THE DACIA CAR AND CHARLES DE GAULLE, BETWEEN THREE CONFLICTS
THE DACIA CAR AND CHARLES DE GAULLE, BETWEEN THREE CONFLICTS

Summary/Abstract: The chosen theme "The Dacia car and Charles de Gaulle, between three conflicts" is a unique approach to the political context in which the promoter of the appearance of this car in Romania, French President Charles de Gaulle was unable to be present at the foundation stone of the plant in Colibaşi in June 1967 and at its inauguration in August 1968, between these moments being that of his visit to Romania. The purpose of the paper aims to present the events that directly and indirectly influenced the history of the Romanian car, their intrinsic importance and their significance. The development of the Romanian car manufacturing industry has begun a new stage with the signing in Bucharest, on September 6, 1966, of the agreement on collaboration with the French company "Renault", in order to manufacture under license in Romania two car models: R8- Dacia 1100, starting with August 1968 and R12-Dacia 1300, a year later, same month. Thus, on February 15, 1967, members of the Permanent Presidium of the C.C. to the P.C.R. approved “the invitation to R.S. Romania, for a visit, of the President of the French Republic, Charles de Gaulle”. From such a perspective, the Six-Day War between June 5 and 10, 1967, countermanded at the last moment the arrival of the French head of state in Romania, so that the social unrest in Paris in 1968 would determine a presence only in May, and that shortened by one day. On August 20, the Dacia plant was inaugurated without de Gaulle who was in Paris where tensions had eased, but in the presence of Nicolae Ceausescu, who could not fully enjoy the moment after founding that on the night of the 21st, the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia. The research of the aspects was carried out at the Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Archives of Romania. In conclusion, the paper aims to complete the plethora of scientific research on Charles de Gaulle, known as “Colonel Motor” in the Second World War, who proved to be the one who brought the first car engine in Romania, an approach that I consider mandatory in the complex analysis of the sequence of historical events.

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