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De Gaulle: Generalen som var Frankrike
575 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 19, 2020
(I read this book in Swedish and I'm not sure if it has been translated but I will write the review in English)
La France ne peut être la France sans la grandeur.
No matter what you think about Charles de Gaulle there is no denying that he was one of the most important political figures of the 20th century. The officer captured by the Germans at Verdun who many years later would liberate Paris from Hitler's occupation. In the period between the two world wars de Gaulle was an avid advocate for change in the French military system, that at the time according to him relied too much on defensive warfare. However, his ideas did not convince enough people and in May 1940, the Germans would slip through a hole in the Maginot line via the Ardennes and only a month later Paris would be in Hitler's hands. Maybe the outcome would have been different if de Gaulle's ideas had been taken seriously.
This is a biography by the Swedish writer and journalist Knut Ståhlberg, who moved to Paris in 1945 and lived there until his death in 2015. It is a volume that treats the whole life of general de Gaulle, divided into different parts. Charles de Gaulle has always fascinated me and I'm on a quest right now to read every book I can on him, and this was a very satisfactory read. It is well-written, detailed but concise and deals with many different facets of his life. However there is a heavier emphasis on de Gaulle the politician rather than de Gaulle the man and that is understandable.
In my opinion, de Gaulle has been misunderstood by many, both in later times but also during his life-time. When he rose to power again in 1958 people were afraid he would rule France as a dictator, and even before the liberation, Churchill and Roosevelt weren't sure if de Gaulle and democracy were two concepts that would mix well. At a press conference in 1958 he said: Croit-on qu’à soixante-sept ans, je vais commencer une carrière de dictateur ? (do you really think that at 67 years I'm going to start a career as a dictator?)
What I see, after having read this biography is a man so deeply in love with his country that he is willing to do anything to save its honour. He pushed through negotiations with the Allies where both him and France were completely undermined and where if he had not intervened, the outcome could have been very different. He sacrificed much of his time and his private life for France, and it seems to have taken a toll on his health in later times.
De Gaulle also strikes me as a very intelligent but lonely man, who did not have anyone except his family and whose personality on many instances didn't fit well with others. He was also very stubborn, difficult to negotiate with and would not change his mind as soon as it was set on one thing in particular. The professional relationships he had were often characterized by sporadic crises.
This books gives a good overview on his life and we get to see de Gaulle as a young officer, the dynamic between him Churchill and later Roosevelt, the rise to power, Algerian War for Independence and the end of his career in politics. He was the creator of the Fifth republic, the writer of the constitution that is still the basis for the French political system today and an interesting, eccentric individual. An advocate for a 'Europe of Nations'. This biography does a good job portraying him without bias. It is clear that Ståhlberg did admire de Gaulle and what he accomplished for France, but he paints a nuanced picture of who he was and how he was perceived both by his supporters and his critics.
Towards the end of the book there are many interesting observations about the power dynamics between the US and Europe in the post-1945 "Nuclear Age". and there is much to learn from it not only about the Gaulle but about 20th century France and Europe as well. This is a portrait of a man that still lives on in the french spirit and also a portrait of the times he lived in, and the many great historical events that he was part of in some way or another.
La France ne peut être la France sans la grandeur.
No matter what you think about Charles de Gaulle there is no denying that he was one of the most important political figures of the 20th century. The officer captured by the Germans at Verdun who many years later would liberate Paris from Hitler's occupation. In the period between the two world wars de Gaulle was an avid advocate for change in the French military system, that at the time according to him relied too much on defensive warfare. However, his ideas did not convince enough people and in May 1940, the Germans would slip through a hole in the Maginot line via the Ardennes and only a month later Paris would be in Hitler's hands. Maybe the outcome would have been different if de Gaulle's ideas had been taken seriously.
This is a biography by the Swedish writer and journalist Knut Ståhlberg, who moved to Paris in 1945 and lived there until his death in 2015. It is a volume that treats the whole life of general de Gaulle, divided into different parts. Charles de Gaulle has always fascinated me and I'm on a quest right now to read every book I can on him, and this was a very satisfactory read. It is well-written, detailed but concise and deals with many different facets of his life. However there is a heavier emphasis on de Gaulle the politician rather than de Gaulle the man and that is understandable.
In my opinion, de Gaulle has been misunderstood by many, both in later times but also during his life-time. When he rose to power again in 1958 people were afraid he would rule France as a dictator, and even before the liberation, Churchill and Roosevelt weren't sure if de Gaulle and democracy were two concepts that would mix well. At a press conference in 1958 he said: Croit-on qu’à soixante-sept ans, je vais commencer une carrière de dictateur ? (do you really think that at 67 years I'm going to start a career as a dictator?)
What I see, after having read this biography is a man so deeply in love with his country that he is willing to do anything to save its honour. He pushed through negotiations with the Allies where both him and France were completely undermined and where if he had not intervened, the outcome could have been very different. He sacrificed much of his time and his private life for France, and it seems to have taken a toll on his health in later times.
De Gaulle also strikes me as a very intelligent but lonely man, who did not have anyone except his family and whose personality on many instances didn't fit well with others. He was also very stubborn, difficult to negotiate with and would not change his mind as soon as it was set on one thing in particular. The professional relationships he had were often characterized by sporadic crises.
