00:00 The French presidency under the Fifth Republic was established in 1958 by Charles de Gaulle, who sought to create a strong executive presidency in the midst of the Algerian crisis.

04:20 Charles de Gaulle, the first president of the Fifth Republic in France, had a strong sense of his own importance and France's greatness, and subsequent French presidents are expected to live up to that standard.

08:15 Charles de Gaulle creates an image of himself as the savior of France and of France as a victor in World War II, which is disproportionate to reality, and he bluffs his way through by persuading Churchill and Eisenhower that he can be the first to liberate Paris.

12:00 De Gaulle is seen as a great man with a sense of greatness, but he also has a sense of France's exceptionalism and independence from the United States, and he tries to position France as a third force between the US and the Soviet Union, which is an illusion; in 1968, the student uprising and general strike mark the end of an era, and De Gaulle eventually leaves office after a failed referendum on regional government.

15:53 De Gaulle's devotion to his daughter and his successors' lack of family values set him apart, leading into the introduction of Georges Pompidou as the next president.

19:58 George Pompidou, known for his cultural achievements and rural background, worked for the Rothschild Bank before being recruited by de Gaulle to work for the Anne de Gaulle Foundation, and his presidency was overshadowed by a sex scandal involving his wife and rumors of blackmail.

24:04 Georges Pompidou's presidency was overshadowed by scandals, but he was an effective president and played a significant role in France's economic recovery and infrastructure development.

27:52 Valery Giscard d'Estaing, a technocrat and modernizer, is known for embracing the French version of the internet called Minitel, as well as implementing pension reforms, divorce reform, and legalizing abortion.

31:28 Valery Giscard d'Estaing's attempts to be a populist and connect with the French public backfired, leading him to adopt a haughty and ludicrous behavior, which ultimately harmed his image and reputation.

35:22 Valery Giscard d'Estaing's feud with Jacques Chirac may have opened the door for Francois Mitterrand to become the next French president.