Bitcoin: De Gaulle's vision?
How Bitcoin Solves Gold’s Flaws and Could Reshape France’s Role in the Global Financial Order
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always consult with a professional financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Could a string of code really challenge centuries of financial tradition? Bitcoin, born from a mysterious whitepaper in 2008, has sparked a global debate about money, power, and freedom. It’s not just a cryptocurrency—it’s a bold answer to gold’s ancient flaws, a nod to forgotten dreams of monetary independence, and a potential game-changer for nations like France. Meet Claire, a fictional Parisian café owner who stumbled into Bitcoin after a bank froze her savings during a local crisis. Her story mirrors a growing unease: what if the systems we trust—banks, currencies, governments—aren’t as solid as they seem? Bitcoin’s rise prompts a wild question: could it be the “Noah’s Ark” for a world bracing for economic storms? Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, once wrote, “The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work.” Let’s unpack why this matters.
Gold’s Glitter Fades: Bitcoin’s Practical Edge
Gold has been humanity’s go-to for wealth preservation since the days of pharaohs. It’s shiny, scarce, and durable—but it’s not perfect. Moving gold across borders? A logistical nightmare. Dividing it for a coffee purchase? Good luck. Bitcoin, a digital invention, sidesteps these issues with a blockchain ledger that’s transparent and unstoppable.
Portability: Gold’s weight makes it a hassle to transport. Bitcoin zips across the globe in minutes, no vault required.
Divisibility: Try buying groceries with a gold bar. Bitcoin’s smallest unit, a satoshi, lets you spend fractions of a cent.
Security: Gold can be stolen or lost. Bitcoin, when stored properly in a cold wallet, is protected by cryptography, though hacks remain a risk.
Supply: Gold mining is unpredictable and environmentally costly. Bitcoin’s 21 million coin cap, with issuance halving every four years, ensures scarcity by design.
Claire, our Parisian café owner, learned this the hard way. During a 2024 banking scare, her savings were locked for weeks. A friend introduced her to Bitcoin, and she transferred €1,000 to a digital wallet. When she needed to pay a supplier in Spain, it was done in minutes—no bank, no fees, no stress. Gold couldn’t have helped her there. Lyn Alden, a financial strategist, notes, “Bitcoin is the only asset with a supply that no one can inflate, not even a central bank.” This chart from CoinMetrics (2023) shows Bitcoin’s issuance rate dropping predictably, unlike gold’s erratic mining output.
De Gaulle’s Dream: A Currency Without a Master
In the 1960s, French President Charles de Gaulle railed against the U.S. dollar’s grip on global finance. Under the Bretton Woods system, dollars were tied to gold, but the U.S. could print them freely, creating what de Gaulle called an “exorbitant privilege.” He wanted a neutral currency, free from any nation’s control. Bitcoin might be the answer he never saw coming.
De Gaulle’s gripes sound eerily modern: a single country’s currency dominating trade, forcing others to bend to its policies. Bitcoin, with no central authority, fits his vision of a system where no nation holds the reins. Its blockchain runs on thousands of nodes worldwide—nobody can “print” more or shut it down. For France, this could mean less reliance on the dollar or even the euro, which is managed by the European Central Bank’s (ECB) policies.
Imagine Claire again. Her café now accepts Bitcoin, and she’s thrilled to bypass hefty card fees. But here’s the twist: what if France itself started holding Bitcoin in its reserves? In 2023, El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender, and its GDP grew 3.5% despite global skepticism (World Bank, 2024). Could France, a G7 powerhouse, follow suit? Andreas Antonopoulos, a Bitcoin educator, says, “Bitcoin is a rebellion against centralized control, a system where trust is replaced by math.” De Gaulle might’ve nodded in approval.
Shaking the World Order: France’s Big Bet?
The global financial system is a house of cards—$300 trillion in debt, per the Institute of International Finance (2024), and growing. The dollar’s dominance, enforced through systems like SWIFT, gives the U.S. outsized power. Bitcoin threatens that. It’s a currency that doesn’t bow to sanctions or central banks, and for a country like France, that’s a double-edged sword.
France, tethered to the euro, faces risks. The ECB’s quantitative easing has pumped billions into the economy, but inflation hit 8% in 2022 (Eurostat). If the euro falters—say, during another debt crisis like Greece’s in 2010—Bitcoin could be a hedge. Nations like Russia and China have explored crypto to dodge dollar-based sanctions. What if France, a leader in European innovation, quietly amassed Bitcoin reserves? It could shift power dynamics, making Paris a hub for crypto finance while challenging Frankfurt’s ECB dominance.
