The de Lemma That Was de Gaulle
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Charles de Gaulle was probably the least understood leader of World War II. We understood Hitler. We understood Stalin. We understood Churchill. De Gaulle was (and remains?) a riddle. With the exception of Napoleon, no figure has dominated the history of France more than Charles Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle (CDG). His goals for France before, during, and after World War II can hardly be challenged. From a position of near-total weakness, he surmounted countless obstacles, internal and external, and carried the day for his nation. The substance and style of his actions would endear him forever to the polity of France...but much less so to others.In 1958, thirteen years after the end of the War, CDG gave to France arguably his greatest gift by proclaiming the Fifth Republic and avoiding a deadly serious civil war over Algeria. Western audiences know very little of these. Come, hear the stories, and learn much about Le Grand Charles.