BBC ON THIS DAY | 28 | 1969: President Charles de Gaulle resigns About This Site | Text Only 1969: President Charles de Gaulle resigns The French President, Charles de Gaulle, has resigned from office after 11 years, following his defeat in a referendum on governmental reforms. A terse, three-line communiqu� from the Elys�e presidential palace, issued shortly after midnight (2300 GMT), announced his decision to step down. His decision takes effect from 1200 local time (1100 GMT). The result of the vote was decisive: 52.87% of the electorate voted "no", with 47.13% supporting the president. Turnout was over 80%. The result of voting in overseas territories has yet to arrive, but will not affect the outcome. His resignation has caused shockwaves around the world. General de Gaulle, 78, is a towering figure in post-war politics: the symbol of Free France during the Nazi occupation in the Second World War, he founded the Fifth Republic in 1958 when he became President of France.

He was a controversial figure at home and abroad, but nonetheless revolutionised French political institutions, and became France's most powerful head of state since Napoleon III. The Prime Minister, Maurice Couve de Murville, spoke in a television broadcast of his "profound sadness" at the result. He said it was "an event the gravity of which will very quickly appear to all people in France and in the world". Vote of confidence Robert Poujade, secretary-general of the Gaullist Party, was one of many paying tribute to General de Gaulle. "He who inspired our struggles of yesterday will continue to inspire our struggles of tomorrow," he said. "In this ordeal, as he taught us, we shall not flinch one moment." The proposals for reform which brought down the president were aimed at modernising the structure of government. General de Gaulle saw the issue as so crucial that he tied his own future to that of the referendum result. It turned the campaign into a vote of confidence in the General himself. All attention now turns to former Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, who has never denied his intention to stand as President if Mr de Gaulle resigned.

Mr Pompidou, controversially dismissed by the General after the elections last year, has long been regarded as his obvious successor. With declarations due within the next month, the race is on to see who can follow one of the greatest acts in the history of France. Charles de Gaulle, President of France Works : French Editions, English Translations 1890 -1912: Formative years Charles de Gaulle was the third child of a morally conservative but socially progressive catholic bourgeois family. On his father's side was an old aristocratic family from Normandy and Burgundy settled in Paris for a century already, whereas on his mother's side was a family of rich entrepreneurs from the industrial region of Lille in French Flanders. Born in Lille, de Gaulle was raised and educated in Paris. De Gaulle's family was an intellectual family. His grand-father was an historian, his grand-mother a writer, his father was a professor in private catholic schools who founded his own private school. Political debates were frequent at home, and since an early age de Gaulle was initiated by his father to the major conservative authors.

The family was very patriotic and he was raised in the cult of the Nation ("My mother felt an uncompromising passion for the fatherland, equal to her religious piety." -- C. de Gaulle in his memoirs). Although traditionalist and monarchist, the family was legalist and respected the institutions of the French Republic. Their social ideas were also more liberal, influenced by social Catholicism. During the Dreyfus affair the family distanced itself from the more conservative nationalist circles and supported Dreyfus. 1912 -1940: Military career Young Charles de Gaulle chose a military career and spent four years at the Ã‰cole SpÃ©ciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (the French equivalent of West Point). He graduated in 1912 and joined the infantry. During World War I, then captain de Gaulle was severely wounded at the gruesome Battle of Verdun in March 1916, and left for dead on the battlefield. Alive, he was taken prisoner by the Germans. He made five unsuccessful escapes, and was put in solitary confinement in a retaliation camp. When the war ended, he remained in the military, serving on the staff of Gen.

Maxime Weygand and then Gen. Philippe PÃ©tain. During the Polish-Soviet war in 1919-1920, he volunteered to the Polish army and was an infantry instructor. He fought and distinguished himself in fighting near the river Zbrucz and received the highest Polish military award, Virtuti Militari. He was promoted to major and offered possibility of a further career in Poland, but chose instead to return to France. He was heavily influenced by that war, namely by the use of tanks, fast manoeuvres and lack of trenches. Based partially on his observations during war in Poland, which was so different from experiences from WWI, he published a number of books and articles on the reorganisation of the army, particularly Vers l'ArmÃ©e de MÃ©tier (published in English as "The Army of the Future") in which he supported the new ideas of mechanised troops and specialised armoured divisions in preference to the static theories exemplified by the Maginot Line. While Heinz Guderian and the German Army General Staff were influenced by de Gaulle, PÃ©tain rejected most of de Gaulle's theories, and the relationship between them became strained.

French politicians also dismissed de Gaulle's theories with the notable exception of Paul Reynaud who would later play a major role in de Gaulle's career. General de Gaulle reviewing troupsAt the outbreak of World War II he was only a colonel, having encountered hostility from the leaders of the military all through the 1920's and 1930's due to his bold views. After the German breakthrough at Sedan on May 10, 1940, he was finally given command of the 4th Armoured Division. On May 17, 1940 de Gaulle attacked the German tank forces at Montcornet. With only 200 French tanks and no air support, the offensive had little impact on stopping the German advance. There was more success on May 28, when de Gaulle's tanks forced the German armour to retreat at Caumont. He became the first and only French commanding officer to force the Germans to retreat during the invasion of France. Prime Minister Paul Reynaud promoted him provisional brigadier general (thus his title gÃ©nÃ©ral de Gaulle).

On June 6, 1940 Paul Reynaud appointed him under-secretary of state for national defence and war and put him in charge of coordination with the United Kingdom. As a member of the cabinet he resisted proposals to surrender. He served as a liaison with the British government, and with Churchill carved a project of union between France and the United Kingdom on the morning of June 16 in London. This was a last minute effort to try to strengthen the resolve of those members of the French government who were in favor of continuing the war. He took the plane back to Bordeaux (provisory seat of the French government) on that same afternoon, but when landing in Bordeaux in the evening he learned that PÃ©tain had become premier with the intention of seeking an armistice with Germany. That same day he took the most important decision in his life, and also in the modern history of France: he would refuse the humiliation of a French surrender, he would rebel against the legal (but illegitimate in his eyes) government of PÃ©tain, he would return to London and call for the continuation of war.

