Word: viansson
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...General's regal bearing amounts to much more than theatrical bravado. "Despite haughty denials, shrugs of the shoulder, feigned indignation, General De Gaulle is, by temperament, a monarchist." Viansson-Ponte believes that if De Gaulle could restore the French throne he would gladly do so. But as a matter of practical policy he is resigned to democratic forms, if not to democratic substance, in French politics. This in no way diminishes the General's self-esteem...
...first half of The King and His Court Viansson-Ponte describes the public rituals and private tactics by which De Gaulle exercises his enormous power. There is, for instance, the formal introduction, a clipped ceremony in which the subject is supposed to accept the General's greeting and then hold his peace. De Gaulle has an effective way of dismissing upstairs who presume to start a conversation with...
DeGaulle behaves with the same lofty reserve whether at the Opera or the Comedie Francaise, a formal dinner or a private lunch at Colombey, his country estate. Viansson-Ponte also sets down De Gaulle's etiquette as Chief of State (liturgy), his ways of communicating with the public (sermon), and his relations with foreign dignitaries (kinship and rank...
...present health of the Fifth Republic does not guarantee it long life; it depends too heavily on the General's personal prestige, something which he cannot will to his successor. Viansson-Ponte frankly feels that the government will resume its cycle of frequent crises and cabinet shifts when De Gaulle steps down. "Because the regime rests upon one man, it can only be transitory...
...menageric of personalities in the Directory refflects both Viansson-Ponte's sense of humor and the nebulous character of Gaullism itself. Viansson-Ponte deliberately avoids set definitions. To be a Gaullist one must be loyal to the General or to a cause which coincides with the General's ambitions. The hard-core cadres of Gaullism belong to the elite Union pour la Nouvelle Republique (U.N.R.). Millions of women cast their ballots for the General simply because "they are used to him and are afraid of what would happen were he to disappear. But the most devoted Gaullists are the oldtimers...