GAULLE Charles de. Autograph manuscript signed, La Pologne depuis 1814, [1908]; 12 pages large in-8. History paper on Poland, done at the Collège Stanislas, as a preparatory class for Saint-Cyr. The composition, signed "Charles de Gaulle" at the top, is annotated and commented on in pencil by the teacher. "The history of Poland in the nineteenth century is that of a nationality which, despite being divided between three much more powerful states, managed to remain intact. The Poles have lost neither their language, nor their religion, nor their general culture, despite the misfortunes that have befallen them. The enduring vitality of this nation has been manifested since 1814 on two different occasions, in 1830-1831 and in 1863, by general revolutions, but at no time, even at the times when order was least disturbed, did the whole body of national traditions and feelings lose ground in Poland". The composition is divided into four parts: I State of Poland after the Congress of Vienna; II The Revolution of 1830-1831; III The Revolution of 1863; IV Russification in Poland; V Poles in Prussia and Austria. Conclusion: "Thus, after a century of misfortune, of violent compression, of attempts at assimilation on the part of their dominators, despite the break-up of their territory into three pieces, each occupied by a state absolutely different from the other two in its way of proceeding, the Polish nationality remains as alive as ever. This is undoubtedly due, apart from the ardent patriotism of the Poles, to the fact that they have been able to preserve their unity of language, religion and tradition. At the top of the page, the professor noted: "The question is very well understood, except for a few minor omissions of detail; you have shown its interest and its general significance. In conclusion, you could have insisted on the admirable strength of resistance of the Polish people and the survival of the right to force". The mark obtained was 15, and the copy was marked "1r" in red pencil. LNC, I, p. 32.