When, during the Second World War, France, weakened by occupation, needed a strong and charismatic leader who could give people hope for deliverance from fascism, Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) came to the aid of his country. De Gaulle not only saved his homeland from the German occupiers and, having subsequently become President of the Republic, solved the problem of Algerian independence, he strove at any cost to return France to its former glory and international recognition, pursuing a tough and independent policy aimed at maintaining the world status of his country. When the whole world entered the Cold War era, de Gaulle took a neutral position. He tried to return European politics to its previous course, when good neighborly relations between states were considered the key to peace. De Gaulle developed his own political course, which differed from the classical capitalist model. Under this "hybrid" model, the state nationalized major industries that were supported and controlled by the government. Manufacturers at the same time retained a significant part of their independence. These reforms, called “dirigisme” in France, at that moment led to significant economic growth in the country. A lot can be said about de Gaulle’s services to his fatherland, as well as about his mistakes. Being a talented theorist of military art, he did not conduct a single historically important battle, but managed to lead his country to victory where it was threatened with defeat from everywhere. Without being intimately familiar with the economy, he twice successfully ruled the country and twice brought it out of a deep crisis - I think, solely thanks to his ability to competently organize the work of the structure entrusted to him, be it a rebel committee or the government of a multimillion-dollar state. Over the eighty years of his life, this man managed to become the greatest hero of France after Joan of Arc. He managed to lead the country twice, both times taking leadership at the peak of a national catastrophe and leaving the state in a state of economic recovery and growth in international prestige. The unbending will and firm belief in the superiority of his country, which this man carried throughout his life, still remain the force that moves France forward.