Gaullist chutzpah: Leadership through the power of language

How mere declarations can inspire change in those you don't currently represent

[Image: Charles de Gaulle on the BBC, 18 June 1940]

In the face of the confusion of French souls, in the face of the disintegration (?) of a government fallen under enemy servitude, in the face of the impossibility of bringing our institutions into play, I, General de Gaulle, French soldier and leader, am aware that I speak in the name of France.

Charles…