De Gaulle

<p>If any modern democratic leader has believed in the great man'' theory of history and acted self-consciously in accordance with it it was surely de Gaulle. On both occasions when he came to power it was in his own right as a ``providential figure'' not as the representative of a political or social movement. In office his wielding of power was by modern standards remarkably personal; and his impact on France and on Europe was immense. He is a natural subject for Profiles in Power.</p>