On the morning of June 17, with 100,000 gold francs from the secret funds given to him the previous night by Paul Reynaud, he fled Bordeaux by plane, narrowly escaped German aviation, and landed in London that same afternoon. De Gaulle decided to reject French capitulation and to set about building a movement which would appeal to overseas French opponents of a separate arrangement with Germany. 1940 -1945: The Free French Forces General de Gaulle speaking on the BBC during the warOn June 18, de Gaulle prepared to speak to the French people, via BBC radio, from London. The British Cabinet attempted to block the speech, but was overruled by Churchill. In France, de Gaulle's "Appeal of June 18" could be heard nationwide in the evening. "France has lost a battle but has not lost the war" was its most famous line.

Although only few people actually heard the speech that night (BBC was seldom listened to on the continent, and millions of Frenchmen were refugees on the road), excerpts of the speech appeared in French newspapers the next day in the yet unoccupied southern part of France, and the speech was repeated for several days on the BBC. Soon enough, among the chaos and bewilderment that was France in June 1940, the news that a French general was in London refusing the tide of events and calling for the end of despair and the continuation of a winnable war was spread from mouths to mouths. To this day it remains one of the most famous speeches in French history. From London, de Gaulle formed and led the Free French movement. Whereas the USA continued to recognise Vichy France, the British government of Winston Churchill supported de Gaulle, initially maintaining relations with Vichy but subsequently recognising the Free French. On July 4, 1940, a court-martial in Toulouse sentenced de Gaulle in absentia to four years in prison. At a second court-martial on August 2, 1940, de Gaulle was condemned to death for treason.

In his dealings with his British allies and the United States, de Gaulle insisted at all times in retaining full freedom of action on behalf of France, even where this might embarrass or inconvenience his partners in the war: "France has no friends, only interests" is one of his best-remembered statements. "Of all the crosses I have had to bear during this war, the heaviest has been the Cross of Lorraine [de Gaulle's symbol of Free France]" is one of Churchill's. Casablanca conference, January 1943. From left to right: general Giraud, president Roosevelt, general de Gaulle, Winston Churchill. Working with the French resistance and supporters in France's colonial possessions in Africa, after the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa in November 1942, de Gaulle moved his headquarters to Algiers in May 1943. He became first joint head (with the less resolutely independent Gen. Henri Giraud, the candidate preferred by the United States) and then sole chairman of the Committee of National Liberation. At the liberation of France following Operation Overlord, he quickly established the authority of the Free French Forces in France, avoiding a Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories in France.

On his return to Paris, he moved back into his office at the War Ministry, thus proclaiming continuity of the Third Republic and denying the legitimacy of Vichy France. After the war he served as the President of the provisional government from September 1944 but resigned on January 20, 1946, complaining of conflict between the political parties, and disapproving of the draft constitution for the Fourth Republic which he believed placed too much power in the hands of parliament with its shifting party alliances. 1946 -1958: The desert crossing De Gaulle's opposition to the proposed constitution failed as the parties of the left supported a weak presidency to prevent any repetition of the Vichy regime. The second draft constitution narrowly approved at the referendum of October 1946 was even less to de Gaulle's liking than the first. In April 1947 de Gaulle made a renewed attempt at transforming the political scene with the creation of the Rassemblement du Peuple FranÃ§ais (Rally of the French People, or RPF), but the movement lost impetus after initial success.

In May 1953 he withdrew again from active politics, though the RPF lingered until September 1955. He retired to Colombey-les-deux-Ã‰glises and wrote his war memoirs, MÃ©moires de guerre. During this period of formal retirement, de Gaulle however maintained regular contact with past political lieutenants from wartime and RPF days, including sympathisers involved in political developments in Algeria. 1958 : The collapse of the Fourth Republic The Fourth Republic was tainted by political instability, its failures in Indochina and its inability to resolve the Algerian question. On May 13, 1958, the settlers seized the government buildings in Algiers, attacking what they saw as French government weakness in the face of demands among the Arab majority for Algerian independence. A "Committee of Civil and Army Public Security" was created under the presidency of General Jacques Massu, a Gaullist sympathiser. General Raoul Salan, Commander-in-Chief in Algeria, announced on radio that the Army had "provisionally taken over responsibility for the destiny of French Algeria".

Under the pressure of Massu, Salan declared "Vive de Gaulle!" from the balcony of the Algiers Government-General building on May 15. De Gaulle answered two days later that he was ready to "assume the powers of the Republic" (assumer les pouvoirs de la RÃ©publique). Many worried as they saw this answer as support to the army. On May 19 de Gaulle asserted again (at a press conference) that he was at the disposition of the country. As a journalist expressed the concerns of some who feared that he would violate civil liberties, de Gaulle retorted vehemently: "Have I ever done that? Quite the opposite, I have reestablished them when they had disappeared. Does anyone believe that, at age 67, I am going to launch a career as a dictator?!!" A republican by conviction, de Gaulle maintained throughout the crisis that he would accept power only from the lawfully constituted authorities of the state. The crisis deepened as French paratroops from Algeria seized Corsica and a landing near Paris was discussed.

Political leaders on all sides agreed to support the General's return to power, except FranÃ§ois Mitterrand, and the Communist Party (which denounced de Gaulle as the agent of a fascist coup). On May 29 the French President, RenÃ© Coty, appealed to the "most illustrious of Frenchmen" to become the last Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic. De Gaulle remained intent on replacing the constitution of the Fourth Republic, which he blamed for France's political weakness. He set as a condition for his return that he be given wide emergency powers for 6 months and that a new constitution ( See Footnote ) be proposed to the French people. On June 1, 1958 de Gaulle became premier and was given emergency powers for 6 months by the National Assembly. On September 28, 1958, a referendum took place and 79.2% of those who voted supported the new constitution and the creation of the Fifth Republic. The colonies (Algeria was officially a part of France, not a colony) were given the choice between immediate independence and the new constitution.

