In the Shadow of the General: Modern France and the Myth of De Gaulle

by Sudhir Hazareesingh

Charles De Gaulle's leadership of the French while in exile during World War II cemented his place in history. In contemporary France, he is the stuff of legend, consistently acclaimed as the nation's pre-eminent historical figure. But paradoxes abound. For one thing, his personal popularity sits oddly with his social origins and professional background. Neither the Army nor the Catholic Church is particularly well-regarded in France today, as they are seen to represent antiquated traditions and values. So why, then, do the French nonetheless identify with, celebrate, and even revere this austere and devout Catholic, who remained closely wedded to military values throughout his life? In The Shadow of the General resolves this mystery and explains how de Gaulle has come to occupy such a privileged position in the French imagination. Sudhir Hazareesingh's story of how an individual life was transformed into national myth also tells a great deal about the French collective self in the twenty-first its fractured memory, its aspirations to greatness, and its manifold anxieties. Indeed, alongside the tale of de Gaulle's legacy, the author unfolds a much broader the story of modern France.

Genres: History, France, Biography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2012

About the author

Sudhir Hazareesingh FBA is a British-Mauritian historian. He has been a fellow and Tutor in Politics at Balliol College, Oxford since 1990. Most of his work relates to modern political history from 1850; including the history of contemporary France as well as Napoleon, the Republic and Charles de Gaulle.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the Musee de L’armee in Paris (also known as the Invalides) there is a special section devoted to Charles de Gaulle (called L’Historial Charles de Gaulle) where there is a short film presentation on the accomplishments of the General. If one had little knowledge of the events of World War II, one would come out of that audio-visual with the feeling that de Gaulle was the key figure in the long liberation of France from 1940 through 1944 – that he had single-handedly removed the German occupiers from France.

There are many allusions to this myth-making in the book of Mr. Hazareesingh. De Gaulle could be many things to diverse groups of people – he became more so after his death in 1970. Everyone in France, from extreme right to communist, made use of him. In this sense, de Gaulle’s wish to be above the political fray succeeded.

The author discusses how this image changed and multiplied over time. He also examines his “War Memoires” which I found to be well written, personal and forthright. However there were many long and petty divergences (such as Lebanon and Madagascar), which in the grand scheme of all the forces interacting during World War II, had little impact on the overall outcome. Churchill spent an inordinate amount of energy trying to heal the often affronted General. To a large extent de Gaulle was in the shadow of Churchill (and Roosevelt as well) during World War II. But I have to acknowledge that de Gaulle was, sometimes, very gracious to both Churchill and Roosevelt.

The focus of this book is on France, there is not much on de Gaulle’s worldly interactions, and what there is tends to be overrated. De Gaulle did not make friends easily and over time France became isolated – De Gaulle’s petulance was notorious.

This book gives a good history of de Gaulle’s changing reputation over time and how in France, with some individuals, it assumed almost religious messianic proportions. There are extended discussions of his home in Colombey des Deux Eglises, his family and various biographies written of de Gaulle. We are given many varying shades of the general over different periods of time.