Personalization in Political Leadership: An Analysis of Vladimir Putin

Abstract

For many years, the argument persists that we have entered a leader’s era. Political leadership has taken pole position in political and social life when compared with political parties or their ideologies. Whether Presidentialization or Prime Ministerial Predominance, the personification rests on a single individual, portrait, or dominant figure solemnly embraced by the masses. Such a political emergence has been witnessed in numerous countries and has recently gained the attention of political science researchers. At this point, the aim of this study is to understand how personification has come to be so prevalent in political and social life and how political leaders both motivate and inspire their people to represent their beloved countries. To answer this question, the transformational leadership theory is scrutinized within the case of Vladimir Putin. The evaluation of this theory rests on its main assumption, which is posed as a leadership model shaped around a personalized charismatic leader. This is tested via a discourse analysis of Vladimir Putin.

Keywords

• Transformational Leadership
• Personification
• Political leadership
• Leader effects
• Vladimir Putin

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