All colonies voted for the new constitution except Guinea, which thus became the first French African colony to gain independence, at the cost of the immediate ending of all French assistance. 1958- 1962 Founding of the Fifth Republic In the November 1958 elections de Gaulle and his supporters (initially organised in the Union pour la Nouvelle RÃ©publique-Union DÃ©mocratique du Travail, then the Union des DÃ©mocrates pour la VÃ¨me RÃ©publique and later still the Union des DÃ©mocrates pour la RÃ©publique) won a comfortable majority, in December de Gaulle was elected President with 78% of the vote, he was inaugurated in January 1959. He oversaw tough economic measures to revitalise the country, including the issuing of a new franc (worth 100 old francs). On 22 August 1962, he and his wife narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when their car was targeted by machine gun fire. Internationally he rebuffed both the USA and the USSR, pushing for an independent France with its own nuclear weapons.

He set about building Franco-German cooperation as the cornerstone of the EEC (now the European Union), giving the first state visit to Germany by a French head of state since the time of Napoleon. Also he took the opportunity to deny the British entry for the first time (January 1963). De Gaulle believed that while the war in Algeria was militarily winnable it was not defensible internationally, and he became reconciled to the country's independence. This stance created huge anger among the French settlers and their metropolitan supporters, and de Gaulle was forced to suppress two uprisings in Algeria by French settlers and troops, in the second of which (April 1961) France herself faced threatened invasion by rebel paratroops. He was also targeted by the settler OAS terrorist group. In March 1962 de Gaulle arranged a cease-fire in Algeria and a referendum supported independence, finally accomplished on July 3. In September 1962 he sought a constitutional amendment to allow the president to be directly elected by the people. Following a defeat in the National Assembly, he dissolved that body and held new elections, the Gaullists won an increased majority.

Although the Algerian issue was settled the prime minister, Michel DebrÃ©, still resigned over the final settlement and was replaced with Georges Pompidou. 1962- 1968 Policy of grandeur With the Algerian conflict behind, de Gaulle was able to achieve his two main objectives: 1- to reform and develop the French economy, in order to support 2- an independent foreign policy and a strong stance of France on the international stage, the so called "policy of grandeur" (politique de grandeur). 1- In the context of a population boom unseen in France since the 18th century, the government under prime minister Georges Pompidou oversaw a rapid transformation and expansion of the French economy. With a unique combination of western-style capitalism and Soviet-style state economy, the government intervened heavily in the economy, using five-year plans as its main tool.

Great projects were launched such as the extension of Marseilles harbor (soon becoming number three in Europe), the promotion of the Caravelle plane (ancestor of Airbus), the decision to start building the Concorde plane in Toulouse, the expansion of the French car industry with state-owned Renault at its center, the building of the first motorways between Paris and the province, etc. French economy renewed with growth rates not accounted for since the 19th century. In 1964, for the first time in 200 years, France's GNP per capita overtook that of the UK, a position maintained since. This period is still remembered in France with some nostalgia as the peak of the Trente Glorieuses ("Thirty Glorious Years" of economic growth between 1945-1975). Meeting of president de Gaulle and president Kennedy at the presidential palace in Paris 2- Such a strong economic foundation enabled de Gaulle to carry a prestigious foreign policy overseas. By 1960 France became the fourth nuclear power, having successfully detonated an A-bomb in the Algerian desert.

In 1968, at the insistence of de Gaulle, French scientists finally succeeded in detonating an H-bomb, without any US assistance. France was the third biggest independent nuclear power (Britain's nuclear force was strongly tied to the American nuclear force). In 1965 France launched its first satellite into orbit, the third country in the world to do so after the Soviet Union and the United States. De Gaulle was convinced that a strong France acting as a balancing force in the dangerous rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union was in the interest of the world. He always tried to find counterweights both to the US and to the Soviet Union. For instance, in January 1964, he officially recognized the People's Republic of China, despite US opposition. It should be noted that he was only coming to the same conclusion that would lead to the spectacular trip of Nixon to China 8 years later. Indeed, Nixon's first foreign visit after his election was for de Gaulle in 1969. They both shared the same non-Wilsonian approach to world affairs, believing in Nations and their relative strengths, rather than in ideologies, international organizations or multilateral agreements.

De Gaulle is famously quoted for nicknaming the United Nations le Machin ("the Thing"). In December 1965 de Gaulle was returned as President for a second seven-year term, but only after a second round of voting in which he defeated FranÃ§ois Mitterrand. In February 1966 France withdrew from the common NATO military command. De Gaulle, haunted by the memories of 1940, wanted to retain at all cost France military independence. Building a strong nuclear force, he was loath to have this nuclear force ultimately depending on decisions made in Washington. In case of a new world war, he wanted France to remain the master of the decisions affecting her, unlike in the 1930's when France had to follow in step with the British ally. In September 1966, in a famous speech in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), he expressed France's disapproval of the US involvement in Vietnam, and again preceding Nixon by 7 years he called for a US withdrawal from Vietnam as the only way to ensure peace. In June 1967, he condemned the Israelis over their occupation of the West Bank and Gaza following the Six Days War.

