French and their Presidents
French people often speak of their presidents as if they were characters in a national novel. For learners of French, getting to know them is useful not only for history’s sake, but because these figures still structure the country’s political vocabulary. A news paper headline, in a debate on television, even a casual remark at dinner or a joke based on imitating one of them, may suddenly make much more sense once you know the presidents behind the references.
This is why I offer you to learn more about them in this new series of post, in which I’ll detail each president of the 5th Republic main achievements, what they are remembered as nowadays in the public opinion, and some useful quotes you may hear on TV or in conversations. Let’s dive into the matter!
De Gaulle – The last giant (le dernier géant)
De Gaulle began his career as an army officer, rising through the ranks between the two World Wars. Appointed general by Prime Minister Paul Reynaud during the German invasion of 1940, he fled to London after the defeat, where he organized a resistance movement against the Nazi occupiers. Upon liberation in 1945, he headed the provisional government but was disappointed by the political form of the Fourth Republic. He withdrew from politics before being recalled in 1958, as France was on the verge of a civil war, over the Algerian question. It was hoped that the general’s popularity, particularly within the army, would help sort the crisis. The General seized the opportunity to oversee the drafting and referendum of the 1958 Constitution, which still serves as the basis for the current Fifth Republic, and of which he was the first president.
During his two-mandates rule, from 1958 to 1969, De Gaulle gave France a new, strong presidential regime, often said to reconcile the French’s love for the monarchy and providential person, and the needs of democratic rules. De Gaulle is also remembered for his non-aligned international policy, refusing the Cold-War block logic. He strove to preserve France’s independent voice in a multipolar world, by leaving NATO, neglecting the European construction with his “politique de la chaise vide”, recognizing communist China as a legitimate state… And, above all, he fought to return to France its grandeur.
Today, the General is still widely admired by the French. War hero. Founder of the current regime. Visionary leader of a strong and independent France, of which voice was listened by all. Honest, caring and responsible person (he demanded that his personal spendings were debited from his president’s salary, rather than passing them on the public budget). De Gaulle may be the last great figure of French history, so far.
Two quotes you may want to remember:
or I understood you – a sentence he pronounced during his speech in Algeria in 1958, after he was pulled out of retirement. The sentence was purposely ambiguous to appease the tension.
How can you govern a country that has 258 varieties of cheese? – emphasizing the diversity of the French people and the difficulty of bringing them together in a democracy.
or the true school of command is general knowledge. A very personal sentence, which yet reflects a certain taste that the French have for being cultured, knowledgeable, and aware of many topics.
Pompidou – The “liberal” (le libéral)
In 1969, when De Gaulle decides to withdraw from politics, Pompidou his long-term prime minister, has already expressed his desire to take over, causing a squabble between the two men. His popularity as a prime minister, and his more tempered and compromising personality, have him elected. During his short years in office, Pompidou will undertake to continue to modernize and industrialize France: he’s credited for launching the TGV, France’s iconic train, gathering partners to create Airbus, and give France a vast network of roads and highways, car being a symbol of freedom. In order to give Paris a more modern look, he inspires the creation of the “Centre Georges Pompidou”, thought as complementing the Louvre, and to give Paris a space dedicated to literature and contemporary arts.
He’s mostly perceived positively by French people nowadays, as those who remember still admire his easy-goingness, his will to govern for the general interest, above the social classes, and the discretion and perseverance he showed in continuing to operate as a president despite the fatal blood cancer he contracted while in office.
A quote or two to remember:
Stop bothering the French, will you? – A sentence he pronounced as a prime minister to a young Jacques Chirac, to protest about legal inflation, still quoted by Macron recently, which emphasizes his laissez-faire liberal style.
General interest has this particularity: it does not impose itself naturally – highlighting the former president’s will to govern above the parties and social classes, while still believing in other “natural” laws of free market.
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing – The “technocrat”
In 1974, following the decease of Georges Pompidou, Valery Giscard d’Estaing is voted in the office. He appears young and competent: exemplary product of the French “meritocracy”, he studied in Polytechnique and l’ENA (National School of Administration), before becoming a finance inspector, giving him an aura of high-level technical competency. Unlike his predecessors, he’s a convinced Europe-supporter, and will commit France into a more integrated Union with his partners.
Today, he’s mostly remembered for modernizing family, supporting his minister Simone Veil in facilitating divorce and legalizing abortion. He’s also the first president of this era to face a major economic recession, after 1973’s oil crisis, which he handled with competence and humanity, continuing some important social reforms: revenue continuation by the social insurance in case of dismissal, among other advantages for the workers.
Nowadays, although he is still seen positively, he doesn’t rank among the most popular president. His aristocratic origins, doubled with his “technical” vibe, translated into a distant, sometimes haughty communication, according to the French public.
His quotes to take away:
You don’t have the monopoly of the heart – A sentence he stroke François Mitterrand with during their 1974 debate, which is said to have won him the election. The left, which Mitterrand represented in this election, is often claimed to be more generous towards the people, which Giscard cleverly wanted to prove wrong that night.
In heaven, the policeman is English, the cook is French, the lover is Italian, the mechanic is German and the administrator is Swiss. In hell, the policeman is German, the cook is English, the lover is Swiss, the mechanic is French and the administrator is Italian. – a quote that reflects the former president’s commitment for a more integrated European Union, and his taste for technical management and sharp organization. It is often used as a joke nowadays.
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