This is a biography of Charles de Gaulle evaluating him as a leader and statesman and providing a record of his life. This volume, the first of two (condensed from the original three volumes in the French edition), follows his rise to power and closes with the liberation of Paris in 1944. The author is a former foreign affairs correspondent for "Le Monde" and is a contributor to "Nouvel Observateur" and a well-known political journalist for French radio, television and press.