of the aloof, haughty and condescending "Frenchman". FDR loathed him and De Gaulle's track record with subsequent US Presidents was not much better, (except for Nixon). Churchill grudgingly respected him, but found many of De Gaulle's antics incomprehensible. Even many of his fellow French found De Gaulle beyond the pale.

All of this and much more is covered in The Last Great Frenchman. This is an engaging book and the author does an excellent job in chronicling De Gaulle's life and times, without judging or defending his subject. For De Gaulle lived an interesting, exciting and very controversial life - I'll leave it up to the individual reader to decide whether it was a great one.

The politicians of today are often - I`m sorry to say it - vague and unreliable. But to read about Charles de Gaulle is refreshing - in this book, at least. The author describes vividly his development from soldier to politician, the dramas of war and peace, his special place in history.

Among other fascinating things, the glimpses of the general`s private life and thoughts, his come-back in 1958, and the way he managed to influence France and the world, are not easy to forget!

An excellent biography on one of the most elusive leaders of Europe. The book can get bogged down in minute details of WWII policy, but nonetheless provides a well-rounded view of who de Gaulle was--family man, soldier, general, president. He clearly had his own vision for France and did not want to be beholden to Anglo-American interests. While one may not agree with some of his positions, one has to respect the man for desiring a France that could stand on her own feet.

His story is also a sad one. The man who fought so hard for his country and was given a heroes welcome in 1945 is forced from office by the late 1960s.

I just started reading this book today but it looks as good as the one from Churchill and from the same author Iread last month.....cannot wait to finish it. great and quick service. Thanks, shallbe back, Beatriz.