If in Bulgaria the ruling and opposition, parliamentary and extra-parliamentary parties are afraid of the referendum like the devil from incense, then in France, on April 28, 1969, one of the icons of the fight against Nazism and the revival of the country after the bloody Second World War, Charles de Gaulle, resigned as head of state.
The reason is that in the referendum, voters rejected the reforms proposed by his government.
But who is Charles de Gaulle?
Charles-André-Joseph-Marie de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890. He was born in Lille, into a family of Catholic aristocrats. His father was a professor of philosophy and taught literature at the local Jesuit school.
The young de Gaulle was greatly influenced by his father. From an early age he was fascinated by military affairs. He studied at the Saint-Cyr Military School, which he graduated at the age of 22.
Charles de Gaulle fought against the Germans in both world wars. During the Great War, he was captured and made five unsuccessful attempts to escape. During the invasion of the Third Reich divisions, he heroically fought against them. He was forced to flee to Algeria. There he organized the remnants of the French army, returning several times in 1944. at the head of a combat-ready army and declare: “Paris is free”.
Post-war France was torn apart by political struggles.
September 28, 1958 marked the end of the Fourth French Republic. The new constitution was approved by the votes of more than 79% of the French. And at the end of December 1958, General Charles de Gaulle was elected the first president of the Fifth French Republic.
Years later, one of the iconic figures of France dealt with the Algerian crisis through a referendum.
On September 16, 1958, Charles de Gaulle declared himself in favor of self-determination for Algerians. This led to the outbreak of a rebellion in Algeria by the neo-colonialists. The general quickly managed to suppress the rebellion. On February 3, 1959 De Gaulle pushed through parliament a law giving him extraordinary powers for one year. On January 8, 1961, a referendum was held on the issue of Algerian self-determination. The results showed that 75% of the population supported De Gaulle's policies.
In the early 1960s, the not particularly active social policy of General Charles de Gaulle
led to a strengthening of the student movement.
On May 1, 1968, mass student demonstrations and rallies began. On May 10-11, the riots escalated into a mass battle with the police. On May 13, a general strike began, which took on an anti-Gaulist character. On May 30, De Gaulle dissolved parliament and the situation normalized.
On April 27, 1969 The general held a referendum on a reorganization law, which was a kind of vote of no confidence in him. The next day he was forced to resign.
So much for De Gaulle, a believer in France and in referendums...