Europe has always been a unique existence, especially in the 60s of the last century, when the United States united Europe to blockade China layer by layer, France frequently showed goodwill to China, and established diplomatic relations with China for the first time, this move caused politics around the world
However, on June 17, 1967, China successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb, becoming the fourth country to possess thermonuclear weapons, but France did not congratulate us.
On the contrary, the World War II hero and the famous "pro-China **" Charles de Gaulle was furious after receiving the news, slapped the table in the office and became angry, and forced his subordinates to make a "military order".
Why, then, was de Gaulle so angry? What impact did China's successful hydrogen bomb test have on France? Since the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, countries around the world have seen the tremendous power of nuclear weapons for the first time and have begun to develop their own nuclear weapons.
Following the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France each possessed their own atomic bombs, and China was not far behind. After years of hard work, China finally successfully tested a hydrogen bomb in 1964 and officially entered the ranks of countries with nuclear weapons.
However, in the context of the Cold War, the arms race will never stop.
In 1952, the United States conducted a test explosion test called "Operation Ivy League" and successfully developed the first hydrogen bomb, which shocked the world. As a result, countries around the world began to research and tackle the hydrogen bomb, of which the United States spent seven years, and the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom took four years each.
In 1964, after the success of China's first atomic bomb**, the country immediately made a decision to develop a hydrogen bomb with all its might. After the unremitting efforts of scientists day and night, it took only 2 years and 8 months for China's first hydrogen bomb to be launched over Lop Nur**, triggering a national celebration and global shock.
At the same time, France's Charles de Gaulle also attached great importance to the research and development of nuclear weapons. However, when he learned of the successful test of China's hydrogen bomb, he angrily called all the scientists and scientists in charge of nuclear research and development into his office and criticized them for two hours.
De Gaulle devoted great energy and determination to the investment in the research and development of the French hydrogen bomb. Although France surrendered at the speed of light at the beginning of World War II, it also allowed France's infrastructure to be preserved and its industrial system to recover quickly, far surpassing that of old capitalist powers such as the United Kingdom.
However, when China's hydrogen bomb test explosion was successful, France's hydrogen bomb research and development progress lagged behind, which made De Gaulle, who had always been strong, intolerable. Therefore, he gave an ultimatum at the end of his life, hoping to see the French hydrogen bomb test detonated before he died.
In fact, since the day the atomic bomb was launched in 1945, Charles de Gaulle has invested in the research and development of nuclear weapons, and France's nuclear road is also full of legends.
With the continued support of overseas colonies, France's industrial economy recovered rapidly. In addition, France is home to top scientists such as the Curies, who have successfully developed the atomic bomb with the support of a talent pool, industrial base and economic strength.
In 1945, General de Gaulle established the Atomic Energy Commission and appointed Marie Curie's son-in-law, Jolio Curie, as its head. Since then, nuclear physics in France has flourished, with the discovery of uranium in 1948 and the successful construction of the first nuclear reactor in the same year.
France has risen rapidly in nuclear research and successfully developed the atomic bomb, making it the fourth nuclear-armed country after the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom. This not only brings great benefits to France, but also enhances its position in Europe.
Therefore, de Gaulle continued to increase investment in the research and development of nuclear **, especially in the research of the hydrogen bomb. However, although the successful development of the atomic bomb laid the foundation for the development of the hydrogen bomb, it was not easy to implement it in practice.
The French Atomic Energy Commission has spent a lot of money and manpower, but it has never been able to conquer the key technologies. It wasn't until 1966 that a young physicist made a breakthrough and mastered the basic principles of the hydrogen bomb.
However, there is still a long way to go from principle to realization, and both the French scientific community and de Gaulle are feeling the pressure.
It was at this moment that a mysterious figure from England approached de Gaulle and claimed to possess key information about the hydrogen bomb. However, the hydrogen bomb is considered top secret in the UK, and how could such a wonderful "pie" easily fall into the trap?
Despite de Gaulle's reservations about the mysterious man, the enormity of the hydrogen bomb still moved his heart. After an in-depth investigation, de Gaulle decided to trust the mysterious man and submitted the information he provided to the Atomic Energy Commission to assist them in their research.
As it turned out, this mysterious man was indeed not small, and the information he provided was also confirmed to be accurate. However, just as de Gaulle regained his confidence, news from the East struck him like a bolt from the blue: on June 17, 1967, China's first hydrogen bomb was successfully tested.
De Gaulle's anger has its roots, and the gap between the two countries' national power is too great. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, China has been devastated by the Western imperialist countries, with its territory shattered, and chaos of warlords and factions has occurred one after another.
To make matters worse, Japan invaded China for 14 years, during which the Chinese people fought hard, with tens of millions of people and incalculable property losses.
In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, China faced serious challenges, from industry to economy to military, it needed to start from scratch. In contrast, France has long been a European power, and its losses during World War II were small, so it has a clear advantage in nuclear research and development.
In addition, there is a clear gap in scientific research capacity between China and France. Although New China has overseas students such as Qian Xuesen, there is still a big gap compared with top scientists such as Marie Curie in France.
De Gaulle was convinced that there was no reason for France to lag behind China in the development of the hydrogen bomb, so he issued a military order requiring that the hydrogen bomb must be successfully developed before his death. In order to achieve this goal, France has heavily tilted resources to the Atomic Energy Commission.