This was a major change in the policy of France towards Israel. Thus far, France had been the staunchest ally of Israel, helping Israel militarily, and plotting jointly the Suez Campaign in 1956. Under de Gaulle, following the independence of Algeria, France embarked in a pro-Arab foreign policy, still a distinct aspect of French foreign policy today. Israel then turned towards the United States for military support. In July 1967 he visited Canada, then celebrating the centennial of its existence as a nation with a World's Fair known officially as Expo '67. Desiring, in his view, to redeem France for its lack of support to the French settlers facing English conquest 200 years before, he endorsed the claims for an autonomous if not independent QuÃ©bec, and uttered his famous "Vive le QuÃ©bec libre" ("Long Live Free QuÃ©bec") from the balcony of the city hall in MontrÃ©al on July 24, in a clear reference to the liberation of France 23 years earlier, of which he was a symbol himself.

Harshly critized by English-speaking Canadians (including those in the government), de Gaulle's stance was welcomed by a significant part of the QuÃ©becois population, which was already in the process of getting rid of 200 years of English supremacy with the Quiet Revolution. The tumult forced de Gaulle to cut short his visit to Canada. In December 1967, in the name of France he rejected one more time British entry into the EEC. Again, his desire to build an independent Europe led him to consider that Britain, whose foreign policy was aligned with that of the US since 1940, would only stall the efforts of the other EEC countries if it was allowed in. Many have commented that the "policy of grandeur" was probably too ambitious and heavy for the shoulders of France. This policy, it is argued, was made possible by the exceptional historical figure of de Gaulle, but was not sustainable by post-imperial France in the long run. In any case, it is still remembered in France as a defining moment of French modern foreign policy, and it still largely inspires French foreign policy today.

Volume I - Le Renouveau 1958-1962 (1970) Discours et Messages volume I - Pendant la Guerre 1940-1946 (1970) Volume II - Dans l'attente 1946-1958 (1970) Volume III - Avec le Renouveau 1958-1962 (1970) Volume IV - Pour l'Effort 1962-1965 (1970) Volume V - Vers le Terme 1966-1969 English Translations The Edge of the Sword (Le Fil de l'EpÃ©e). Tr. by Gerard Hopkins. Faber, London, 1960 Criterion Books, New York, 1960 The Army of the Future. (Vers l'ArmÃ©e de MÃ©tier). Hutchinson, London-Melbourne, 1940. Lippincott, New York, 1940 France and Her Army. (La France et son ArmÃ©e). Tr. by F.L. Dash.

Hutchinson London, 1945. Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1945 War Memoirs: Call to Honor, 1940-1942 (L'Appel). Tr. by Jonathan Griffin. Collins, London, 1955 (2 volumes). Viking Press, New York, 1955. War Memoirs: Unity, 1942-1944. (L'UnitÃ©). Tr. by Richard Howard (narrative) and Joyce Murchie and Hamish Erskine (documents). Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1959 (2 volumes). Simon and Schuster, New York, 1959 (2 volumes). War Memoirs: Salvation, 1944-1946. (Le Salut). Tr. by Richard Howard (narrative) and Joyce Murchie and Hamish Erskine (documents). Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1960 (2 volumes). Simon and Schuster, New York, 1960 (2 volumes). What Happened in 1969 inc.

Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions How Much things cost in 1969 Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.46 % Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.6% Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 800 Average Cost of new house $15,550.00 Average Income per year $8,550.00 Average Monthly Rent $135.00 Average Cost New Car $3,270.00 Toyota Corona $1,950.00 Gas per Gallon 35 cents Alarm Clock from Westclox $9.98 Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling Average House Price 4,640 Gallon of Petrol 6 shillings 2 pence or 31 new pence 1969 1969 On July 20th one of mans crowning achievements occurred when American Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon and uttered the immortal words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." .

The opposition to the war continued to increase with more and more attending anti war demonstrations and demanding that the US withdrew from Vietnam. The music came from groups including the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and the Beatles and the most famous music festival of modern times "WOODSTOCK" took place on a New York Farm on August 17th with more than 400,000 avid music fans attending to see the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and others perform live. fashions reflected the anti war sentiment with military jackets adorned with peace signs, and other trends including long unkempt wild hair and headbands showed the feelings of anti establishment felt by the youth. Moon Landing The first man is landed on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission by the United States and Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. and the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." will become part of our history More Information and Timeline For The First Man On The Moon 1.

1961 May 25th President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade 2. 1963 June 16th Russians put the first woman in space on the Vostok 6 3. 1965 March 18th First space walk by the Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov from the Voskhod 2 4. 1966 March 16th first docking of two spacecraft Gemini 8 Commanded by Neil Armstrong docks with unmanned Agena Target Vehicle 5. 1968 December 24th Apollo 8, was the first human space flight to leave Earth orbit and enter a different orbit around the moon. 6. 1969 July 16th Apollo 11 Launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in Merritt Island, Florida carrying Neil A. Armstrong ( Commander ) Michael Collins ( Command Module Pilot ) and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. ( Lunar Module Pilot ) 7. July 19th Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter lunar orbit. 8.

July 20th Lunar module (LM) Eagle ( Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. ) separated from the command module Columbia ( Michael Collins ) . 9. July 20th Lunar module (LM) Eagle lands on the moons surface in the Sea of Tranquillity 10. july 21st Neil Armstrong stepped off Eagle's footpad and uttered his famous line "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind " Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin joined him, describing the view as "Magnificent desolation." 11. July 21st Lunar module (LM) Eagle leaves the moons surface to rendezvous with Columbia 12. July 24th The command module Columbia carrying the 3 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Estimates put the number who watched or listened to the Moon landing between 1/2 and 1 billion people around the world ( From Webmaster I consider myself privileged to have watched and listened to Neil A. Armstrong's famous words "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind " ) .

For Information for the Space Race 1961 , The second manned moon mission, Apollo 12, successfully launches and lands on the moon. More Information and Timeline for Apollo 12 Apollo 12, the second manned moon mission, launched on November 14th of 1969 carrying astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard Gordon Jr. The mission successfully landed on the Moon on November 19th about 950 miles away from where the Apollo 11 mission had landed. The mission's objectives included seismic experiments, examining the Surveyor III spacecraft, studying possible future landing sites, and human ability to work on the moon, among many other things. The crew tried to broadcast parts the mission but the television camera was damaged by sun exposure soon after landing. The crew left on November 20th and got to Earth on November 24th, after having spent about 31 hours on the surface of the moon.

