Editing Jacques Chirac (section)

=== The "Bulldozer": 1962–1971 ===
In April 1962, Chirac was appointed head of the personal staff of Prime Minister [[Georges Pompidou]]. This appointment launched Chirac's political career. Pompidou considered Chirac his [[mentorship|protégé]], and referred to him as "my bulldozer" for his skill at getting things done. The nickname {{lang|fr|Le Bulldozer}} caught on in French political circles, where it also referred to his abrasive manner. As late as the 1988 [[1988 French presidential election|presidential election]], Chirac maintained this reputation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/28/magazine/au-revoir-to-ideology.html?pagewanted=all|title=Au revoir to ideology|last=Markham|first=James M.|date=28 February 1988|work=[[The New York Times]]|quote=Prime Minister Chirac, whose abrasive manner once earned him the nickname "the Bulldozer,"...|access-date=14 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194902/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/28/magazine/au-revoir-to-ideology.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

At Pompidou's suggestion, Chirac ran as a [[Gaullist]] for a seat in the [[French National Assembly|National Assembly]] in 1967.<ref name=":0" /> He was elected deputy for his home [[Corrèze]] {{lang|fr|département}}, a stronghold of the left. This surprising victory in the context of a Gaullist ebb permitted him to enter the government as [[Minister of Social Affairs (France)|Minister of Social Affairs]]. Although Chirac was well-situated in de Gaulle's entourage, being related by marriage to the general's sole companion at the time of the [[Appeal of 18 June]] 1940, he was more of a "Pompidolian" than a "Gaullist". When student and worker unrest rocked France in [[May 1968 in France|May 1968]], Chirac played a central role in negotiating a truce.<ref name=":0" /> Subsequently, as state secretary of economy (1968–1971), he worked closely with [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]], who headed the ministry of economy and finance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-03 |title=Valéry Giscard d'Estaing obituary |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/03/valery-giscard-destaing-obituary |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>