However, at a critical stage, the mysterious figure in Britain suddenly kept silent and was unwilling to provide information. De Gaulle even mobilized the intelligence department to monitor and persecute him for a long time, and finally made him open his mouth and handed over the most core technology, so that France's hydrogen bomb development work made significant progress.
In 1968, French scientists discovered that the development of the hydrogen bomb was exactly the same as the one they abandoned in 1964. On the basis of this program, researchers successfully developed a hydrogen bomb, making France the fifth country to possess thermonuclear weapons.
Still, due to some detours, the arrival of this day in France was a full four years late.
After the successful development of the hydrogen bomb, de Gaulle finally let go of a concern that had plagued him and became deeply interested in China's new achievements. Through contact, the Chinese people also began to understand this famous French iron fist**.
De Gaulle's iron-blooded image dates back to 1914, during the First World War, when he fought in northeastern France as a company commander. In battle, de Gaulle was always at the forefront of the battle, and within a year he was wounded three times, stabbed in the thigh with a bayonet, burned in the face by a shell, and was gassed and nearly killed.
Unfortunately, he was later captured and imprisoned, where he was captured on five escapes and subjected to inhumane punishment. However, de Gaulle remained true to his convictions and did not return to his homeland until four years after the end of the war.
This tortuous experience made him rise to prominence in the army, and for the next ten years, he worked as a lecturer at the Saint-Cyr Military Academy, became the deputy chairman of the Supreme War Council of the French Army Staff and the secretary of the Ministry of Defence, and steadily became an important figure on the French side.
He published military works such as "The Enemy's Internal Struggle" and "Building a Professional Army", and put forward the innovative idea of building an armored division that combined mobility and destructive firepower.
He was Charles de Gaulle of France, a name that spread throughout Europe. In 1937, de Gaulle was promoted to colonel and served as commander of the 507th Tank Regiment, and two years later, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
He foresaw the great potential of joint operations of tanks and aircraft, but his proposal was not adopted by the president of the French parliament, Paul Reynaud. On the contrary, using aircraft and armored vehicles, the German ** team successfully launched an offensive in the air and on the ground, breaking through the French defense line that it thought was impregnable.
Despite de Gaulle's many victories in the Moncornet and Laon regions, Paris fell in June 1940 and Petain succeeded Paul Reynaud as Prime Minister of France, deciding on a ceasefire.
During his time in England, de Gaulle was concerned about his homeland, and he assembled a resistance force called the "Freedom Law ** Team". In September 1941, he also created an exile** and fought unwaveringly against the German army, until the successful Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, and de Gaulle was able to return to France.
He looked at the liberated lands and gave a public speech with emotion, after which the French people regarded him as a national hero, and his life was revered as "General de Gaulle".
After the end of World War II, Charles de Gaulle briefly served as interim prime minister, and also experienced a bleak trough.
In 1958, France was in trouble with domestic and foreign relations, and there were continuous independence movements in overseas colonies, and there were frequent riots in China. At this critical moment, de Gaulle once again accepted the task of becoming the French Republic** and began his drastic reforms.
De Gaulle presented himself with an iron fist, and he dealt with colonial questions and internal disputes decisively and without mercy. His resolute attitude makes him particularly prominent in the eyes of Britain and the United States, and he is known as a "thorn".
The reason why de Gaulle acted in this way was because he did not agree with US hegemony and did not succumb to the world pattern of the United States and the Soviet Union competing for hegemony. He believes that Europe is a "Europe of Europeans" and should remain independent, while France, as a European power, should play a mainstay role and respond to the challenge of US hegemony in an independent way.
Gaullism", a series of independent foreign policies, revealing the secret of independent development in the face of wolves, that is, great strength. De Gaulle was well aware of this, so he actively invested tens of billions of francs, as well as immeasurable manpower and material resources, to devote himself to the research and development of nuclear **.
This move not only greatly enhanced France's military capabilities, but also ensured that France could be protected from threats from the United States and the Soviet Union. The idea of Charles de Gaulle is the same as that of our country"Independence"The development paths are similar.
Therefore, he has always held our country in high esteem. Although he was a little annoyed when he learned that China had taken the lead in developing the hydrogen bomb, it was his attitude towards the French scientific community"Angry and indisputable"performance, and for China, he is full of respect.
In fact, as early as 1964, de Gaulle got in touch with our country and issued a joint proclamation officially announcing the establishment of diplomatic relations. It is also yet another testament to his respect for my country and his willingness to cooperate.
France was the first country in Europe to establish diplomatic relations with China, and Charles de Gaulle** was under tremendous pressure. But he ignored the criticism of Britain and the United States and other countries, actively maintained ** contact with China, and even planned to visit China and meet with ***.
Regrettably, in 1970, when de Gaulle was about to visit China, he died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving a lasting regret. After de Gaulle's death, flags were lowered at half-mast in Tiananmen Square, in front of Xinhua Gate and in front of China, which was the first time that China gave such a high courtesy to a foreign head of state.
EpilogueAs *** said, de Gaulle was "an indomitable fighter against fascist aggression and the national independence of the Vylanci". He fought bravely and skillfully throughout his life, shaping a new France with blood and tears, and his interactions with China showed extraordinary political wisdom and forward-looking strategic vision.
The situation in the world today has changed dramatically, and the balance of power between China and France has changed dramatically. However, independence and self-reliance are still the source of progress for a country and a nation"Two bombs and one star"will inspire China to keep moving forward.