GAULLE Charles de. 2 autograph manuscripts signed, Composition d'Histoire, [1908]; 12 pages large in-8 each. Two history papers on the Napoleonic period, done at the Collège Stanislas, in preparatory classes for Saint-Cyr. These compositions, signed "Charles de Gaulle" at the top, are annotated and commented on in pencil by the teacher. Alexander 1st. Characterise the main phases of his policy towards Napoleon, up to the rupture of April 1812. "The policy of Czar Alexander during the First Empire is of particular interest. Apart from the fact that Alexander was, after his rival, the most powerful sovereign on the Continent, and above all because the geographical situation of his states made him less vulnerable, it was he who, by putting himself at the head of the Coalition of the Peoples from 1812, brought about the fall of the French Empire more directly than any other government. Moreover, it was to his policy that the two great questions of the East and Poland were directly linked, which then took on greater importance than ever. Finally, the Russian alliance alone could enable Napoleon to keep all his conquests, and even the French throne, in complete safety, by containing the national revolts that had been ready to erupt since the first setbacks in Spain." After this introduction, the composition is divided into three parts: I Hostilities, "from the accession of Alexander in March 1801 to Tilsit (July 1807)"; II The beginnings of the alliance, up to "the interview at Erfurt (27 July 1808)"; III The preliminaries of the rupture, "where the causes of rupture accumulate on both sides". Let us quote the Conclusion: "Thus, after a period of hostilities and an alliance, France and Russia found themselves standing up against each other. But this time, the peoples of Europe, apparently allied with Napoleon, were only waiting for a setback to crush him. The alliance had given the Tsar considerable advantages and he was preparing to break it to his great advantage at precisely the moment when Napoleon needed it most." At the top of the page, the teacher noted: "Sound and clear plan. Extensive and precise knowledge. In conclusion, you could have analysed the reasons that made the alliance fragile and the break-up inevitable. A few minor shortcomings. The mark obtained was 15, and the copy was marked "1st" in red pencil. France in 1802. Situation in Europe. Territorial extent. Government and administration. Introduction. "In the history of France in the 19th century, 1802 marked the beginning of a period that was new from every point of view; it was a momentous year because it marked the definitive victory of revolutionary principles. Peace, enshrined in 1801 by the Treaty of Lunéville, and in 1802 by the Peace of Amiens, put an end to a state of struggle that had lasted without interruption since 1792, - Europe gave up the idea of re-establishing the Old Regime in France, and recognised, in addition to the conquest of France's natural borders, the effects of revolutionary propaganda in Holland, Italy and Germany. Moreover, 1802 was, precisely because of the peace it made complete, the definitive consecration of Bonaparte's personal power. It was for this reason that the new administration began to function, that the Concordat was signed, and that, in general, the principal and most lasting of Bonaparte's reforms were decided or applied". The composition is divided as follows: I Situation in Europe; II Territorial extent; III The Government in 1802; IV The administration. Let us quote the General Conclusion: "Thus in 1802, France regained peace abroad, seeing its conquests consecrated and its predominant position in Europe recognised. On the other hand, if the political work hitherto accomplished by Bonaparte was the re-establishment of an absolute power not limited by the traditions of the A[ncien] Régime, his social work became fruitful, and restored to the interior the tranquillity and order of which the country had been deprived for 13 years." At the top, the professor noted: "Clear plan and extensive knowledge. A few minor errors or confusions. Conclusion a little superficial". The mark obtained was 15, and the copy was marked "1st" in red pencil. LNC, I, p. 17 and p. 27.