de Gaulle

by Julian T. Jackson

Accessible and affordable illustrated biography

Genres: Biography, History, France, Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

One of the leading authorities on twentieth-century France, Julian Timothy Jackson is Professor of History at Queen Mary, University of London. He was educated at the University of Cambridge where he obtained his doctorate in 1982, having been supervised by Professor Christopher Andrew. After many years spent at the University of Wales, Swansea, he joined Queen Mary History Department in 2003. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long book at 928 pages or 41 hours and 35 minutes in audiobook format. Julian Jackson covers De Gaulle from childhood to death. The book is well written and meticulously researched. I have read a lot of books about World War I, but I do not recall any author mentioning the role De Gaulle played in the Great War. Jackson covers in detail De Gaulle’s role as a lieutenant in the WWI.

Jackson appears to have done a good job in writing an unbiased biography of De Gaulle. The author covers in-depth De Gaulle’s role in World War II. I must admit that when I started reading this book most of my knowledge about De Gaulle was based on my readings by Churchill and Eisenhower. It was good to obtain an unbiased viewpoint of De Gaulle. I learned about his role in WWII and as president of France. I still do not have a high opinion of him. One of his comments I cannot seem to get out of my mind is as follows: “It is not the role of government to obtain proposals or seek consensus but to give orders”. That statement seems to really bother me. I also noted he tried to do away with political parties but was unsuccessful.

I enjoyed the book and learning about De Gaulle and also about the civil war with Algeria that De Gaulle triggered. If you are interested in De Gaulle or French history, you should give the book a try.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Julian Jackson is a British historian. James Adams does a good job narrating the book. I enjoyed his British accent. Adams is a British audiobook narrator who now lives in the United States.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I'm not a fan of short biographies, as for too many of them concision of the subject's life comes at the cost of in-depth insight. There are some books, however, which are the exception to this, and Julian Jackson's biography of Charles de Gaulle is one of them. A big reason for this is his prioritization of what matters; the majority of the book focuses on de Gaulle's political career, in particular his eleven years as president of France. Yet Jackson doesn't ignore de Gaulle's early life, as he summarizes it in a way that highlights his development as a leader, such as his inter-war writings and his relationship with Philippe Pétain. While this necessarily means that subjects such as his personal life get short shrift, the result is a book that is a superb introduction for anyone seeking an introduction to the French leader and his legacy.

[Jerry Jonckheere · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have to admit I selected this book because it was cheap ($3.99), long (41 hour Audible book) and that it covered a great politician that I remember from my 1960s... I found that was eerily relevant to today's political environment. First, CdG was an incredible politician that dominated French politics off-and-on over 30 years. Second, he was incredibly - and ruthlessly - rude and direct with his interactions with other great politicians (Roosevelt, Churchill, Truman, Eisenhour, and many others). CdG was very focused on putting France first and was willing to obstruct the government and make demands for greater and greater power when he had the opportunity. What eventually limited his ambitions was a younger population that never knew his WWII service... Many lessons that can be learned from a singularly focused politician in a modern democracy.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a tome on Winston Churchill and it made me want to read about enigmatic de Gaulle. The first half of the book does what many biographies do: fawn over the subject. But the second half of the book is fantastic- a witty critique that does not hold back. De Gaulle’s foresight about American domination, especially economic and financial rather than purely military really surprised me- and the subtle nuance the author was able to deduce. The gold standard crisis, Bretton Woods, and the dollar’s privileged position alarmed de Gaulle. When he pushed to convert French dollar reserves into gold in the 1960s, he was aiming for monetary sovereignty. The whole chapter about him embracing TV, how it allowed him to collapse distance and create intimacy between leader and public was very astute.

[Phil Villarreal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author Julian T. Jackson loses the forest for the trees, spending far too much time obsessing over the mundane details of the minutiae of de Gaulle's movements, speeches and reactions to news of the day.

Charles de Gaulle lived a grand, exciting life, but it seemed droning and dull according to much of this book. It's an exhaustive and exhausting textbook rather than a film-ready biography.

Jackson's writing comes alive when he frees himself from what he deems to be the necessary play-by-play to step out and make grand-scale commentary on de Gaulle's vision and motivations.

A complicated leader who wore the burden of a nation's pride on his sleeve, de Gaulle served as the nation's defiant conscience in exile during the Nazi occupation, and took complex and hotly debated stances over controversial issues such as the beginnings of the Vietnam War, the establishment of Israel and the question of whether or not to grant independence to the people of Algeria.

De Gaulle thrived on his stature as a revered statesman who had a knack of predicting future geopolitical climates, but Jackson convincingly argues that his genius lied in his ability to adapt and alter his perspectives given the political needs of the time. De Gaulle managed to keep his leadership style relevant as time and tide shifted.

James Adams narrates the Audible version with admirable passion, pushing through the slower portions with a forceful urgency, while generating enthusiasm and vigor during the more interesting big-picture moments.

Only in the final pages does Jackson's fill-figured opinion of the majestic leader morph to its fullest life. The book ends with the sort of momentous eloquence that I hoped for and didn't receive through 90 percent of what came before.

If only it were true in this case that all's well that ends well.