Significant Live Music Events in 1969 Woodstock attracts more than 350,000 rock-n-roll fans, Atlanta International Pop Festival on 4th July attracts 100,000 fans, Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000 More Information and Timeline For Significant Music Events in 1969 1. January 30th The Beatles, with Billy Preston, gave their final live performance on the roof of the Apple building in London, England, the live performance was an impromptu event that ran for 42 minutes featuring Get Back, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Don't Let Me Down, I've Got A Feeling, One After 909, Danny Boy, Dig A Pony, God Save The Queen and A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody later featured as the climax of their Let It Be film 2.

March 25th to March 31st Following The Marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on March 20th in Gibralta they hold a week-long Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m 3. July 4th Atlanta International Pop Festival attracted an audience of approximately 100,000 to watch 16 performers including Janis Joplin, Johnny Rivers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sweetwater and Led Zeppelin 4.

August 15th to 18th The Woodstock Festival attracted an audience of approximately 500,000 to watch 35 performers including Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jimi Hendrix at White Lake, New York, U.S.A. 5. August 30th and 31st Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000 to watch 26 performers including Bob Dylan, The Who, Blonde On Blonde, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues and Free at Wootton, Isle Of Wight, England 6.

September 13th Toronto Rock and Roll Revival attracted an audience of approximately 20,000 to watch 20 performers including Chicago, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Doug Kershaw and The Doors, Screaming Lord Sutch and John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band at at Varsity Stadium, of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada 7. December 6th Altamont Speedway Free Festival attracted an audience of approximately 300,000 to watch 10 performers including The Rolling Stones, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Altamont Speedway, California, U.S.A. The concert is best known for having been marred by considerable violence caused by alcahol and drugs including by the Hells Angels motorcycle club who were used for security round the stage.

1969 provided so many significant live music events that I thought they should be included in a Music Timeline for the year, I hope you enjoyed taking the trip in time and memories that the timeline provides United Kingdom -- Beatles "Abbey Road" The Beatles record Abbey Road, their final album together. More Information and Timeline for The Beatles Abbey Road The Beatles release Abbey Road on September 26th. Abbey Road was not the group's final album to be released to the public but it was their final album to be recorded together. The classic album's cover art featured the iconic photograph of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison walking across a zebra crossing near the entrance to the famous Abbey Road recording studio. This rock album featured such popular songs as "Here Comes the Sun," "Come Together," "Something," and "Oh! Darling." The full track listing includes: Come Together, Something, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, Octopus's Garden, I Want You, Here Comes the Sun, Because, You Never Give Me Your Money, Sun King, Mean Mr.

Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End, Her Majesty It also topped the charts around the world once released, staying in the UK and US charts for over 80 weeks. While there were initially mixed reviews about the album, many fans believe it to be the best the band had ever produced and it remains one of the top selling Beatles albums of all time. The first communications are sent through the ARPANET on October 29th, 1969. More Information and Timeline for the ARPANET 1. ARPA (Advance Research Projects Agency) was created in 1958 2. In 1966 the creation of the ARPA computer network, or ARPANET, began. 3. The first point of the ARPANET was installed at a computer in UCLA in September of 1969 4. In October, the second point was installed at a computer in the Stanford Research Institute. 5. The first communication between the two is sent and received across the new network on October 29th, 1969. 6.

After that, it is installed at several other universities across the United States. 7. ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet, was not demonstrated to the public until 1972 8. By 1989 the ARPANET had become somewhat obsolete and was shut down. Project ( Blue Book ) The U.S. Air Force closed its Project ( Blue Book ) concluding there was no evidence of UFO's. More Information and Timeline for Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book, the United States Air Force's investigation into unidentified flying objects (UFOs), officially comes to an end on December 17, 1969. The investigations began in 1952 when government officials started to collect information related to UFO sightings. Between 1952 and 1969, there were over 12,000 reports compiled by officials and of those reports all but 701 cases were identified as either an atmospheric, astronomical, or man-made event. The project concluded that UFOs did not threaten national security and did not present evidence of extraterrestrial life or technology and the US government decided that it would be far to costly to continue to investigate UFO sightings.

Police forces in the United States crack down on student protests Popular Culture 1969 A free concert organized by the Rolling Stones is held at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif with problems caused by the use of Hells Angels as Bouncers resulting in a number of deaths The Groundbreaking TV programme Monty Python's Flying Circus is shown for the first time and the catch phrase "And now for something completely different," becomes their trade mark Sesame Street known for its Muppet characters, makes it's debut on PBS Bell Bottom Jeans and tie-dye shirts become part of the teenage fashion scene. The John Lennon Album "Two Virgins" featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude are confiscated at Newark Airport The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records. The Beatles release their album Abbey Road. bringing the 1960's to an end Sesame Street debuts on Public Television Brian Jones Former Rolling Stones Guitarist drowns after drinking and drugs binge.

Popular Films First Concorde test flight is conducted In France First transplant of human eye Seiko sells the first Quartz Watch The Harrier Jump Jet enters service with the RAF The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) is founded The first automatic teller machine ATM or Cash Machine is installed in the United States Creation of ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet The Boeing 747 jumbo jet makes its debut. It carried 191 people, most of them reporters and photographers, from Seattle to New York City. UNIX is developed by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of the American muscle car is introduced.