Claire’s story reflects this on a small scale. She now holds 0.05 BTC, worth €3,000, as a safety net. When a supplier in Asia demanded payment outside traditional channels, Bitcoin saved the day. But here’s the controversial angle: what if Bitcoin’s rise destabilizes the euro? Widespread adoption could erode trust in fiat, sparking a currency crisis. Nassim Taleb, author and risk analyst, warns, “Bitcoin could either be the future of money or a speculative bubble that crashes entire economies.” The debate rages on X, where posts from 2025 show Europeans split—some see Bitcoin as freedom, others as chaos.
Europeans Saving Themselves: A Personal Revolution
Picture this: a young engineer in Berlin, a retiree in Lisbon, a farmer in Tuscany—all quietly buying Bitcoin. Why? Because trust in banks and governments is shaky. The 2008 financial crisis, Cyprus’s 2013 bank bail-ins, and Greece’s capital controls showed how fast savings can vanish. Bitcoin offers a way out.
It’s not about getting rich quick (though some dream of it). It’s about control. Bitcoin lets you hold wealth without a bank’s permission, send money without SWIFT’s oversight, and hedge against inflation. The ECB’s low rates and money printing have eroded savings—€1,000 in 2015 was worth €850 by 2023 in real terms (ECB data). Bitcoin’s price, despite wild swings, climbed from €10,000 to €60,000 in the same period (CoinGecko, 2023).
Claire’s café now has a “Bitcoin Accepted” sign. She’s not a tech wizard, but a simple app lets her convert BTC to euros instantly. When a tourist paid in Bitcoin, she felt a spark of independence. But the stakes are high. If Europeans flock to Bitcoin, governments might crack down, as China did in 2021. Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, argues, “Bitcoin empowers individuals to opt out of a broken system, but it’s a fight against entrenched powers.” A table from Statista (2024) shows 10% of Europeans own crypto, with France leading at 12%. Could this grassroots movement reshape the continent?
Bitcoin as Noah’s Ark: A Refuge in the Storm?
The “Noah’s Ark” metaphor isn’t just poetic—it’s a warning. Global debt, geopolitical tensions, and fiat’s fragility hint at a coming flood. Bitcoin, with its fixed supply and decentralized network, could be the lifeboat. Unlike gold, it’s weightless and borderless. Unlike dollars or euros, it’s immune to printing presses.
Think of Claire’s café as a microcosm. When her bank account was frozen, Bitcoin kept her business afloat. Now imagine entire nations—say, France—using Bitcoin to weather a global crisis. If the dollar weakens or the euro cracks, countries with BTC reserves could stay solvent. El Salvador’s experiment, though small, shows it’s possible. Their Bitcoin holdings gained 40% in value by 2024 (Reuters).
But here’s the wild card: what if Bitcoin’s promise fails? If a quantum computing breakthrough cracks its cryptography, or if governments ban it outright, the ark could sink. Posts on X (2025) buzz with fears of a “crypto winter” if regulation tightens. Elon Musk, ever the provocateur, tweeted, “Bitcoin’s either the ark or the iceberg—pick your story.” The choice isn’t clear, but the stakes are biblical.
Wrapping Up: A Fork in the Road
Bitcoin isn’t just code—it’s a challenge to everything we know about money. It fixes gold’s flaws, echoes de Gaulle’s defiance, and offers Europe a shot at financial freedom. Claire’s small café, thriving on Bitcoin payments, shows it’s not a pipe dream. Yet the risks—volatility, regulation, systemic upheaval—loom large. The world order could shift, with France at the forefront or caught in the crossfire. Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, sums it up: “Bitcoin forces us to rethink trust, not just in money but in power itself.” Will it be the ark that saves us, or a mirage in the desert? That’s the question buzzing from Paris to X.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice, financial planning, or any other type of professional guidance. The information provided is based on publicly available data and may not reflect the author's or publisher's personal views or opinions. No effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate, complete or up-to-date.
The author and publisher are not responsible for any losses or damages that may arise from the use of the information contained in this article. If you are considering any type of investment, financial transaction, or other decision that may have financial implications, please consult with a qualified professional financial advisor or other qualified expert before making any decisions
I agree with most of what you say.
The most important part is that Bitcoin cannot be inflated by anyone. However the risk opposed to this is how will miners get paid once all the Bitcoin is mined?
It's good that nobody can stop you paying for your goods, you have a currency that is outside of the control of governments. But opposing that, your address, if linked to you, can be blacklisted. Your coins can be "tainted". Effectively you can be embargoed if you buy bitcoin through the usual cex channels and a gov tracks you.
What bitcoin lacks is real privacy.