[georgeecollins]

By "France under de Gaulle" do you mean the French Fifth Republic which was proposed by de Gaulle? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Fifth_Republic

Hint: That's the current government of France to this day. To me, that is a liberal democracy.

I would recommend reading "When France Fell" for more context on de Gaulle. You are talking about a complicated figure. I also would point out that he faced attempts on his life for getting France out of the former colony of Algeria.