Personalization in Political Leadership: An Analysis of Vladimir Putin

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

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

Kaynakça

1. Baeza, H., Araya A. C., Lao, J. G., Meneses M., & González, V. R. (2009). “Leader charisma and affective team climate: The moderating role of the leader’s influence and interaction.” Psicothema, 21 (4) pp. 515-520.
2. Bass, M., & Bruce J. A. (1994). Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture, International Journal of Public Administration, 17(3-4): 541-554.
3. Bass, M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, Character, and authentic transformational Leadership Behavior, Leadership Quarterly, 10(2):181-217.
4. Berdy, M. A. (2018). What kind of Leader is V. Putin? The Moscow Times. Accessed: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2018/03/23/what-kind-of-leader-is-vladimir-putin
5. Blondel, J. (1987). Political Leadership. London: Sage Publications.
6. Bryman, A. (1992). Charisma and Leadership in Organization. London: Sage.
7. Burns, J. M. (1978) Leadership. New York: Harper and Row.
8. Coyar, P. (2015). (Un) “Holy Alliance: Vladimir Putin, The Russian Orthodox Church And Russian Exceptionalism,” May 21, 2015, Accessed: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulcoyer/ 2015/05/21/unholy-alliancevladimir-putin-and-the-russian-orthodox-church/#807607727d5b

