The Algerian War of Independence broke out on November 1, 1954. The Algiers military putsch occurred on May 13, 1958. Two days later, in a press release on May 15, de Gaulle said that he was ready to “assume the powers of the Republic.” On June 1, the National Assembly appointed him President of the Council of Ministers, the last of the Fourth Republic. On September 4, de Gaulle gave a speech at the Place de la République in Paris, presenting his proposal for a new Constitution, that of the Fifth Republic, establishing the system of government still in place today. De Gaulle was elected President of the Fifth Republic on January 8, 1959. On March 18, 1962, the Evian Accords were signed, putting an end to the war. Without the Algerian War, would de Gaulle have returned to power? In 1958, Jacques Rueff called for an end to inflationary dirigisme and for a liberalization of trade. De Gaulle applied Rueff’s recommendations only partially, so 1958 was a missed economic rendezvous. Under Georges Pompidou’s presidency, France increased its production by a third, recording the strongest growth in Europe. Exports doubled. The French population saw living standards improve by 25% during this period.