The Microprocessor ( a miniature set of integrated circuits ) is invented opening the way for the computer revolution that followed Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use ) Internet USA US military Manned Moon Landing USA Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walk on Moon CCDs USA Charge Coupled Device - to capture image Cash Dispenser Turkey by Luther Simjian Battery Powered Smoke Detector USA Australia -- Prime Minister -- John Gorton -- Brazil -- President -- Costa e Silva -- Till 31 August Brazil -- President -- Military Joint Tri -- From 31 August Brazil -- President -- Military Joint Tri -- Till 30 October Brazil -- President -- Emilio Medici -- From 30 October Canada -- Prime Minister -- Pierre Trudeau -- China -- Chairman of the People's Republic of China -- Song Qingling -- France -- President -- Charles de Gaulle -- Till 28 April France -- President -- Georges Pompidou -- From 20 June Germany -- Chancellor -- Kurt Georg Kiesinger -- Till 21 October Germany -- Chancellor -- Willy Brandt -- From 21 October India -- Prime Minister -- Indira Gandhi -- Italy -- Prime Minister -- Mariano Rumor -- Japan -- Prime Minister -- Eisaku Sato -- Mexico -- President -- Gust

avo Diaz Ordaz -- Russia / Soviet Union -- First Secretary of the CPSU -- Leonid Brezhnev -- South Africa -- Prime Minister -- Balthazar Johannes Vorster -- United States -- President -- Lyndon B.

Johnson -- Till January 20, United States -- President -- Richard Nixon -- From January 20, United Kingdom -- Prime Minister -- Harold Wilson -- Election Resources on the Internet: Presidential and Legislative Elections in France Election Resources on the Internet: Presidential and Legislative Elections in France Voters in France, which held a presidential election on April 22 and May 6, 2012, returned to the polls on June 10 and 17, 2012 to choose members of the lower house of the French legislature, the National Assembly. An overview of the French electoral system is presented here. May 22-25, 2014 European election results will be available here . In addition, France's Ministry of the Interior will have detailed results in French of the 2014 European elections in France.

National- and regional-level results are available here for the following presidential and legislative elections: Historical Background Although the 1946-1958 French Fourth Republic was a period of significant progress, in which the French economy engaged in a remarkable postwar recovery, as well as important accomplishments such as the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC) by the 1957 Treaty of Rome (of which France was a founding member), it was also characterized by a lack of stable leadership: from 1946 to 1958, the country had no less than two dozen cabinets, which on average lasted about six months in office. In due course, the inability of the Fourth Republic to provide strong leadership to confront a major crisis led to its demise. In May 1958, France seemed to be on the verge of civil war, as the leaders of the Fourth Republic appeared unable to agree on the formation of a new government to deal with the worsening crisis in Algeria, which had sparked a military insurrection. At the time, Algeria was under French rule, and since 1954 it had been experiencing an armed insurrection by part of the native population.

The crisis stemmed from the fact that while France had already initiated its de-colonization process, granting independence to neighboring Morocco and Tunisia, sovereignty for Algeria was deemed unacceptable, as the presence of a large number of French settlers, which numbered around a million people (but only one-tenth of the population), made Algeria an integral part of France in the eyes of many French. After all other alternatives were exhausted, General Charles de Gaulle, who had led the Free French forces in their fight against the Nazi occupation of France and their collaborators during World War II, was asked to become prime minister. He agreed to the request, with the condition that a new constitution providing a strong presidency be drafted, in accordance with his widely known preference for a strong executive. However, due to widespread concerns that a pure presidential arrangement might concentrate too much power in the hands of a single person - who could eventually decide to do without democratic forms - the constitution of the Fifth Republic, overwhelmingly approved by French voters in a September 1958 referendum, created a hybrid system with presidential and parliamentary features. To be certain, the power and prestige of the presidency was enhanced, but at the same time somewhat weakened parliamentary forms were retained.

It should be noted that while abstractly analyzed, the parliamentary aspects appear to be more important than the presidential features, in practice the regime has been for the most part more presidential than parliamentary, in large measure due to the strong personality of the founder and first president of the Fifth Republic, General de Gaulle, who clearly dominated the political landscape during his tenure in office from 1959 to 1969. Thus, while on one hand the constitutional arrangements of the Fifth Republic make the directly-elected president the leader of the nation, on the other one the prime minister, a presidential appointee, is in charge of selecting (in consultation with the president) the members of the Council of Ministers - the cabinet - and running the government. In conformity with standard parliamentary practices, the prime minister can be removed in a vote of no-confidence by the lower house of the French legislature - the National Assembly - although the constitution imposes somewhat strict limitations around this procedure. (In addition to the National Assembly, which is directly elected by the people, there is an indirectly elected Senate with very restricted powers.

If the Senate and the National Assembly are at odds, the existing constitutional mechanisms tend to favor the National Assembly.) However, unlike in most parliamentary regimes, members of the cabinet cannot simultaneously belong to the legislature. In practice, it is usually the case that the person chosen for the position of prime minister enjoys the confidence of the president, his or her task being to implement policy goals emanating from the presidency - as well as to be at the receiving end of any political fallout resulting from the implementation of said policies, since the president, as leader of the nation, is not supposed to engage in petty politics. Thus, by attempting to combine seemingly incompatible presidential and parliamentary forms (the former requiring the separation of powers, the latter the merger of executive and legislature), the French constitution has its share of ambiguities. In particular, the constitution is not clear as to what happens when opponents of a sitting president secure control of the National Assembly. However, this has been a fairly common occurrence since 1986, and in such cases an arrangement known as "cohabitation" has been developed, under which the president appoints a prime minister from opposing parties holding a majority of seats in the Assembly, and the system essentially reverts to a parliamentary form of government.

