When the Vichys government was formed, some of the French were willing to accept their rule. The ones that opposed the Vichy rule escaped from France and moved to England. This is where the Free French movement began. clopedia/Charles_de_Gaulle / en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_French_F orces forums.civfanatics. com/showthread.p hp?t= en.wikipedia.org He was the leader of the Free French forces of WWII. On June 18, General de Gaulle was prepared to speak to the French people on the radio. The British Cabinet attempted to block the speech, but were overruled by Prime Minister Churchill. To this day, it remains one of the most famous speeches in French history. From London, de Gaulle formed and led the Free French movement. The French Resistance is a general term used for the French Nationals that fought the military occupation of France by Nazi Germany. The Vichy government of France was installed by Hitler during World War II. The Free French movement took place in France and Great Britain. They were fighting against the German occupation of France. They organized their resistance in London, England and then returned to France to fight for its liberation. The Free French Forces were fighting against Vichys rule which was put into power by Nazi Germany. Half of the Free French forces escaped to London when the Vichy rule began. They organized their movement and returned to France to fight for their freedom. It began on September 1, 1939 and lasted throughout WWII until France was liberated. General de Gaulle was elected president of France after WWII. QUIZ Who was Charles de Gaulle and why was he important? Who did the Free French Fighters fight against? What happened to Charles de Gaulle following the war? W ORK C ITED P AGE Isserman, Maurice. World war II. New York: Facts on File Inc., Print. Lapansky-Werner, Emma J. Peter B. Levy, Randy Roberts- and Alan Taylor United states: rec. to the Present. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2008 "Charles de Gaulle." Knowledgerush (2009): n. pag. Web. 30 Mar