Power charismatic: concept, examples. Famous charismatic leaders

Throughout the history of mankind, people with strong will, as if gifted from above with a certain charisma, have guided the destinies of other people, countries, the world, established their own order and power, and many of them, even after death, continue to influence social and political life .

Types of power

Considering the concept of "power" as a general sociological category, it is customary to distinguish three types of management. This is a legal (legitimate-rational), traditional, charismatic power. In science they are called ideal types. Such a division was suggested at the time by the well-known German sociologist and historian M. Weber. It should be noted that charismatic leaders often have two sociological features: they are mostly people from the periphery, and sometimes even citizens of another state, and in almost a hundred percent of cases they come to power not through legal means, but through usurpation or as a result of established critical Circumstances.

Charismatic power as the ideal type

Power charismatic was defined by Max Weber as one of the ideal types. In his studies, he does not pay enough attention to how a particular leader becomes a ruler and stays with him, preferring to explore more the relationship between citizens and leaders, that is, so-called social factors.

Thus, M. Weber determines that the traditional power is based on the fact that citizens automatically agree to this system precisely because of its existence. This means that people continue to support the existing system emotionally and often, despite the effectiveness of the system. On the contrary, a law-rational government, precisely because of its effectiveness, supports in citizens the belief in the rule of law, which gives people the conviction that such power is just.

Leader as the basis of charismatic power

Charismatic power is based solely on the abilities of the leader, and often it does not matter whether the real ones are qualities or imaginary ones. Weber does not determine in his works what exactly is meant by this concept. Concerning a charismatic personality, he means that it is a certain leader with supernatural and superhuman qualities, or at least exceptional abilities and opportunities. Thus, religious figures fall under the notion of charismatics, but the question of whether these leaders possessed real power remains open. The main characteristic of Weber's charismatic power is the presence of an acute social crisis, in fact the scientist does not consider that the popularity of a leader can arise without it.

Subsequent researchers significantly expanded the scope of such a concept as "charisma". If initially this concept was associated exclusively with a certain "divine gift," then in the works that the recognized charismatic leaders themselves left behind, the explanation of this phenomenon is not only a supernatural manifestation. The points of view on this issue are extremely different. For example, Marxist determinism links the emergence of such people to the will of a society that requires change, rejecting the role of the individual. Conversely, such an ideal charismatic leader as French President Charles de Gaulle fully supports the theory of the exceptional role of the individual in a particular crisis period, as he directly writes in his book "On the Edge of the Sword".

Characteristic of this type of power

The totality of the distinctive properties as a characteristic of charismatic power is manifested in the following moments:

1. Extremely personal character.
2. Extramundance, that is, the leader often does not adhere to any stereotypes, rules and even laws that existed before.
3. The alienation of charismatic power from purely practical and everyday problems, in particular from the economy. The illegibility of methods in economic problems - often charismatic authorities prefer not to collect taxes, but to withdraw funds, confiscate and expropriate them, trying to give these actions a legitimate look.

Symptoms

Signs of charismatic power will manifest themselves in the following form:

1. Public sharing of ideas, future achievements and support of the leader, followers connect personal plans with the activities of the organization.
2. Optimism and a high degree of enthusiasm of supporters, each of which in fact is trying to become a charismatic leader of the "lower order".
3. The leader belongs to the center of any social relations. Thus, it creates the feeling that the leader is everywhere and takes part in any social event.

Positive and negative moments of the establishment of charismatic power

Legitimacy, that is, citizens' consent to such a rule, arises as soon as a sufficiently large number of people are ready to become followers of their leader. There is no more personal form of government than a charismatic type of power. The power gained by the leader surrounds him with a peculiar aura and helps to believe more and more in his abilities, which, in turn, attracts more and more adherents. But the charismatic leader would not be so, if he did not feel the needs of people.

It is leadership power, charismatic by its nature, that assumes a serious significance in circumstances in which a radical change or radical changes are necessary in an environment that is not adapted for this, is inert due to the entrenched culture and traditions, and is often in a state of stagnation for a long time. However, it is rather unstable due to the fact that the leader needs to demonstrate his strength and exclusivity steadily, manage and solve new tasks in parallel, and with great success. Otherwise, even from a single failure, a leader in the eyes of followers may lose attractiveness, which means a loss of legitimacy.

In addition, this type of government has both positive aspects and drawbacks. The main negative parameter is that power, charismatic in its essence, is at the same time usurpation, besides it forces the ruler himself to penetrate and solve almost all everyday and even the smallest domestic issues of the state. However, if the leader can cope with these tasks, there is a serious positive effect associated with the fact that the government actually satisfies most public interests.

Characteristics of the charismatic leader

At least a charismatic must have a number of features that can be called basic:

• Vigor, that is, the ability to "radiate" and "charge" the energy of the surrounding people;
• An impressive colorful appearance, which implies attraction, not beauty (often leaders of this type have physical flaws);
• A high degree of independence primarily from other people's opinions;
• Excellent speaking skills;
• Absolute and unshakable self-confidence and own actions.

Examples of charismatic leaders

Charismatic leaders were originally characterized by Max Weber as religious figures, but capable of changing the social life of society. Undoubtedly, both Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad were charismatic persons who still influence the historical process. But being a charismatic person and being a charismatic leader are two completely different things. Later, the sociologist George Barnes corrected the concept a little, and for today, for those we are accustomed to calling charismatic leaders, another definition, namely, the "heroic leader", is more appropriate.

It was such heroic personalities as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Lenin and Stalin, Hitler and de Gaulle. These people, possessing completely different abilities, are bright examples of charismatics who have become heroic leaders in critical events. In this context, it is very difficult to call the charismatic leaders of large industrialists, such as Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie or Bill Gates, although they certainly have charisma. In addition to this, we can add some classic examples of charismatic (heroic) leaders who in reality had minimal power, showing more influence through support of supporters - Zhanna D ^, Ark, Marshal Zhukov, Che Guevara. History knows many examples when power, charismatic and legitimate, in general ended in a complete defeat of both the leader himself and his ideas, and served as an instrument for the death of states and the reorganization of the world order. This is undoubtedly Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Mikhail Gorbachev.

Of the charismatic leaders who live today, this concept can be attributed to this concept without any reservations, only one person - Fidel Castro, who undoubtedly, even after the addition of power, is an extremely influential leader both among his own people and in the world social environment.