De Gaulle is an army general and a French politician.
In France, almost 4,000 squares or streets are named after him.
Why is de Gaulle so famous?
Because he marked the history of France! In June 1940, during the Second World War, Nazi Germany invaded France.
But de Gaulle refused to surrender! He went to London and asked the French to continue fighting on the BBC.
De Gaulle became the leader of the Free French Forces, a resistance group that fought the Nazis.
In August 1944, Germany was losing the war. De Gaulle came back to France as a hero!
He became the head of the provisional government for 2 years. His mission? Rebuild postwar France.
His government gave women the vote and set up the Social Security welfare system, giving access to healthcare and a retirement pension.
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