ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the claim that de Gaulle's foreign policy was inherently existential in nature requires an appreciation of the general's background and it is intended to provide this foundational aspect. It discusses the ideological label of 'Gaullism' that is often attributed to him but largely wish to explore why this is problematic and why the label is insufficient if one wishes to understand his worldview. This implies that the centrality of his thought in terms of his Bergsonian 'history disease' and the importance of the 'nation' to him and engages with his foreign policy through this. It is the interaction of these two elements, the chapter argues, that enables to place his views on nationalism firmly within Smith's approach to the study of the nation, an act that takes us some way to understanding the conduct of France in the international system during his presidential tenure and hence de Gaulle as a decision-maker.
