Will you uphold civil liberties? Why would I become a dictator at the ripe old age of 67? After 12 years out of politics General de Gaulle came out of retirement. On May 13th 1958, Algeria mounted a coup attempt. Unable to respond to the putsch, the French Fourth Republic stared helplessly into the abyss. The paralyzed government would take Paris. as the bulwark against civil war.
