ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the term 'existentialism' and sketches out a brief understanding of this before going on to relate the discussion to de Gaulle's sense of nationhood through concept of ethno-symbolism. It also explores three strands of Sartrean existentialism, all of which are relevant to de Gaulle's understanding of France and nations in a wider sense. These are: that existence precedes essence, the notion of how one becomes an individual through the process of becoming and, how one maintains this individuality and hence authenticity in a world that often demands conformity. The chapter explains how de Gaulle saw nations to be formal individuals, an act which is intended to offer an ontological grounding through which to relate de Gaulle's thought to that of Sartre's. It seeks to reconcile de Gaulle's understanding of the individualism of France with Sartre's three strands of existential thought. The chapter explores behavioural aspect of Gaullist foreign policy in relation to the ontological and existential themes.
