Passing the Baton: Transformational Political Leadership from Gorbachev to Yeltsin; from de Klerk to Mandela
1996; Wiley; Volume: 17; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3791941
ISSN1467-9221
Autores Tópico(s)Globalization and Cultural Identity
ResumoThe leaders of the Soviet Union and South Africa have both attempted the rare feat of bringing about what Zygmunt Bauman calls a peaceful, systematic revolution (Bauman, 1994, p. 15). Each attempted to bring about fundamental changes in the political constitution, social institutions, the distribution of public goods, and the way people relate to each other at work and play. The transformational task in such situations poses extraordinarily difficult problems for those who are trying to bring it about. Change unleashes not only hopes of a better future for many, but the fears and hatred of large groups of individuals whose interests and values are being challenged. Totalitarian or tyrannical leaders can deal with that backlash through the use of terror, intimidation, and a relatively unconstrained use of state power to buy up support from strategically placed individuals and communities. The leader committed to a democratic and peaceful change must constrain these emotions without the use of such devices (Bauman, 1994)1. My thesis is that the relationship between the leaders of the old and the new orders can play a critical role in the success or failure of attempts at transformation. If the effort is to remain peaceful and move toward democratic forms, both sides must understand that they are in a cooperative enterprise. The leaders coming out
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