Noah Goats's Reviews > The General: Charles De Gaulle and the France He Saved

De Gaulle was out of touch in 1968 when protests swept his country in a terrible blow to his prestige, but as Jonathan Fenby's biography shows, de Gaulle was essentially out of touch for his entire life. He had a vision of the greatness of France, and of his own importance, that was frequently at odds with reality. For example, he believe France to be an equal partner with the US, Great Britain, and Russia in WWII, and this belief was patently absurd. He also believed in his own legitimacy as the leader of France during that time period, and this was at least highly questionable. His high opinion of himself and of his country frequently led him into behavior that was petty, authoritarian, absurd, and highly irritating to everyone around him. But until 1968, being out of touch with reality served him well. He bullied and bluffed his way to success.

As an American, I can't read about de Gaulle, even today, without rolling my eyes and clucking, but I have to admit that he was indisputably one of the great world leaders of the 20th century. He salvaged France's honor in WWII, brought order to chaos in 1958, ended the awful war in Algeria, and put France on the path back to greatness. Fenby's book does a solid job of telling his story.