This books gives a good overview on his life and we get to see de Gaulle as a young officer, the dynamic between him Churchill and later Roosevelt, the rise to power, Algerian War for Independence and the end of his career in politics. He was the creator of the Fifth republic, the writer of the constitution that is still the basis for the French political system today and an interesting, eccentric individual. An advocate for a 'Europe of Nations'. This biography does a good job portraying him without bias. It is clear that Ståhlberg did admire de Gaulle and what he accomplished for France, but he paints a nuanced picture of who he was and how he was perceived both by his supporters and his critics.
Towards the end of the book there are many interesting observations about the power dynamics between the US and Europe in the post-1945 "Nuclear Age". and there is much to learn from it not only about the Gaulle but about 20th century France and Europe as well. This is a portrait of a man that still lives on in the french spirit and also a portrait of the times he lived in, and the many great historical events that he was part of in some way or another.
July 2, 2024
En spændende bog, men kronologien er lidt rodet. Præsidenttiden fylder heller ikke meget i bogen. Jeg savnede også lidt flere anekdoter om manden.
July 26, 2024
Välskriven biografi som djupdyker i Charles de Gaulles - och Frankrikes - resa under 1900-talet. I ett jämnt tempo byggs bilden sakta men säkert upp genom en mängd detaljer, kring CDG:s flykt o roll från 1940, balansgången med Churchill o amerikanarna samtidigt som motståndsrörelsen byggs upp, hela WW2, vidare till efterspelet, Frankrikes roll i Nordafrika, Algeriet -protester o till slut ”vanliga” politiska frågor o politikarbete.
En mycket välkommen faktainjektion o central pusselbit som binder ihop allt möjligt, från Hitlers sabel, Casablanca, Dagen D, Camus o Sartre generationen, frisläppandet av ett stort antal kolonier, Frankrikes invärtes o utvärtes självbild, media, kärnvapen, Nato, EU, dollar-reserven o terrorhot.
Knut S spänner bågen högt o det är stort antal skeenden o personer som passerar revy, - det är lite kämpigt att komma ihåg alla inbördes relationer ibland - i många fall hade var och en kunnat ha sina egna underkapitel - men imponerande att få ihop allt till en lagom lång biografi. Inte alltid tydligt varför CDG gjorde som han gjorde, men man anar nog ändå ett slags mönster när boken är slut.
En mycket välkommen faktainjektion o central pusselbit som binder ihop allt möjligt, från Hitlers sabel, Casablanca, Dagen D, Camus o Sartre generationen, frisläppandet av ett stort antal kolonier, Frankrikes invärtes o utvärtes självbild, media, kärnvapen, Nato, EU, dollar-reserven o terrorhot.
Knut S spänner bågen högt o det är stort antal skeenden o personer som passerar revy, - det är lite kämpigt att komma ihåg alla inbördes relationer ibland - i många fall hade var och en kunnat ha sina egna underkapitel - men imponerande att få ihop allt till en lagom lång biografi. Inte alltid tydligt varför CDG gjorde som han gjorde, men man anar nog ändå ett slags mönster när boken är slut.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2019
Intressant bok som ger en inblick i en person som för så många symboliserade Frankrike. En egensinnig general och en politiker som är svårplacerad på den gängse höger-vänsterskalan. Oftast är det dock de Gaulles egen syn eller en generellt fransk syn som kommer fram i boken, mer sällan omvärldens.
July 8, 2012
Efter at have læst Regine Deforges "Pigen med den blå cykel"-serie hvor De Gaulle flere gange optræder og bliver citeret var jeg nysgerrig efter at vide mere.
Alligevel tog det mig lang tid at komme i gang, for det kunne meget nemt være en meget støvet og laaang bog.
Men det er det langt fra - det er en mehget spændende og velskrevet bog om manden der nægtede at anerkende at Frankrig overgav sig til Nazi-tyskland og derfor kæmpede videre og blev en levende legende og et symbol på Frankrig stort set helt til sin døs.
Anbefalelsesværdig til alle der vil vide mere om det stof en statsmand bør være lavet af og det storpoitiske spil der altid foregår i kuissen - der er flere gange man ikke kan lade være med at tænke "hvad nu hvis..." når stormagternes egoer og holdninger tørner sammen.
Absolut den bedste politiske biografi jeg har læst til dato.
Alligevel tog det mig lang tid at komme i gang, for det kunne meget nemt være en meget støvet og laaang bog.
Men det er det langt fra - det er en mehget spændende og velskrevet bog om manden der nægtede at anerkende at Frankrig overgav sig til Nazi-tyskland og derfor kæmpede videre og blev en levende legende og et symbol på Frankrig stort set helt til sin døs.
Anbefalelsesværdig til alle der vil vide mere om det stof en statsmand bør være lavet af og det storpoitiske spil der altid foregår i kuissen - der er flere gange man ikke kan lade være med at tænke "hvad nu hvis..." når stormagternes egoer og holdninger tørner sammen.
Absolut den bedste politiske biografi jeg har læst til dato.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews