117-605: Pierre Jules Cot (20 November 1895, in Grenoble – 21 August 1977, Paris), was a French politician and leading figure in the Popular Front government of the 1930s. Born in Grenoble into a conservative Catholic family, he entered politics as an admirer of the World War I conservative leader Raymond Poincaré , but moved steadily to the left over the course of his career. Through the decrypting of 1943 Soviet intelligence cables through
234-501: A referendum in which he proposed more decentralisation. He died a year later at the age of 79, leaving his presidential memoirs unfinished. Many French political parties and leaders claim a Gaullist legacy; many streets and monuments in France and other parts of the world were dedicated to his memory after his death. Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was born on 22 November 1890 in Lille ,
351-568: A "drafting officer". He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in December 1932 and appointed Head of the Third Section (operations). His service at SGDN gave him six years' experience of the interface between army planning and government, enabling him to take on ministerial responsibilities in 1940. After studying arrangements in the US, Italy, and Belgium, de Gaulle drafted a bill for the organisation of
468-654: A Catholic movement, the Ligue , which took Grenoble in December 1590, refused to make peace. After months of assaults, Lesdiguières defeated the Ligue and took back Grenoble. He became the leader of the entire province. Lesdiguières became the lieutenant-general of the Dauphiné and administered the Province from 1591 to 1626. He began the construction of the Bastille to protect the city and ordered
585-566: A European counterweight between the Anglo-American and Soviet spheres of influence through the signing of the Élysée Treaty on 22 January 1963. De Gaulle opposed any development of a supranational Europe , favouring Europe as a continent of sovereign nations . De Gaulle openly criticised the US intervention in Vietnam and the " exorbitant privilege " of the US dollar. In his later years, his support for
702-461: A Professional Army ). He proposed mechanization of the infantry, with stress on an élite force of 100,000 men and 3,000 tanks. The book imagined tanks driving around the country like cavalry. De Gaulle's mentor Emile Mayer was somewhat more prophetic than he was about the future importance of air power on the battlefield. Such an army would both compensate for France's population shortage, and be an efficient tool to enforce international law, particularly
819-453: A bayonet wound to the left thigh after being stunned by a shell and was captured after passing out from the effects of poison gas. He was one of the few survivors of his battalion. The circumstances of his capture would later become a subject of debate as anti-Gaullists spread rumour that he had actually surrendered, a claim de Gaulle nonchalantly dismissed. De Gaulle spent 32 months in six different prisoner camps, but he spent most time in
936-544: A career as a writer and historian, partly to please his father and partly because it was one of the few unifying forces which represented the whole of French society. He later wrote that "when I entered the Army, it was one of the greatest things in the world", a claim which Lacouture points out needs to be treated with caution: the army's reputation was at a low. It was used extensively for strike-breaking and there were fewer than 700 applicants for Saint-Cyr in 1908, down from 2,000 at
1053-710: A child when she heard of the French capitulation to the Germans at Sedan in 1870 , he developed a keen interest in military strategy. He was also influenced by his uncle, also named Charles de Gaulle , who was a historian and passionate Celticist who advocated the union of the Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Bretons into one people. His grandfather Julien-Philippe was also a historian, and his grandmother Joséphine-Marie wrote poems which impassioned his Christian faith. De Gaulle began writing in his early teens, especially poetry; his family paid for
1170-642: A composition, a one-act verse play, to be privately published. A voracious reader, he favored philosophical tomes by such writers as Bergson , Péguy , and Barrès . In addition to the German philosophers Nietzsche , Kant , and Goethe , he read the works of the ancient Greeks (especially Plato ) and the prose of Chateaubriand . De Gaulle was educated in Paris at the Collège Stanislas and studied briefly in Belgium. At
1287-681: A dedication to Pétain (although he wrote his own rather than using the draft Pétain sent him), which was dropped from postwar editions. Until 1938 Pétain had treated de Gaulle, as Lacouture puts it, "with unbounded good will", but by October 1938 he privately thought his former protégé "an ambitious man, and very ill-bred". At the outbreak of World War II, de Gaulle was put in command of the French Fifth Army 's tanks (five scattered battalions, largely equipped with R35 light tanks ) in Alsace. On 12 September 1939 he attacked at Bitche , simultaneously with
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#17328802684851404-624: A flight scale in Spain. The head of his ministerial office, Jean Moulin (later a leader of the French Resistance ), made several trips to Spain. This brought Cot into close collaboration with the communists, with whom he had increasingly sympathised since a visit to the Soviet Union in 1933. His activities were one of the factors leading to the withdrawal of the right-wing of the Radical Party from
1521-413: A laundry basket, digging a tunnel, digging through a wall, and even posing as a nurse. In letters to his parents, he constantly spoke of his frustration that the war was continuing without him. As the war neared its end, he grew depressed that he was playing no part in the victory, but he remained in captivity until the armistice . On 1 December 1918, three weeks later, he returned to his father's house in
1638-787: A major expansion of the French Air Force . He was conscious of the real aim of the Nazi policy of creating sailgliding clubs through the Hitlerjugend and supported the expansion of working class aero-clubs movement called Aviation Populaire as a countermeasure, but left office in February 1934 when the Stavisky Affair forced Daladier from power. He was again Minister for Air in three brief governments led by Camille Chautemps . In 1936, Cot, by this time
1755-486: A major power should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. To this end, he pursued a policy of "national independence" which led him to withdraw from NATO 's integrated military command and to launch an independent nuclear strike force that made France the world's fourth nuclear power . He restored cordial Franco-German relations with Konrad Adenauer to create
1872-632: A major role in industrializing hydroelectricity production. With the development of his paper mills, he accelerated the economic development of the Grésivaudan valley and Grenoble. On 4 August 1897, a stone and bronze fountain was inaugurated in Grenoble to commemorate the pre-revolutionary events of June 1788. Built by the sculptor Henri Ding , the Fountain of the Three Orders, which represents three characters,
1989-511: A manner similar to what de Gaulle had advocated). A rare insight into de Gaulle's political views is a letter to his mother warning that war with Germany was inevitable and reassuring her that Pierre Laval 's pact with the USSR in 1935 was for the best, likening it to Francis I 's alliance with the Turks against Emperor Charles V . From April 1936, whilst still in his staff position at SGDN, de Gaulle
2106-520: A parade of 80 tanks into the Place d'Armes at Metz, in his command tank " Austerlitz ". By now de Gaulle was becoming a well-known figure, known as "Colonel Motor(s)". At the invitation of the publisher Plon , he produced another book, La France et son Armée (France and Her Army) in 1938. De Gaulle incorporated much of the text he had written for Pétain a decade earlier for the uncompleted book Le Soldat , to Pétain's displeasure. De Gaulle agreed to include
2223-454: A platoon commander, de Gaulle was involved in fierce fighting from the outset. He received his baptism of fire on 15 August and was among the first to be wounded, receiving a bullet in the knee at the Battle of Dinant . It is sometimes claimed that in hospital, he grew bitter at the tactics used, and spoke with other injured officers against the outdated methods of the French army. However, there
2340-455: A question about supplies, replying "de minimis non curat praetor " (roughly: "a leader does not concern himself with trivia") before ordering the responsible officer to answer Moyrand. He obtained respectable, but not outstanding grades on many of his assessments. Moyrand wrote in his final report that he was "an intelligent, cultured and serious-minded officer; has brilliance and talent" but criticised him for not deriving as much benefit from
2457-810: A socialist, became a leading support of the Popular Front, an alliance of the Radicals and the Socialists led by Léon Blum , with the support of the French Communist Party . An antiwar activist, though not a pacifist, he was president of the International Peace Conference from 1936 to 1940. He received the Stalin Peace Prize in 1953. When Blum became Prime Minister in June 1936, Cot returned to
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#17328802684852574-642: A time when it was a village of the Allobroges Gallic tribe. It became the capital of the Dauphiné in the 11th century. This status, consolidated by the annexation to France , allowed it to develop its economy. Grenoble then became a parliamentary and military city, close to the border with Savoy , which at the time was part of the Holy Roman Empire . Industrial development increased the prominence of Grenoble through several periods of economic expansion over
2691-511: A two-year posting to Lebanon and Syria . In Beirut he was chief of the 3rd Bureau (military operations) of General Louis-Paul-Gaston de Bigault du Granrut, who wrote him a glowing reference recommending him for high command. In the spring of 1931, as his posting in Beirut drew to a close, de Gaulle once again asked Pétain for a posting to the École de Guerre . Pétain tried to obtain an appointment for him as Professor of History there, but once again
2808-568: Is classified as a global city with the ranking of "sufficiency" by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . The city held the title of European Green Capital in 2022. The first references to what is now Grenoble date back to 43 BC. Cularo was at that time a Gallic village of the Allobroges tribe, near a bridge across the Isère. Three centuries later and with insecurity rising in
2925-449: Is located on Place Notre-Dame. People in Grenoble interpret these characters as follows: "Is it raining?" inquires the third estate ; "Please heaven it had rained", lament the clergy ; and "It will rain", proclaims the nobility . World War I accelerated Grenoble's economic development. To sustain the war effort, new hydroelectric industries developed along the various rivers of the region, and several existing companies moved into
3042-616: Is no contemporary evidence that he understood the importance of artillery in modern warfare. Instead, in his writing at the time, he criticised the "overrapid" offensive, the inadequacy of French generals, and the "slowness of the English troops". He rejoined his regiment in October, as commander of the 7th company . Many of his former comrades were already dead. In December he became regimental adjutant . De Gaulle's unit gained recognition for repeatedly crawling out into no man's land to listen to
3159-648: Is the prefecture and largest city of the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the capital of the Dauphiné historical province and lies where the river Drac flows into the Isère at the foot of the French Alps . The population of the commune of Grenoble was 158,198 as of 2019, while the population of the Grenoble metropolitan area (French: aire d'attraction de Grenoble or agglomération grenobloise )
3276-504: Is unlikely that he stood out among the 19 captains and 32 lieutenants under his command. De Gaulle would have been present at the 1913 Arras manoeuvres, at which Pétain criticised General Gallet [ fr ] to his face, but there is no evidence in his notebooks that he accepted Pétain's unfashionable ideas about the importance of firepower against the dominant doctrine emphasizing " offensive spirit ". De Gaulle stressed how Maurice de Saxe had banned volley fire, how French armies of
3393-580: The École Normale Supérieure , and to civil servants. Pétain instead advised him to apply for a posting to the Secrétariat Général du Conseil Supérieur de la Défense Nationale (SGDN – General Secretariat of the Supreme War Council) in Paris. Pétain promised to lobby for the appointment, which he thought would be good experience for him. De Gaulle was posted to SGDN in November 1931, initially as
3510-509: The 33rd Infantry Regiment [ fr ] of the French Army , based at Arras. This was a historic regiment with Austerlitz , Wagram , and Borodino amongst its battle honours. In April 1910 he was promoted to corporal. His company commander declined to promote him to sergeant, the usual rank for a potential officer, commenting that the young man clearly felt that nothing less than Constable of France would be good enough for him. He
3627-452: The Bastille hill of Chartreuse, Grenoble is exclusively built on the alluvial plain of the rivers Isère and Drac at an altitude of 214 metres (702 ft). As a result, the city itself is extremely flat. Mountain sports are an important tourist attraction in summer and winter. Twenty large and small ski resorts surround the city, the nearest being Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse , which is about 15 minutes away by car. Historically, Grenoble and
Pierre Cot - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-650: The Dordogne to be reunited with his three brothers, who had all also served in the army. After the armistice, de Gaulle served with the staff of the French Military Mission to Poland as an instructor of Poland's infantry during its war with communist Russia (1919–1921). He distinguished himself in operations near the River Zbrucz , with the rank of major in the Polish army, and won Poland's highest military decoration,
3861-559: The Fifth Republic after approval by referendum . He was elected President of France later that year, a position he held until his resignation in 1969. Born in Lille , he was a decorated officer of the First World War , wounded several times and taken prisoner by the Germans. During the interwar period , he advocated mobile armoured divisions. During the German invasion of May 1940, he led an armoured division that counterattacked
3978-571: The Hitler-Stalin Pact of August 1939 had in effect made the Soviet Union a German ally. The fall of France the following month rendered his mission pointless. He flew to London and offered his services to Charles de Gaulle 's Free French movement, but de Gaulle considered him to be too pro-communist and offered him no position. Cot then went to the United States, where he spent the war years teaching at Yale University . During this period in
4095-522: The Ingolstadt Fortress , where his treatment was satisfactory. In captivity, de Gaulle read German newspapers (he had learned German at school and spent a summer vacation in Germany) and gave talks on his view of the conflict to fellow prisoners. His patriotic fervour and confidence in victory earned him the nickname Le Connétable (" The Constable "), the title of the medieval commander-in-chief of
4212-517: The International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism in 1925, which was visited by more than 1 million people. The organization of this exhibition forced the military to remove the old city walls and allowed the expansion of the city to the south. This exhibition also highlighted the city's hydropower industry and the region's tourist attractions. The site of the exhibition became an urban park in 1926, named Parc Paul Mistral after
4329-492: The Napoleonic period had relied on infantry column attack, and how French military power had declined in the nineteenth century because of – supposedly – excessive concentration on firepower rather than élan . He also appears to have accepted the then fashionable lesson drawn from the recent Russo-Japanese War , of how bayonet charges by Japanese infantry with high morale had succeeded in the face of enemy firepower. De Gaulle
4446-724: The Rally of the French People . He retired in the early 1950s and wrote his War Memoirs , which quickly became a staple of modern French literature. When the Algerian War threatened to bring the unstable Fourth Republic to collapse, the National Assembly brought him back to power during the May 1958 crisis . He founded the Fifth Republic with a strong presidency; he was elected with 78% of
4563-550: The Saar Offensive . At the start of October 1939, Reynaud asked for a staff posting under de Gaulle, but remained at his post as Minister of Finance. De Gaulle's tanks were inspected by President Lebrun , who was impressed, but regretted that it was too late to implement his ideas. He wrote a paper L'Avènement de la force mécanique (The coming of the Armoured Force) which he sent to General Georges (commander-in-chief on
4680-619: The Treaty of Versailles . He also thought it would be a precursor to a deeper national reorganisation, and wrote that "a master has to make his appearance [...] whose orders cannot be challenged – a man upheld by public opinion". Only 700 copies were sold in France; the claim that thousands of copies were sold in Germany is thought to be an exaggeration. De Gaulle used the book to widen his contacts among journalists, notably with André Pironneau, editor of L'Écho de Paris . The book attracted praise across
4797-540: The United States , the United Kingdom , and Russia . General Haxo transformed the Bastille fortress, which took on its present aspect between 1824 and 1848. The Second Empire saw the construction of the French railway network, and the first trains arrived at Grenoble in 1858. Shortly thereafter Grenoble experienced widespread destruction by extensive flooding in 1859. In 1869 engineer Aristide Bergès played
Pierre Cot - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-522: The Venona Project it was established that Cot was an agent of the Soviet Union with the code name of "Dedal". However, other sources suggest that Cot was a communist fellow-traveller rather than an agent. The British Secret Intelligence Service describes him as "a highly controversial figure, vilified at the time by the French Right, and since accused of having been a Soviet agent". In the 1920s Cot
5031-476: The Virtuti Militari . De Gaulle returned to France, where he became a lecturer in military history at Saint-Cyr. He studied at the École de Guerre (staff college) from November 1922 to October 1924. Here he clashed with his instructor Colonel Moyrand by arguing for tactics based on circumstances rather than doctrine, and after an exercise in which he had played the role of commander, he refused to answer
5148-521: The diocese of Grenoble was founded in 377 AD. From that time on, the bishops exercised significant political power over the city. Until the French Revolution , they styled themselves the "bishops and princes of Grenoble". After the collapse of the Roman Empire , the city became part of the first Burgundian kingdom in the 5th century and of the later Kingdom of Burgundy until 1032, when it
5265-650: The " Day of the Tiles ". The people attacked the royal troops to prevent an expulsion of the notables of the city, which would have seriously endangered the economic prosperity of Grenoble. Following these events, the Assembly of Vizille took place. Its members organized the meeting of the old Estates General , thus beginning the French Revolution . During the Revolution, Grenoble was represented in Paris by two illustrious notables, Jean Joseph Mounier and Antoine Barnave . In 1790,
5382-459: The Air Ministry. He oversaw the nationalisation of the aeronautical industry and the launch of a re-armament program to meet the challenge of the fast-growing German Luftwaffe . When the Spanish Civil War broke out, Blum's government reluctantly supported the policy of non-intervention, but Cot became a leading organiser of clandestine aid to the Spanish Republic . He organized a fictitious sale to Hejaz, Finland and Brazil of war planes, that made
5499-441: The Counts to strengthen their authority. When they later adopted the title of " Dauphins ", Grenoble became the capital of the State of Dauphiné . Despite their status, the Counts had to share authority over the city with the Bishop of Grenoble. One of the most famous of those was Saint Hugh . Under his rule, the city's bridge was rebuilt, and a regular and leper hospital was built. The inhabitants of Grenoble took advantage of
5616-465: The Dauphiné was divided into three departments , and Grenoble became the chef-lieu of the Isère department . Only two refractory priests were executed at Grenoble during the Reign of Terror . Pope Pius VI , prisoner of France, spent two days at Grenoble in 1799 before going to Valence where he died. The establishment of the Empire was overwhelmingly approved (in Isère, the results showed 82,084 yes and only 12 no). Grenoble welcomed for
5733-417: The Free French government in exile. In 1945, Cot was again elected as Deputy for Savoy, styling himself a republican although everyone knew he remained close to the communists. In 1951, he shifted to the Rhône , but when de Gaulle came to power in 1958 he lost his seat. In 1967 he made a final return to politics when he was elected as an independent Deputy for Paris, with the backing of the Communist Party. He
5850-406: The French Republic in June 1944, the interim government of France following its liberation . As early as 1944, De Gaulle introduced a dirigiste economic policy, which included substantial state-directed control over a capitalist economy, which was followed by 30 years of unprecedented growth, known as the Trente Glorieuses . He resigned in 1946, but continued to be politically active as founder of
5967-413: The French army. In Ingolstadt were also journalist Remy Roure , who would eventually become a political ally of de Gaulle, and Mikhail Tukhachevsky , a future commander of the Red Army . De Gaulle became acquainted with Tukhachevsky, whose theories about a fast-moving, mechanized army closely resembled his. He also wrote his first book, Discorde chez l'ennemi (The Enemy's House Divided) , analysing
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#17328802684856084-399: The Grenoble Center for Nuclear Studies (CENG), resulting in the birth of the Grenoble model, a combination of research and industry. The first stone was laid in December 1956. In 1968 Grenoble hosted the X Olympic Winter Games . This event helped modernize the city with the development of infrastructure such as an airport, motorways, a new town hall , and a new train station. It also helped
6201-423: The United States operating as a Soviet spy, his controller was Vasiliy Zarubin , the chief NKVD " Rezident " for the United States who operated under the name of Vasiily Zubilin. Cot was an influential figure among French political exiles, and in 1943 de Gaulle appointed him a member of the provisional French advisory assembly based in Algiers . De Gaulle also sent him to Moscow to negotiate Soviet recognition of
6318-407: The activity of German troops. With the landing in Provence , German troops evacuated the city on 22 August 1944. On 5 November 1944, General Charles de Gaulle came to Grenoble and bestowed on the city the Compagnon de la Libération to recognise "a heroic city at the peak of the French resistance and combat for the liberation". In 1955, future physics Nobel prize laureate Louis Néel created
6435-401: The age of fifteen he wrote an essay imagining "General de Gaulle" leading the French Army to victory over Germany in 1930; he later wrote that in his youth he had looked forward with somewhat naive anticipation to the inevitable future war with Germany to avenge the French defeat of 1870. France during de Gaulle's adolescence was a divided society, with many developments which were unwelcome to
6552-403: The armaments industry (for example in Livet-et-Gavet ). Electrochemical factories were also established in the area surrounding Grenoble, initially to produce chemical weapons. This development resulted in significant immigration to Grenoble, particularly from Italian workers who settled in the Saint-Laurent neighborhood. The economic development of the city was highlighted by the organization of
6669-433: The basis for his book The Edge of the Sword (1932). After spending twelve years as a captain, a normal period, de Gaulle was promoted to commandant (major) on 25 September 1927. In November 1927 he began a two-year posting as commanding officer of the 19th chasseurs à pied (a battalion of élite light infantry) with the occupation forces at Trier . De Gaulle trained his men hard (a river crossing exercise of
6786-479: The capitulation of the troops and the occupation of the city. During his return from the island of Elba in 1815, Napoleon took a road that led him near Grenoble at Laffrey . There he met the Royalist Régiment d'Angoulême (former 5th) of Louis XVIII's Royal Army . Napoleon stepped toward the soldiers and said these famous words: "If there is among you a soldier who wants to kill his Emperor, here I am." The soldiers all joined his cause. After that, Napoleon
6903-412: The chosen classifications. The area contains significant seasonal differences between warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. Both temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) for the summer months and winter air frosts are common. In addition, the climate is much gloomier than in the Mediterranean region, although less so than in Northern France. Rainfall is quite heavy by French standards, although
7020-402: The clandestine operations and provided false documentation for young people to prevent them from being assigned to STO . In September 1943, German troops occupied Grenoble, escalating the conflict with the clandestine movements. On 11 November 1943 (the anniversary of the armistice of 1918 ), massive strikes and demonstrations took place in front of the local collaboration offices. In response,
7137-438: The competing glove industry of Grasse , leaving the glove factories of Grenoble without any competition. This allowed a stronger economic development for the city during the 18th century. At the beginning of that century, only 12 glovers made 15,000 dozen gloves each year; by 1787, 64 glovers made 160,000 dozen gloves each year. The city gained some notoriety on 7 June 1788 when the townspeople assaulted troops of Louis XVI in
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#17328802684857254-402: The condition that the heir to the French crown used the title of Dauphin . The first one, the future Charles V , spent nine months in Grenoble. The city remained the capital of the Dauphiné, henceforth a province of France , and the Estates of Dauphiné were created. The only Dauphin who governed his province was the future Louis XI , whose "reign" lasted from 1447 to 1456. It
7371-511: The conflicts between the Counts and the bishops and obtained the recognition of a Charter of Customs that guaranteed their rights. That charter was confirmed by Kings Louis XI in 1447 and Francis I in 1541. In 1336 the last Dauphin Humbert II founded a court of justice, the Conseil delphinal [ fr ] , which settled at Grenoble in 1340. He also established the University of Grenoble in 1339. Without an heir and deep into debt, Humbert sold his state to France in 1349, on
7488-403: The construction of new walls, increasing the city's size. He also constructed the Hôtel Lesdiguières, built new fountains, and dug sewers. In 1689, the bishop Étienne Le Camus launched the construction of Saint-Louis Church . The revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV caused the departure of 2,000 Protestants from Grenoble, weakening the city's economy. However, it also weakened
7605-416: The conversations of the enemy, and the information brought back was so valuable that on 18 January 1915 he received the Croix de Guerre . On 10 February he was promoted to captain, initially on probation. On 10 March 1915, de Gaulle was shot in the left hand, a wound which initially seemed trivial but became infected. The wound incapacitated him for four months and later forced him to wear his wedding ring on
7722-460: The country in wartime. He made a presentation about his bill to the CHEM. The bill passed the Chamber of Deputies but failed in the Senate. Unlike Pétain, de Gaulle believed in the use of tanks and rapid maneuvers rather than trench warfare. De Gaulle became a disciple of Émile Mayer, a retired lieutenant-colonel (his career had been damaged by the Dreyfus Affair ) and military thinker. Mayer thought that although wars were still bound to happen, it
7839-499: The course as he should have, and for his arrogance: his "excessive self-confidence", his harsh dismissal of the views of others "and his attitude of a King in exile". Having entered 33rd out of 129, he graduated in 52nd place, with a grade of assez bien ("good enough"). He was posted to Mainz to help supervise supplies of food and equipment for the French Army of Occupation . De Gaulle's book La Discorde chez l'ennemi had appeared in March 1924. In March 1925 he published an essay on
7956-419: The de Gaulle family: the growth of socialism and syndicalism , the legal separation of Church and state in 1905 , and the reduction in the term of military service to two years. Equally unwelcome were the Entente Cordiale with Britain, the First Moroccan Crisis , and above all the Dreyfus Affair . Henri de Gaulle came to be a supporter of Dreyfus, but was less concerned with his innocence per se than with
8073-426: The death of the mayor in 1932. The only building of this exhibition remaining in the park is the crumbling Tour Perret , which has been closed to the public since 1960 due to its very poor state of maintenance. During World War II, at the Battle of France , the German invasion was stopped near Grenoble at Voreppe by the forces of General Cartier . The French forces resisted until the armistice, after which Grenoble
8190-412: The development of ski resorts like Chamrousse , Les Deux Alpes , and Villard-de-Lans . Grenoble is surrounded by mountains. To the north lies the Chartreuse , to the south and west the Vercors , and to the east the Belledonne range . Grenoble is regarded as the capital of the French Alps. It is the centre of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration). Except for a few dozen houses on the slopes of
8307-432: The disgrace which the army had brought onto itself. The period also saw a resurgence in evangelical Catholicism, the dedication of the Sacré-Cœur, Paris , and the rise of the cult of Joan of Arc . De Gaulle was not an outstanding pupil until his mid-teens, but from July 1906 he focused on winning a place at the military academy, Saint-Cyr . Lacouture suggests that de Gaulle joined the army, despite being more suited to
8424-420: The divisions within the German forces. The book was published in 1924. Originally interned at Rosenberg Fortress , he was quickly moved to progressively higher-security facilities like Ingolstadt. De Gaulle made five unsuccessful escape attempts, and was routinely punished with long periods of solitary confinement and the withdrawal of privileges such as newspapers and tobacco. He attempted escape by hiding in
8541-500: The exactions of the soldiers. The nobility of the region took part in various battles ( Marignano , Pavia ) and in doing so gained significant prestige. The best-known of its members was Bayard , "the knight without fear and beyond reproach". Grenoble suffered as a result of the French Wars of Religion . The Dauphiné was indeed an important settlement for Protestants and therefore experienced several conflicts. The baron des Adrets ,
8658-502: The faculty would not have him. Instead de Gaulle, drawing on plans he had drawn up in 1928 for reform of that institution, asked Pétain to create a special post for him which would enable him to lecture on "the Conduct of War" both to the École de Guerre and to the Centre des Hautes Études Militaires (CHEM – a senior staff college for generals, known as the "school for marshals"), to civilians at
8775-558: The freezing Moselle River at night was vetoed by his commanding general). He imprisoned a soldier for appealing to his deputy for a transfer to a cushier unit, and when investigated initially tried to invoke his status as a member of the Maison Pétain , eventually appealing to Pétain to protect himself from a reprimand for interfering with the soldier's political rights. An observer wrote of de Gaulle at this time that although he encouraged young officers, "his ego...glowed from far off". In
8892-487: The ghost-writing of Le Soldat had deepened in 1928. Pétain brought in a new ghostwriter, Colonel Audet, who was unwilling to take on the job and wrote to de Gaulle in some embarrassment to take over the project. Pétain was quite friendly about the matter but did not publish the book. In 1929 Pétain did not use de Gaulle's draft text for his eulogy for the late Ferdinand Foch , whose seat at the Académie Française he
9009-515: The government and Blum's resignation in June 1937. In Blum's second government in March and April 1938, Cot was Minister for Commerce. When Daladier returned to office and signed the Munich Agreement with Hitler , Cot broke finally with the Radical Party. In May 1940, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud sent Cot on a mission to buy arms, particularly aircraft, from the Soviet Union, despite the fact that
9126-618: The invaders; he was then appointed Undersecretary for War. Refusing to accept his government's armistice with Germany , De Gaulle fled to England and exhorted the French to continue the fight in his Appeal of 18 June . He led the Free French Forces and later headed the French National Liberation Committee and emerged as the undisputed leader of Free France . He became head of the Provisional Government of
9243-558: The last three centuries. This started with a booming glove industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, continued with the development of a strong hydropower industry in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, and ended with a post- World War II economic boom symbolized by the holding of the X ;Olympic Winter Games in 1968. The city has grown to be one of Europe's most important research, technology and innovation centres, with one in five inhabitants working directly in these fields. Grenoble
9360-468: The late Roman empire , a strong wall was built around the small town in 286 AD. The Emperor Gratian visited Cularo and, touched by the people's welcome, made the village a Roman city. In honour of this, Cularo was renamed Gratianopolis ("city of Gratian") in 381 (leading to Graignovol during the Middle Ages , and then Grenoble). Christianity spread to the region during the 4th century, and
9477-560: The leader of the Huguenots , pillaged the Cathedral of Grenoble and destroyed the tombs of the former Dauphins. In August 1575, Lesdiguières became the new leader of the Protestants and, thanks to the accession of Henry IV to the throne of France, allied himself with the governor and the lieutenant general of the Dauphiné. But this alliance did not bring an end to the conflicts. Indeed,
9594-462: The next 15 years. He later wrote in his memoirs: "My first colonel, Pétain, taught me the art of command". It has been claimed that in the build-up to World War I , de Gaulle agreed with Pétain about the obsolescence of cavalry and of traditional tactics, and often debated great battles and the likely outcome of any coming war with his superior. Lacouture is sceptical, pointing out that although Pétain wrote glowing appraisals of de Gaulle in 1913, it
9711-629: The number of rainy days is relatively moderate. As a result of winter lows averaging below freezing, snowfall also occurs, although the Grenoble Airport area itself is too mild to sustain a snowpack all winter, unlike the surrounding mountains. The record low of −27.1 °C (−16.8 °F) decisively indicates the continental influence, being colder than records in typical maritime climates. Winter nights are also colder than in all other French lowland areas. The Grenoble metropolitan area experiences two different microclimates: one more windy and cold to
9828-503: The occupiers arrested 400 demonstrators in the streets. On 13 November, the resistance blew up the artillery at the Polygon, which was a psychological shock for an enemy who then intensified the repression. On 25 November, the occupiers killed 11 members of the Résistance organizations of Grenoble. This violent crackdown was nicknamed " Grenoble's Saint-Bartholomew ". From these events, Grenoble
9945-544: The political control of the city. At that time, Grenoble was a crossroads between Vienne , Geneva, Italy, and Savoy . It was the industrial centre of the Dauphiné and the province's biggest city, but a rather small one. Owing to Grenoble's geographical situation, French troops were garrisoned in the city and its region during the Italian Wars . Charles VIII , Louis XII , and Francis I went several times to Grenoble. Its people consequently had to suffer from
10062-456: The political spectrum, apart from the hard left who were committed to the Republican ideal of a citizen army. De Gaulle's views attracted the attention of the maverick politician Paul Reynaud , to whom he wrote frequently, sometimes in obsequious terms. Reynaud first invited him to meet him on 5 December 1934. De Gaulle was deeply focused on his career at this time. There is no evidence that he
10179-441: The rampart, defensive wall") or de Waal ("the wall") De Gaulle's mother, Jeanne (born Maillot), descended from a family of wealthy entrepreneurs from Lille. She had French, Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry. De Gaulle's father encouraged historical and philosophical debate between his children, and through his encouragement, de Gaulle learned French history from an early age. Struck by his mother's tales of how she cried as
10296-411: The right hand. In August he commanded the 10th company before returning to duty as regimental adjutant. On 3 September 1915 his rank of captain became permanent. In late October, he returned to command of 10th company. As a company commander at Douaumont (during the Battle of Verdun ) on 2 March 1916, while leading a charge to try to break out of a position which had become surrounded, he received
10413-583: The second time a prisoner Pope in 1809. Pius VII spent 10 days in the city en route to his exile in Fontainebleau . In 1813 Grenoble was under threat from the Austrian army, which invaded Switzerland and Savoy . The well-defended city contained the Austrian attacks, and the French army defeated the Austrians, forcing them to withdraw at Geneva . However, the later invasion of France in 1814 resulted in
10530-574: The slogan " Vive le Québec libre " and his two vetoes of Britain's entry into the European Economic Community generated considerable controversy in both North America and Europe. Although reelected to the presidency in 1965 , he faced widespread protests by students and workers in May 68 but had the Army's support and won a snap election with an increased majority in the National Assembly. De Gaulle resigned in 1969 after losing
10647-484: The surrounding areas were heavy industry and mining sites. Abandoned mills and factories can be found in small towns and villages, and a few have been converted to tourist attractions, such as the coal mine at La Mure . The climate in Grenoble depends on the data from the chosen weather station. Grenoble Airport , located 40 km northwest of the city has a range from temperate continental climate to oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb, Trewartha : Dc, Do) depending on
10764-434: The third of five children. He was raised in a devoutly Catholic and traditional family. His father, Henri de Gaulle , was a professor of history and literature at a Jesuit college and eventually founded his own school. Henri de Gaulle came from a long line of parliamentary gentry from Normandy and Burgundy . The name is thought to be Dutch in origin, and may have derived from van der Walle , de Walle ("from
10881-432: The turn of the century. De Gaulle won a place at Saint-Cyr in 1909. His class ranking was mediocre (119th out of 221). Under a law of 21 March 1905, aspiring army officers were required to serve a year in the ranks, including time as a private and as an NCO , before attending the academy. Accordingly, in October 1909, de Gaulle enlisted (for four years, as required, rather than the normal two-year term for conscripts ) in
10998-564: The use of tactics according to circumstances, a deliberate defiance of Moyrand. De Gaulle's career was saved by Pétain, who arranged for his staff college grade to be amended to bien ("good"—but not the "excellent" needed for a general staff posting). From 1 July 1925 he worked for Pétain (as part of the Maison Pétain ), largely as a "pen officer" ( ghostwriter ). De Gaulle disapproved of Pétain's decision to take command in Morocco in 1925 (he
11115-557: The vote to continue in that role. He managed to keep France together while taking steps to end the war, much to the anger of the Pieds-Noirs ( ethnic Europeans born in Algeria ) and the armed forces. He granted independence to Algeria and acted progressively towards other French colonies. In the context of the Cold War , De Gaulle initiated his "politics of grandeur", asserting that France as
11232-589: The west, the other, on the contrary, not very windy and warmer to the east. However, the city of Grenoble features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with no dry season. Although the record is incomplete, the newer station will meet the humid subtropical classification if maintained for the required 30-year period. (5 km east of Grenoble at an altitude of 220m) (40 km north-west of Grenoble at an altitude of 400m) Charles de Gaulle Defunct Defunct Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970)
11349-548: The winter of 1928–1929, thirty soldiers ("not counting Annamese ") died from so-called "German flu", seven of them from de Gaulle's battalion. After an investigation, he was singled out for praise in the ensuing parliamentary debate as an exceptionally capable commanding officer, and mention of how he had worn a mourning band for a private soldier who was an orphan earned praise from the Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré . The breach between de Gaulle and Pétain over
11466-527: Was "obsolete" for civilised countries to threaten or wage war on one another. He had a low opinion of French generals, and was a critic of the Maginot Line and a proponent of mechanised warfare. Lacouture suggests that Mayer focused de Gaulle's thoughts away from his obsession with the mystique of the strong leader ( Le Fil d'Epée : 1932) and back to loyalty to Republican institutions and military reform. In 1934 de Gaulle wrote Vers l'Armée de Métier ( Towards
11583-538: Was 714,799 which makes it the largest metropolis in the Alps, ahead of Innsbruck and Bolzano . A significant European scientific centre, the city advertises itself as the "Capital of the Alps", due to its size and its proximity to the mountains. The many suburban communes that make up the rest of the metropolitan area include four with populations exceeding 20,000: Saint-Martin-d'Hères , Échirolles , Fontaine and Voiron . Grenoble's history goes back over 2,000 years, to
11700-629: Was a French military officer and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 to restore democracy in France. In 1958, amid the Algerian War , he came out of retirement when appointed Prime Minister by President René Coty . He rewrote the Constitution of France and founded
11817-452: Was a gifted cadet who would undoubtedly make an excellent officer. The future Marshal Alphonse Juin was first in the class, although the two do not appear to have been close at the time. Preferring to serve in France rather than the overseas colonies, in October 1912 he rejoined the 33rd Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant . The regiment was now commanded by Colonel (and future Marshal) Philippe Pétain , whom de Gaulle would follow for
11934-411: Was a lecturer to generals at CHEM. De Gaulle's superiors disapproved of his views about tanks, and he was passed over for promotion to full colonel in 1936, supposedly because his service record was not good enough. He called on his political patron Reynaud, who showed his record to Minister of War Édouard Daladier . Daladier, who was an enthusiast for rearmament with modern weapons, ensured that his name
12051-480: Was a supporter of Aristide Briand , an independent socialist. In 1928 he was elected to the National Assembly as a Radical Deputy for Savoy . In December 1932 he was appointed Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the centre-left government of Joseph Paul-Boncour . In January 1933, he became Minister for Air in the Radical government of Édouard Daladier . He oversaw the establishment of Air France , and advocated
12168-562: Was acclaimed at Grenoble and General Jean Gabriel Marchand could not prevent Napoleon from entering the city through the Bonne gate. He said later: "From Cannes to Grenoble, I still was an adventurer; in that last city, I came back a sovereign". But after the defeat of Waterloo , the region suffered from a new invasion of Austrian and Sardinian troops. The 19th century saw significant industrial development of Grenoble. The glove factories reached their Golden Age, and their products were exported to
12285-846: Was again defeated in the right-wing landslide election of 1968. He died in Paris in 1977. Cot's son, Jean-Pierre Cot , was a minister in the Socialist government of Pierre Mauroy in 1981–82 and was a member of the European Parliament in 1978–1979 and 1984–1999. Since 2002 he has been a member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea . Grenoble Grenoble ( / ɡ r ə ˈ n oʊ b əl / grə- NOH -bəl ; French: [ɡʁənɔbl] ; Arpitan : Grenoblo or Grainóvol ; Occitan : Graçanòbol or Grenòble )
12402-495: Was assuming. The Allied occupation of the Rhineland was ending, and de Gaulle's battalion was due to be disbanded, although the decision was later rescinded after he had moved to his next posting. De Gaulle wanted a teaching post at the École de Guerre in 1929. There was apparently a threat of mass resignation of the faculty were he appointed. There was talk of a posting to Corsica or North Africa, but on Pétain's advice he accepted
12519-708: Was at least one stormy meeting late in 1926 after which de Gaulle was seen to emerge, white with anger, from Pétain's office. In October 1926 he returned to his duties with the Headquarters of the Army of the Rhine. De Gaulle had sworn that he would never return to the École de Guerre except as commandant, but at Pétain's invitation, and introduced to the stage by his patron, he delivered three lectures there in April 1927: "Leadership in Wartime", "Character", and "Prestige". These later formed
12636-558: Was eventually promoted to sergeant in September 1910. De Gaulle took up his place at Saint-Cyr in October 1910. By the end of his first year he had risen to 45th place. He was nicknamed "the great asparagus" because of his height (196 cm, 6'5"), high forehead, and nose. He did well at the academy and received praise for his conduct, manners, intelligence, character, military spirit, and resistance to fatigue. In 1912, he graduated 13th in his class and his passing-out report noted that he
12753-505: Was integrated into the Holy Roman Empire . The Burgundian rule was interrupted between 942 and 970 by Arab rule based in Fraxinet . Grenoble grew significantly in the 11th century when the Counts of Albon chose the city as the capital of their territories. Their possessions at the time were a patchwork of several territories sprawled across the region, and the central position of Grenoble allowed
12870-421: Was later known to remark that "Marshal Pétain was a great man. He died in 1925, but he did not know it") and of what he saw as the lust for public adulation of Pétain and his wife. In 1925 de Gaulle began to cultivate Joseph Paul-Boncour , his first political patron . On 1 December 1925 he published an essay on the "Historical Role of French Fortresses". This was a popular topic because of the Maginot Line which
12987-562: Was on the promotion list for the following year. In 1937 General Bineau, who had taught him at Saint-Cyr, wrote on his report on his lectureship at CHEM that he was highly able and suitable for high command in the future, but that he hid his attributes under "a cold and lofty attitude". He was put in command of the 507th Tank Regiment (a battalion of medium Char D2s and a battalion of R35 light tanks ) at Metz on 13 July 1937, and his promotion to full colonel took effect on 24 December that year. De Gaulle attracted public attention by leading
13104-610: Was only under his rule that Dauphiné properly joined the Kingdom of France. The Old Conseil Delphinal became a Parlement (the third in France after the Parliaments of Paris and Toulouse), strengthening the status of Grenoble as a Provincial capital. He also ordered the construction of the Palais du Parlement (finished under Francis I ) and ensured that the Bishop pledged allegiance, thus unifying
13221-729: Was part of the French State before an Italian occupation from 1942 to 1943. The relative tolerance of the Italian occupiers towards the Jewish populations resulted in a significant number moving to the region from the German-occupied parts of France. Grenoble was extremely active in the Résistance against the occupation. Its action was symbolized by figures such as Eugène Chavant , Léon Martin, and Marie Reynoard . The University of Grenoble supported
13338-529: Was promoted to first lieutenant in October 1913. When war broke out in France in early August 1914, the 33rd Regiment, considered one of the best fighting units in France, was immediately thrown into checking the German advance at Dinant . However, the French Fifth Army commander, General Charles Lanrezac , remained wedded to 19th-century battle tactics, throwing his units into pointless bayonet charges against German artillery, incurring heavy losses. As
13455-610: Was styled by the Free French Forces the title of Capital of the Maquis on the antennas of the BBC . This event only intensified the activities of Grenoble's resistance movements. The Germans could not prevent the destruction of their new arsenal on 2 December at the Bonne Barracks. After the Normandy landing , resistance operations reached their peak, with numerous attacks considerably hampering
13572-435: Was tempted by fascism, and there is little evidence of his views either on domestic upheavals in 1934 and 1936 or the many foreign policy crises of the decade. He approved of the rearmament drive which the Popular Front government began in 1936, although French military doctrine remained that tanks should be used in penny packets for infantry support (ironically, in 1940 it would be German panzer units that would be used in
13689-407: Was then being planned, but he argued that the aim of fortresses should be to weaken the enemy, not to economise on defence. Friction arose between de Gaulle and Pétain over Le Soldat , a history of the French soldier which he had ghost-written and for which he wanted greater writing credit. He had written mainly historical material, but Pétain wanted to add a final chapter of his own thoughts. There
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