Nonetheless, successive presidents have sought to exercise an influential role under such circumstances, most notably on matters concerning foreign policy. The Electoral System The president of France is directly elected by universal suffrage in two stages of voting. All parties take part in the first round, usually promoting their own candidates. However, presidential hopefuls are required to present 500 endorsements signed by elected officials in order to secure a place on the ballot. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority of all valid votes cast in the first round, then the top two candidates qualify for a runoff election, in which the candidate with the largest number of votes is elected to office for a term of five years. Originally, an electoral college chose the president indirectly, but a 1962 amendment to the constitution established the popular election of the president by runoff voting. A subsequent constitutional amendment in 2000 reduced the president's term of office from seven to five years. Popular voting for presidential elections was adopted at the behest of President de Gaulle, shortly after France came to terms with reality and finally granted independence to Algeria in 1962.

With the crisis over, President de Gaulle's opponents sought to amend the constitution to restore the powers of the National Assembly, but de Gaulle outmaneuvered them by ordering a referendum on his proposed direct presidential elections amendment. Although the process was carried out in a manner contrary to the provisions of the 1958 constitution, French voters nonetheless approved the measure in an October 1962 referendum, by 13,150,516 votes in favor (62.3%) to 7,974,538 against (37.7%), on a 77% turnout. The National Assembly is composed of 577 members elected every five years in single-member constituencies by the runoff voting system. Candidates who obtain both an absolute majority of valid votes cast and a vote total equal to at least one quarter of the registered electorate are elected in the first round. Otherwise, a runoff election is held among candidates polling a number of votes greater than or equal to one-eight (12.5%) of the electorate; if fewer than two candidates meet this requirement, the runoff is held between the top two candidates.

In the second round, the candidate that obtains the largest number of votes is elected to office. Under the runoff system, a simple majority in the first round does not guarantee victory in the second round: in 1974, 1981 and 1995, the winner of the first round of presidential balloting went down to defeat in the runoff election. The Political Parties From 1958 until 1974 the Gaullist Party - initially known as the Union for the New Republic (UNR) and subsequently (after several name changes) as the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR) - was by far the French Fifth Republic's dominant political force. Nonetheless, the opposition parties still commanded significant electoral support during this time period. In the 1965 presidential election - the first held by popular voting since 1848 - President de Gaulle failed to obtain an absolute majority in the first round of voting as François Mitterrand, the candidate of the left-wing parties, put up a stronger-than-expected challenge (while at the same time centrist Jean Lecanuet finished a distant third). Nonetheless, de Gaulle ultimately defeated Mitterrand in the second round.

Likewise, the Gaullists rarely held an absolute majority in the National Assembly, and usually had to depend on the support of minor allied parties, most notably the right-of-center Independent Republicans (RI). (The only time the Gaullists won an absolute parliamentary majority was in 1968, when the French people rallied around de Gaulle following the "events of May" earlier that year - a series of widespread student riots and workers' strikes that came close to toppling the Fifth Republic.) In 1969, President de Gaulle resigned after French voters rejected a proposed reorganization of the regions and reform of the Senate in a referendum. In the ensuing presidential election, Georges Pompidou, who had been de Gaulle's prime minister from 1962 to 1968, easily defeated centrist Alain Poher; the left, badly divided, failed to make it to the runoff election. Under Pompidou, the Gaullists, which had initially sought to portray themselves as being neither left-wing nor right-wing, turned to the right.

Meanwhile, in 1971 François Mitterrand took over the moribund Socialist Party (PS); under his leadership, the party staged a remarkable comeback in the 1973 National Assembly election, in which the Gaullists suffered heavy losses to the Socialists and the French Communist Party (PCF) - at the time the second most powerful Communist party in Western Europe (after Italy's). President Pompidou died in office in 1974, and in an early presidential election, a significant number of Gaullists, led by Jacques Chirac, supported Independent Republican candidate Valéry Giscard d'Estaing over UDR candidate Jacques Chaban-Delmas (who had been prime minister under Pompidou from 1969 to 1972). In the first round, François Mitterrand, the joint PS-PCF candidate, topped the poll with a clear plurality but fell short of an absolute majority. As it turned out, Giscard, who had come in a strong second place - well ahead of Chaban-Delmas, who fared poorly in the election - went on to defeat Mitterrand in the runoff vote by a very narrow margin.

Upon assuming office, President Giscard appointed Chirac as prime minister. However, in 1976 Giscard clashed with the ambitious Chirac, who was forced to resign as head of government; he was replaced by Raymond Barre. Chirac then established the neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR) as the successor of the UDR, and in 1977 secured a power base when he was elected to the revived office of mayor of Paris. Meanwhile, Giscard brought together the Independent Republicans and several centrist parties under the Union for French Democracy (UDF) coalition, and in the 1978 National Assembly election, RPR and UDF secured a comfortable majority - in no small measure because the Socialist and Communist parties had broken off their electoral pact shortly before the event. In the 1981 presidential election, President Giscard won the largest number of votes in the first round of voting, with a slight plurality over Mitterrand, the candidate of the Socialist Party; the RPR's Jacques Chirac arrived in third place and Georges Marchais of the Communist Party came in fourth, scoring an unexpectedly poor showing when compared to previous PCF results.

However, in the second round Mitterrand secured solid support from the Communists and prevailed over incumbent President Giscard, who received only lukewarm support from Chirac. After taking office, President Mitterrand called a snap parliamentary election, in which the Socialists won an absolute majority in the National Assembly and subsequently formed a coalition with the Communists (even though their support wasn't needed at the time to keep the government in power). In this manner, the left assumed control of government for the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, after twenty-three years of center-right political hegemony. At this juncture, the French political system appeared to be evolving in the direction of two-pole, multi-party politics dominated by RPR and UDF on the center-right, with PS and PCF on the left. However, the rise of the far-right National Front (FN) as a major political contender in 1983-84 upset this balance of forces.