[John W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent one volume biography.

[Brad Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic piece of work about a incredibly complex and fascinating man. I heartily recommend for anyone interested in WW II (or the 60s), or for any Francophile.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this book. It is 41 hours on Audible. I enjoyed it overall. I was a narrative what seemed like everything that happened in his 30 year public career. It was very detailed.

De Gaulle was a great man. France gave up early in WW2. He refused to give up and refused not to allow anyone to consider France anything but a great power. His stubbornness worked. France was restored to great power status. That’s very impressive. He also comes off as a real jerk and one of history’s greats that I have no desire to meet.

[George Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short (you can finish in a few days) overview of De Gaulle’s life that nonetheless gives the reader a compelling look at the character, philosophy, and accomplishments of one of France’s most important figures. Beyond the engaging subject matter, the excellent writing makes the book worth the read and has made me interested in Jackson’s larger biography of De Gaulle.

[Alvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5. Tight summary of de Gaulle's life and philosophy from WWII forward.

[David Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crammed with details, personal and political.

[Kayiris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but 5here really was not much on what shaped his liv we. Worth reading and I did learn a lot about him.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There seem to be two DeGaulle bios by this author. I read the one that is under 200 pages, and found it to be a great introduction to this notable 20th century statesman.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t know whether this is the right book, which was published fairly recently. Anyway, it’s a monumental study of Degaulle and his times. Well worth the effort.

[Douglas Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Francophile and have become an admirer of De Gaulle so I am a little biased - but this was a pleasure to read. It was factual, not prone to hyperbole. De Gaulle was an enormous figure on the world stage in the 20th century and this book outlines what he did in his public life. The book does not go beyond the public figure and review his private life. This is one aspect that is disappointing.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How can you govern a country that has 258 cheeses?" Charles de Gaulle
"The truth of the General is in his legend"
"A voice before he was a face." Not that well known in France prior to the German occupation of France, his voice was beamed from England as a voice of Free France. Yet huge part of the the population never heard the broadcasts.

Do not gloss over the formative years to get to the meat of the book. It helps explain DG.
A prickly personality would be an understatement. Icy, socially inept, bold.
Though not a duplicitous man either.

From his march from the Arc de Triomphe into Paris, when Free France returned to French soil, until his death, he was a monumental force in France.
When he assumed the Presidency of France, his presidency was a tour de force in statesmanship at home and on the world scene. France, a defeated power, was able to join England and the US in dividing up West Germany AND wind up with a seat on the UN Security Council. From that point on, I would say France and DG truly punched above it's weight in world affairs. As President, his trips to world capitals drew enormous crowds.

For me this book was an amazing experience. Really informed me of how much I do not know about world history. LOL. It is always a humbling experience to know what you don't know.

[Ian Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very readable and short biography of a most remarkable Frenchman, Charles De Gaulle. He saved his country on various occasions. During the catastrophic defeat of 1940 at the hands of the Germans, De Gaulle escaped to Britain where he marshalled the remnants of the Free French and ensured that once France was liberated in 1944, there was a legitimate and peaceful transition to a post war government lead by De Gaulle himself. His management of the Algiers crisis ensured that France did not lapse into civil war, which it very nearly did. He ditched the 4th Republic and created the 5th Republic, which survives to this day.
He had an idealised vision of France, but a pragmatic approach to politics. A driven and determined man who many considered aloof, prickly and difficult, he always put France before everything, including himself. By contrast, he was a devoted husband and loving father.
A principled and pragmatic man, modern day France would be unthinkable without him. If only all world statesmen were like him.

[Milo Adkison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slog for me, because of DeGaulle, who I disliked more the more I read. He was a conniving egomaniac with dictatorial tendencies. He also was completely dedicated to France, and lived simply, no hint of corruption. A very thorough and well-written book. I was hoping to read more about the history of France. DeGaulle had a big role in both world wars, the start of the Cold War and the beginnings of European union, the loss of French colonies that almost caused a military coup in France, and the massive 1968 protests that were almost a revolution. These are all covered, but the focus of this book really is DeGaulle and his character.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

En fin. What a slog. Up until the aftermath of WWII, it’s a 3. Afterwards and for the rest of the book, giving it two stars would be a kindness. What an interesting, contradictory character de Gaulle was. What was not as interesting was the recreation of every comment and conversation he must have had from 1949 until his death in 1970. Nonetheless, a definitive assemblage for those who are up to it.

[Will Leben · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's long, and all that detail can be daunting. But we get a credible and nuanced view of de Gaulle, correcting (intentional) inaccuracies in de Gaulle's own memoir at several points. What's more, we get extensive coverage of operations during World War II and events in postwar Europe. The ups and downs of de Gaulle's relationship with FDR and with Churchill came as the biggest surprise.

[Marthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

My birthday present. A very, very great read from one of my favorite authors.

[Erik Hume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid biography of de Gaulle. I listened to the audiobook version, which at 40+ hours was quite the endeavor. You will definitely learn a lot about the life of de Gaulle from this book.

[Chris Buehrer]

Fantastic book. Really interesting, charismatic leader.

[Gunner Garner · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better biographies I have ever read. I see why France reveres the man, and wish we produced more like him.