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Example research essay topic: Second World War De Gaulle - 1,394 words

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... do nothing to change the views of the FLN in the short term, and the insurrection would continue. Despite the obvious flaws of the integrationist approach, de Gaulle went ahead with reforms in Algeria. The constitution provided a single, unified electorate of voters in Algeria, with suffrage for Muslim women. Most of the deputies elected in the 30 November elections favoured a French Algeria. 20 This reflected the integrationist image of de Gaulle's government. While de Gaulle sought to engage the Algerian population, he continued the war against the military branch of the FLN, the Army of National Liberation (ALN).

In 1959, what became known as the Challe Plan was carried out. There was a purge of over 1500 French officers who were transferred or retired. 21 General Maurice Challe, a member of the air force, was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief of French Forces in Algeria. Challe placed an emphasis on securing the borders with Tunisia and Morocco - the entrances of the ALN into Algeria. He then mounted an operation between February and April in the Ouarsenis and French mountain ranges to clear the area of insurgents. 1600 insurgents were killed, 460 were captured, ammunition and other supplies were seized and the operation succeeded in clearing the area of the ALN. 22 Similar operations throughout Algeria were equally successful, yet the Challe Plan was a political failure - over a million Muslims were transferred to concentration camps and torture was used against the families of the guerrillas. 23 News of these human-rights abuses reached the wider world and were milked by the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA), resident in Tunis.

Global opinion turned against the French. As a result of the operations, de Gaulle announced a forty percent drop in incidents by the end of the year. 24 On 16 September 1959, de Gaulle explicitly laid out the three options for Algeria in a broadcast. The first option was total independence, the second was total integration, and the third was association, government of Algerians by Algerians, supported by French aid in close union with France. 25 It would be for the Algerians themselves to decide. This statement alienated most of the French officers in Algeria. It was obvious from the broadcast that de Gaulle favoured the third option - one that was unacceptable to the army and to the settlers. Some of the white settlers formed a paramilitary organisation, the French National Front (FNF).

General Mass himself was turning against de Gaulle. In a newspaper interview published on 18 January 1960, Mass, referring to the President, suggested that so far as he and the majority of officers in positions of command were concerned, they... would not execute unconditionally the orders of the head of state. 26 De Gaulle instantly recalled Mass from Algiers and reassigned him to be the garrison commander at Metz. This prompted Barricades Week, a period in which the FNF attempted to overthrow the civilian administration in Algeria.

With the Fifth Republic in jeopardy of collapse, de Gaulle appealed to the nation in his uniform of brigadier-general on 29 January. He ordered the army not to associate with the insurgents and to re-establish law and order. 27 The stalemate with the GPRA continued, until November 1960, when de Gaulle announced: Having taken the leadership of France again, I have... decided in her name to follow a new course. This course leads... to an... emancipated Algeria, ...

an Algeria which, if the Algerians so desire - and I think this is the case - will have its own Government, its institutions and its laws. 28 A referendum was announced which asked the French population whether or not independence should be granted to Algeria once peace had been restored. The vote on 8 January 1961 returned an endorsement of the plan of 75 percent in France and 70 percent in Algeria. 29 It was vital for de Gaulle to maintain the confidence of the army until the end of the war. This was done so with a more vigorous pursuit of the rebels, increased participation of the Muslim population in the political and economic life of Algeria, and guarantees that the Europeans and Muslims co-operating with France would be protected. 30 The course of events was going the wrong way for retired Generals Challe, Sale, Jouhaud and Zeller. They had been recruited by a group of integrationist colonels to lead a coup against de Gaulle. Troops supporting the rebels seized control of Algiers and arrested the representatives of the Government on 22 April 1961. The response of de Gaulle was swift and decisive.

He activated Article 16 of the constitution, which grants the President emergency powers, and he made a broadcast to the nation. A second broadcast on 23 April reached French conscripts in Algeria - de Gaulle ordered all troops to remain loyal and oppose the four generals. 31 The troops remained loyal to the Government, and the attempted coup ground to a halt. Negotiations with the GPRA finally began at Evian in May 1961. De Gaulle was on the back foot, however, because of his repeated declarations to the French public to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

As a result, the demand for a cease-fire before the start of negotiations had to be dropped, together with the demand to negotiate only with the FLN, and the demand that the Sahara would not be part of the new nation. 32 The negotiations were slow, and continued on and off until 19 March 1962, when a settlement was finally reached. For the French, the most important parts of the settlement were the guarantees written into the accords protecting the European minority in an independent Algeria. De Gaulle presented the settlement to France for approval in April. The result in the referendum was overwhelming. 90 percent of the electorate voted to approve the accords. 33 De Gaulle was successful in resolving the third greatest crisis for France in the twentieth century (the other two being the World Wars). He was successful because he chose to back his policies with popular support. Such support was needed for the passage of the constitution, which established the framework for dealing with Algeria; democratic reforms in Algeria itself indicated how greatly de Gaulle valued the democratic process; the referendum of January 1961 gave the President the mandate to seek a settlement that would go against the settlers and the army; and the popular support for the President among the conscripts saved the Fifth Republic in April 1961.

There was also a degree of 'realpolitik' employed by de Gaulle in his actions - especially with the broadcast to the troops, the support of whom was entirely necessary. De Gaulle saved France from civil war and military dictatorship - therefore it is right to consider him as one of the finest statesmen of the twentieth century. FOOTNOTES

    Edgar Oballance, "The Algerian Insurrection 1954 - 1962 ", London, 1967, p. 42. James F. McMillan, "Twentieth Century France: Politics and Society 1898 - 1991 ", London, 1992, p. 161. Herbert Tint, "French Foreign Policy since the Second World War", London, 1972, p. 192.

    ibid. Oballance, p. 29. ibid. , p. 27. ibid. , p. 38. Robert Gildea, "France Since 1945 ", Oxford, 1996, p. 240.

    McMillan, p. 162. Oballance, p. 83. Andrew Shennan, "De Gaulle", London, 1993, p. 79. Charles Williams, "The Last Great Frenchman", London, 1993, p. 406. Tint, p. 195.

    Gildea, p. 45. Edward A. Kolodziej, "French International Policy Under de Gaulle and Pompidou: The Politics of Grandeur", London, 1974, p. 447. ibid. , p. 448.

    Shennan, p. 93. Kolodziej, p. 457. Shennan, p. 94. Kolodziej, p. 457. Williams, p. 397. Oballance, p. 133.

    Williams, p. 400. Kolodziej, p. 458. Shennan, p. 97. Williams, p. 401. ibid. , p. 402. Kolodziej, p. 460.

    ibid. ibid. Shennan, p. 103. ibid. 33.

    Kolodziej, p. 462.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Gildea, Robert, "France Since 1945 ", Oxford, 1996. Kolodziej, Edward A. , "French International Policy Under de Gaulle and Pompidou: The Politics of Grandeur", London, 1974. McMillan, James F. , "Twentieth Century France: Politics and Society 1898 - 1991 ", London, 1992. Oballance, Edgar, "The Algerian Insurrection 1954 - 1962 ", London, 1967. Shennan, Andrew, "De Gaulle", London, 1993. Tint, Herbert, "French Foreign Policy since the Second World War", London, 1972.

Williams, Charles, "The Last Great Frenchman", London, 1993.


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Research essay sample on Second World War De Gaulle

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