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A Certain Idea of France

The Life of Charles de Gaulle

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Brought to you by Penguin.

In six weeks in 1940, France was over-run by German troops and surrendered. One junior French general, refusing to accept defeat, made his way to England. On 18 June he spoke to his compatriots over the BBC, urging them to rally to him in London. At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered into history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle frequently bit the hand that fed him. He insisted on being treated as the true embodiment of France, and quarrelled violently with Churchill and Roosevelt. But through sheer force of personality and bloody-mindedness he managed to have France recognised as one of the victorious Allies.

For ten years after 1958 he was President of France's Fifth Republic, which he created and which endures to this day. His pursuit of 'a certain idea of France' challenged American hegemony, took France out of NATO and twice vetoed British entry into the European Community. His controversial decolonization of Algeria brought France to the brink of civil war and provoked several assassination attempts. Julian Jackson's magnificent biography reveals this the life of this titanic figure as never before. No previous biography has depicted his paradoxes so vividly. Much of French politics since his death has been about his legacy, and he remains by far the greatest French leader since Napoleon.

 Europe France Historical Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State War Military Imperialism England Middle Ages Russia Winston Churchill Soviet Union Socialism Roosevelt Family

Critic reviews

Julian Jackson's biography is a worthy monument to this extraordinary figure. He has a good eye for the telling quotation and a magnificent capacity to place de Gaulle, one of the most fascinating subjects in twentieth-century politics, in his historical and political setting. The result is a wonderful history of modern France disguised as the biography of a statesman. (Mark Mazower)
Scholarship of the highest class ... a truly great book, for after this all other biographies can be cast aside. (Simon Heffer)
Only a great biography could do justice to such a man. This one does it, magnificently. (Noel Malcolm)
More than just another, bigger, biography ... he has the skill and style to maintain a dramatic narrative over nearly 800 pages of text (Robert Tombs)
A suitably monumental achievement. (Lewis Jones)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a historical biography of the very highest order. Sometimes the reader's pronunciation of the French words is confusing but perfect is the enemy of good.

superb

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I went into this book with only scant knowledge of De Galle. Now I can understand why France is like it is the unacknowledged royalist tendencies and need to be the leader of Europe but blame everyone else for the failure . I found De Galle to be unlikable but still to be admired for saving his nation from it self

Study of a difficult man

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Outstanding biography of the life of General De Gaulle. Goes into great detail about his numerous character flaws, as well as his enormous bravery to be "the first resister", and his worldview, that he had "a certain idea" of what France is and could be.

One of the best biographies I've ever read

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This is a very thorough and detailed account of the one man that made the french want to believe in themselves again. Although De Gaulle was an acute sufferer of Fashoda syndrome, symptoms being petulance, ignorance, double standards, extreme grumpiness and very anti British. This is the continuing thread of this book as it obviously ran through De Gaulle like a stick of rock.
Throughout his career from 1940 until his death he changed the main role and purpose of all french presidents thereafter. That number one role, their main purpose of each and all french presidents is to make France look important. A job that gets harder with each year and each new president. Whether it is Leaving nato, blocking the UK’s eu entry in the 60’s or our leaving the eu, or even lately with the tantrums over AUKUS. Even macrons humiliating attempt of trying to place himself at the centre of negotiations with putin and the war in Ukraine, desperate phone conversations and a embarrassment to france.
Unfortunately making France look important cannot be done through economic, military or diplomatic strength. It is solely done through the awkwardness and stubbornness we see today.
One of the reasons I listened to this book is the hope that it would shed some light on how France got a UN big five seat, something I have tried researching for years. Originally the UN was going to have a Big three- USA, Russia and UK. This then changed to a big four with China and then, literally 2 and a half months before it’s establishment france was announced it would be the fifth member. No one knows how this came about or the negotiations involved. Sadly this book also glossed over it.
Still, a fantastic achievement of a book and very well narrated.

A detailed account of De Gaulle

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This is a genuinely monumental book and the definitive biography of de Gaulle in any language, including French. It has indeed been recognised as such even in France, usually scathing of foreigners interpreting their national symbol. But a narrator should have been chosen who spoke French or checked pronunciation: half the proper nouns are terribly mangled. E.g it is Edgard Faure, no accent on the last e (not like the composer), the Duc d’Enghein, hard g not like engine, and so on for hundreds of characters and places. But do buy this great book.

Extraordinary book...needs a narrator who knows French

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