Charles de Gaulle

From London, de Gaulle broadcast a radio appeal urging French resistance against Nazi occupation. He called on French soldiers and citizens to continue the fight, founding the Free French Forces and becoming the symbol of French defiance.

De Gaulle returned to power during the Algerian crisis and oversaw the drafting of a new constitution. The Fifth Republic established a strong executive presidency, replacing the unstable parliamentary system of the Fourth Republic.

De Gaulle negotiated the

Mass student protests and general strikes paralyzed France, challenging de Gaulle's government. De Gaulle briefly fled to Germany, then returned to dissolve the National Assembly and call elections, which his party won, but his authority was weakened.

De Gaulle resigned after losing a referendum on regional reform and Senate restructuring. The defeat marked the end of his political career, as he withdrew from public life and died the following year.