He outlived his great rival, Jacques Chirac by 14 months. The two made an interesting contrast, embodying different aspects of the French character. Giscard - aristocratic, aloof, and cerebral - took the reins of power from Charles de Gaulle and his successor Georges Pompidou. Coming hard on the heels of les trentes glorieuses (the 30 years of rapid economic growth), everything looked possible. Giscard led the EU project, and even wrote a constitution for that organization which looked (in 1990) to become a super-state. The inability to think oneself into a new world is very French.
Chirac was more modest, in intellectual ambition if nothing less. Much, much more personable, I wrote this on his death which captures another side of the French character:
This is what I remember, as it captured the essence of the Franco-American relationship at the time. The playful scoundrel that you can't quite bring yourself to get mad at, and the long suffering friend who at the end of the day doesn't get mad at the scoundrel.
Both were allies to American administrations; both drove each of those administrations to distraction. That, too, is very French.
Rest in Peace
The admittedly very lazy obit.
ReplyDeleteI really couldn't come up with anything to say about the man.
I like to think that I would have had something to say about de Gaulle, though, if I had been blogging in 1970.
==Dwight
Wow. I had no idea he was still alive until so recently. Very interesting biography.
ReplyDeleteAnd your quote about the French character feels spot on.