9. Diamond, L. J. (2002). Thinking about Hybrid Regimes, Journal of Democracy, 13:2, pp.21-35.
10. Donaldson, R. H., & Nogee, J. L. (2002). The Foreign Policy Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests (2nd Ed.) New York: M. E. Sharpe.
11. Dugin, A. (2014). Putin vs. Putin, Vladimir Putin viewed from the Right, Moscow: Arktos.
12. Fish, M. S. (2017). What is Putinism? Journal of Democracy, 28(4), pp.61-75.
13. Foxall, A. (2013). Photographing Vladimir Putin: Masculinity, nationalism, and visually in Russian political culture. Geopolitics, 18 (1):132-156.
14. Glasman, R. (1975) Legitimacy and Manufactured Charisma. Social Research, 42(4), pp. 615-636.
15. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership. USA: Harvard Business School Press.
16. Gumuscu, S. (2013). The Emerging Predominant Party System in Turkey. Government and Opposition, 48:2, 223-244.
17. Hansen, S. E. (2011). Plebiscitarian Patrimonialism in Putin’s Russia: Legitimazing Authoritarianism in a Post-ideological Era. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 636(1). pp. 32-48.
18. Hill, F., & Clifford G. G. (2012). Vladimir Putin's Risky Ploy to Manufacture History. January 12,2012. Accessed:https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/vladimir-putins-risky-ploy-to-manufacturehistory/251269/
19. Kirill R., & Ananyev, M. (2018). “Public Opinion and Russian Politics” in Daniel Treisman (ed.) The New Autocracy: Information, Politics, and Policy in Putin’s Russia, Washington: Brookings Institution Press, pp.139-156.
20. Kolesnikov, A. (2018). Frozen Landscape: The Russian Political System ahead of the 2018 Presidential Election, Cornegie Moscow Center. Accessed: https://carnegieendowment.org/files/Kolesnikov_Consensus_Article_March2018_WEB.pdf
21. Kouzes, J.M., & Pozner, B. Z.. (1987). The Leadership Challenge: How to get extraordinary things done in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
22. Illarionov, A. (2009). The Siloviki in Charge. Journal of Democracy, 20(2): 69-72.
23. Kryshtanovskaya, O., & White, S. (2003). Putin’s Militocracy. Post-Soviet Affairs, 19(4), pp.289- 306.
24. Manin, B. (1997). The Principles of Representative Government. UK: Cambridge University Press.
25. McDermott, Rose. (2004). Political Psychology in International Relations, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. NBC News. “Putin: the Soviet collapse a genuine catastrophe,” April 25, 2005,Accessed: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7632057/ns/world_news/t/putin-soviet-collapse-genuine tragedy/#.XGHVFVUza70
26. Ottoway, M. (2003). Democracy Challenged: The Rise of Semi-Authoritarianism. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
27. Pipes, R. (2004). “Flight from Freedom: What Russians Think and Want,” Foreign Affairs May/June, Accessed: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russia-fsu/2004-05-01/flight-freedom-what-russians-think-and-want
28. Pomerantsev, P. (2013). “Russia: A Post-modern Dictatorship?” Global Transitions Lecture Series, Accessed: https://www.li.com/docs/defaultsource/publications/ pomeransev1_russia_imr_web_final.pdf
29. Ross, C. (2011). Regional Elections and Electoral Authoritarianism in Russia. Europe Asia Studies, 63(4):641-661.
30. Sashkin, M. (1988). “The Visionary Leader” in J.A. Conger and R.N. Kanungo (eds.) Charismatic
31. Leadership: The elusive factor in organizational effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. The Associated Press. (2000). Yeltsin Resigns: In Boris Yeltsin's Words: I Have Made a Decision, Accessed: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/01/world/yeltsin-resigns-in-boris-yeltsin-s-words-i-have-madea-decision.html
32. The Guardian. (2007). Putin: I have a moral right to continue wielding influence. November 14, 2007 Accessed: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/14/russia.international
33. The Moscow Times. “'No Putin, No Russia,' Says Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff,” 2014, Accessed at: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/23/no-putin-no-russia-says-kremlin-deputy-chief-of-staff The World Bank. Country Statistics.
34. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?locations=RU
35. Time Magazine. (2007). Person of the Year 2007 Interview. http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1690757_1695787,00.html
36. Tsygankov, A. (2006). Russia’s Foreign Policy. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Vladimir Putin. Russian President Putin on 'FOX News Sunday'". "FOX News Sunday" with Chris Wallace, Accessed: www.foxnews.com. September 18, 2005.
37. Vladimir Putin. Annual Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, April 25, 2005. Accessed: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/22931
38. Vladimir Putin. Russia at the Turn of the Millennium, 31 December 1999, Accessed at: https://pages.uoregon.edu/kimball/Putin.htm
39. Vladimir Putin. Transcript of the Inauguration of Vladimir Putin as President of Russia, May 7, 2004, Accessed: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/48210
40. Vladimir Putin. Inauguration Speech, May 7, 2018 Accessed: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57416
41. Vladimir Putin. Inauguration Speech, May 7, 2012 Accessed: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/15224
42. Vladimir Putin. “Russia at the Turn of the Millennium,” 2000, Accessed: http://www.government.gov.ru/english/statVP_engl_1.html
43. Vladimir Putin. Address at the Unveiling of a Memorial Stone at the Place of a Future Monument to the Soldiers of the 6th Company, 76th Guards Division, who died as Heroes in Chechnya, 2000, Accessed: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21512
44. Vladimir Putin. Transcript. (2004). Accessed at: www.lenta.ru/russia/2004/09/04/ Vladimir Putin. “Byt silnymi: garantii natsionalnoi bezopasnosti dlia Rossii” (Being Strong: National Security Guarantees for Russia), Rossiiskaia gazeta, , 2012.
45. Vladimir Putin's first paper as president. “Russia at the Turn of the Millennium” - A Strategy for Russia's Revival 31 December 1999, Accessed: https://www.sott.net/article/310072-Vladimir-Putins-first-paper-aspresident-Russia-at-the-Turn-of-the-Millennium-A-Strategy-for-Russias-Revival
46. Vladimir Putin, “Vladimir Putin in his own words,” 19 September 2016, Accessed: https://www.thesiriusreport.com/analysis-opinion/vladimir-putin-quotes/
47. Volodin, Vyacheslav. “If there is no Putin, there is no Russia,” 23 October 2014, Accessed: http://www.pravdareport.com/society/128877-putin_russia/
48. Walter, Laqueur. (2014). “After the fall: Russia in search of a new ideology,” World Affairs, Accessed: http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/after-fall-russia-search-new-ideology
49. Weber, M. (1978). Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
50. White, David. (2013). Taking it to the Streets Raising the costs of Electoral Authoritarianism in Russia. East European Politics, 14 (4): 582-598.
51. Yeltsin, B. (1999). “Yeltsin Resigns; In Boris Yeltsin's Words: 'I Have Made a Decision”, Accessed: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/01/world/yeltsin-resigns-in-boris-yeltsin-s-words-i-have-made-adecision.html
52. Zakaria, F. (1997). The Rise of Illiberal Democracy. Foreign Affairs, 76(6): 22-43.