De Gaulle's BBC broadcast on 18 June 1940 is widely regarded as the founding moment of the French Resistance in World War II.
Key Facts
- Date of speech
- 18 June 1940
- Broadcaster
- BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
- Speaker
- General Charles de Gaulle
- Context
- Delivered following France's defeat in the Battle of France
- Reach at broadcast
- Heard by only a minority of French people at the time
- De Gaulle's nickname
- L'Homme du 18 juin (The Man of 18 June)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the military collapse of France in the Battle of France, Charles de Gaulle fled to London in June 1940. Refusing to accept the armistice being negotiated with Nazi Germany, he sought to rally French forces and citizens to continue resistance from abroad.
On 18 June 1940, de Gaulle delivered a radio address via BBC services, urging the French people not to abandon hope and to continue fighting against German occupation. The speech, broadcast from London, called on French soldiers, engineers, and workers to join him in resisting the German forces.
The appeal became a defining symbol of French resistance and de Gaulle's authority as leader of the Free French. Though initially heard by relatively few, it grew in retrospective importance, earning de Gaulle the title 'L'Homme du 18 juin' and shaping the collective memory of French wartime resistance.