Support for the racist and xenophobic FN, previously an insignificant force, increased dramatically as France grappled with a large and increasing population of (mostly Arab) immigrants, which were perceived as siphoning jobs and welfare resources that supposedly would have otherwise gone to French nationals. The FN attracted a sizable share of the protest vote that used to go in the direction of the PCF, but it also siphoned votes from the mainstream center-right parties. Prior to the 1986 parliamentary election, it appeared almost certain the Socialists would not only to lose their majority in the National Assembly, but face a solid center-right majority in the legislative body as well. In an attempt to prevent the opposition from winning a decisive victory, the Mitterrand government changed the electoral law to a system of proportional representation (PR). However, while the Socialists remained the largest party in the National Assembly, the center-right parties still managed to win a very small majority; the National Front (which in all likelihood would have obtained no seats under the runoff system) secured parliamentary representation; and the Communist Party (which had left the Cabinet in 1984) continued to lose ground.

Faced with this outcome, President Mitterrand vowed to reality and appointed RPR leader Jacques Chirac as prime minister; the new center-right government promptly moved to restore the old electoral law. However, Mitterrand made it quite clear that he would not be reduced to a mere figurehead while being forced to "cohabit" with his opponents. As it was, the Socialists recovered much of the lost political ground in the next two years, and scored a significant victory in the 1988 presidential election by securing the re-election of Mitterrand over Jacques Chirac (RPR), Raymond Barre (UDF) and National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen (who nonetheless improved upon his party's 1986 showing); PCF presidential candidate André Lajoinie fared badly, polling fewer than half the votes won by Georges Marchais seven years earlier. Mitterrand then called an early National Assembly election, which he hoped would deliver a Socialist majority. As it was clear by then that such an outcome could only be achieved under the traditional runoff system, the Socialist government did not reintroduce PR.

Although the Socialists failed to win the desired absolute majority in the parliamentary election, they were able to govern for the next five years with the help of either the PCF or dissident centrists from the UDF. A new period of "cohabitation" began after the 1993 parliamentary election, when the center-right won an overwhelming majority of seats in the National Assembly, crushing the Socialists. Jacques Chirac chose not to become head of government in order to focus on the 1995 presidential election, and Edouard Balladur - who had been the second most powerful figure in Chirac's 1986-88 government - was appointed prime minister. However, Balladur developed presidential ambitions of his own, and ended up running against Chirac, his former mentor.

Although Socialist presidential candidate Lionel Jospin fared better than expected in the first round and outpolled Chirac (with Balladur, the National Front's Jean-Marie Le Pen, and Communist Robert Hue coming third, fourth and fifth, respectively - the latter two scoring modest gains over their parties' 1988 showing), Chirac managed to prevail over Jospin in the runoff vote by a clear (if not particularly large) margin. In 1997, President Chirac called a National Assembly election a year ahead of schedule, hoping to at least retain a reduced center-right majority. However, the move backfired disastrously, and instead a coalition of Socialists, Communists, Greens and minor leftist parties won an absolute parliamentary majority. As such, for the remaining five years of his term in office, Chirac was forced to "cohabit" with a left-wing government headed by Socialist leader Lionel Jospin. Chirac and Jospin faced each other once again in the 2002 presidential election.

However, while Chirac topped the poll in the first round, National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen unexpectedly edged out Jospin for second place in a crowded field of sixteen candidates, and the left found itself excluded from the runoff election for the first time since 1969. The election was also a disaster for the Communist Party: its presidential candidate, Robert Hue, not only lost about two-thirds of the votes he had won in 1995, but on top of that two far-left candidates - Arlette Laguiller of Workers' Struggle (LO) and Olivier Besancenot of the Communist Revolutionary League (LCR) - outpolled him. In the second round, President Chirac, supported by both the center-right and (reluctantly) the left, was re-elected in a record landslide over Le Pen, and Chirac's new group, the Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP; later the Union for a Popular Movement), which brought together the RPR, most of the former UDF and Liberal Democracy (DL; a 1998 UDF breakaway), secured a large parliamentary majority in the National Assembly election held shortly thereafter.

Jacques Chirac chose not to stand for re-election in 2007, and the ruling UMP chose former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as its presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Poitou-Charentes regional president Ségolène Royal secured the Socialist Party nomination in a party primary, becoming the first major-party female presidential candidate in French history. In the first round of voting, Sarkozy came in first place, followed by Royal; UDF presidential nominee François Bayrou arrived in a strong third place, but Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front had his worst showing since 1988, finishing a distant fourth, and the Communist Party fared even worse than in 2002. No candidate won an overall majority in the first round of voting, and in a runoff election between the top two candidates - the highly anticipated "Sarko-Ségo" showdown - Sarkozy won the presidential race by a clear majority over Royal. Following Nicolas Sarkozy's triumph, it was anticipated that UMP would go on to score a landslide victory in the National Assembly election held a month after the presidential vote.

However, while the results of the first round of voting favored the ruling party by a large margin, the runoff vote turned out to be unexpectedly close. Nonetheless, UMP had won a sizable number of seats in the first round, and the party retained a reduced yet substantial parliamentary majority. Both the National Front and François Bayrou's new Democratic Movement (MoDem) fared poorly in the election, but most of the UDF deputies ran under the "Presidential Majority" banner and retained their seats. Nicolas Sarkozy ran for a second term in the 2012 presidential election, but in the April 22 first round of voting he arrived in second place, trailing Socialist Party nominee François Hollande. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front and daughter of Jean Marie Le Pen, finished in a strong third place, improving upon her father's showing in the 2002 presidential election. However, Democratic Movement leader François Bayrou came in a poor fifth place, behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the candidate of the radical Left Front, which includes the Communist Party.

None of the ten candidates in the race won an absolute majority in the first round, and in a runoff election held the following May 6, François Hollande defeated President Sarkozy. Boosted by Hollande's victory, the Socialist Party went on to score a decisive victory over UMP in the June 2012 National Assembly election. Meanwhile, the National Front polled strongly in the legislative election's first round of voting, but in the runoff poll it only managed to capture two seats (out of 577).

Question: Who was elected President of France in June 1969?
Answer: Georges Pompidou