353. Hero or Villain: Episode 3 - Charles de Gaulle

Battleground

Goalhanger

History

4.6 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the latest episode of our Hero or Villain series hosts Patrick Bishop and Roger Morehouse ask the ultimate question about one of the 20th century's most controversial figures: Was Charles de Gaulle a hero or a villain? De Gaulle remains a giant of French and world history, looming over his nation's political landscape and physical fabric, with over 3,600 public spaces named after him. He is regularly polled as the most important figure in French history, even surpassing Napoleon. Join the debate as Patrick and Roger delve into the General's life and legacy, exploring the pivotal role he played in the Second World War and analyzing what might have happened to a post-war France without his unifying presence. Hear the arguments, weigh the evidence, and decide where this controversial figure truly falls on the ledger. What do you think? Is he a hero or a villain? Cast Your Vote! Join the debate and cast your vote on Arthur Harris: https://forms.gle/y7ubNDSBjysvNyKX7 If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - [email protected] Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Big Tasty is back at McDonald's, but now it's a double.
0:04.0	It's the beefiest Big Tasty of all time ever!
0:08.0	Oh, got a bit intense there.
0:11.0	The new Double Big Tasty, now at McDonald's.
0:14.0	Available to the 4th of Jan, 2026, from 11am.
0:18.0	Price and participation may vary, subject to availability.
0:20.0	The From 11 AM, price and participation may vary, subject to availability. Hello and welcome to Hero or Villain with me, Patrick Bishop and Roger Morehouse.
0:38.7	This, of course, is the new Battleground series in which we look at some of the most controversial figures of military history
0:44.3	and try and decide which side of the ledger they fall.
0:48.5	Our subject today is a giant of 20th century French history and indeed world history,
0:56.4	who even today looms over the political landscape of his nation. Charles de Gaulle is omnipresent in the physical fabric of France.
1:03.4	Most air travelers go to Paris will thou'th at Charles de Gaulle Airport. There are over
1:08.0	3,600 public spaces, streets, squares, parks, etc., named after him.
1:15.3	Politicians of all stripes refer to his memory, and polls regularly rank him as the most important
1:22.0	figure in French history way ahead of Napoleon. So, for the French at least, a giant,
1:29.4	made practically a demi-god.
1:34.9	But what about the rest of us? What's your first thought when you hear the name of Charles de Gaulle, Roger?
1:40.9	Ah, that's a good question, Patrick. I mean, he is, I suppose, La France, to a large extent,
1:46.4	he is almost the personification of certainly wartime France. But he also has,
1:52.4	I think, particularly for the Brits, or maybe just for non-Frenchmen, he has a sort of image of being prickly, of being spectacularly arrogant. There's a lot of negatives in there as well as
1:58.8	that heroic standing up for France. I think he's a very interesting subject for us to look at.
2:04.2	Yeah, you're absolutely right about that kind of hauteur that he kind of radiated,
	...

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