Leaderism

The Russian political term leaderism (Russian: вождизм, vozhdism) means "a policy directed at the affirmation/confirmation of one person in the role of an indisputable or infallible leader".[1] Vozhdism is widespread in totalitarian and authoritarian régimes. Manifestations of vozhdism include clientelism, nepotism, tribalism, and messianism.[2]

Ancient Greek tyranny, as described in the Politics by Aristotle,[3] represents an early form of leaderism. Forms of leaderism include Italian Fascism, Führerprinzip, Stalinism, Maoism, and Juche. According to Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948), Leninism represented a new type of leaderism, featuring a leader of masses having dictatorship powers. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini attempted to imitate Vladimir Lenin, while Joseph Stalin as vozhd exemplifies an ultimate type of such a Supreme leader.[4]

In communist phraseology the term "leaderism" occurs as a pejorative, in apposition to the officially proclaimed "principle of collective leadership".[5][6][7]

Modern Russian authors often imply that the régimes of Mikheil Saakashvili,[8] Islamic leaders[9] or Vladimir Putin[10] represent types of leaderist societies.

See also

References

  1. Viktor Ruchkin. S I Ozhegov, Slovar’ Russkogo Yazyka, Moscow 1978 via
  2. Вождизм article on Mir Slovarey site (Russian)
  3. Aristotle (1999). Politics (PDF). Translator: Benjamin Jowett. Kitchener, Ontario: Batoche Books. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  4. Berdyaev, Nikolai. "Истоки и смысл русского коммунизма" [The origins and meaning of Russian communism] (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-01-25. Сталин уже вождь-диктатор в современном, фашистском смысле.
  5. Slobodan Stanković , "The End of the Tito Era: Yugoslavia's Dilemmas", 1981, p. 59
  6. Fitzpatrick, Sheila (1999). Everyday Stalinism: ordinary life in extraordinary times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 30. ISBN 9780195050004. Retrieved 2016-01-24. Sometimes local personality cults were attributed to the backwardness of the population and 'leaderism' was treated as an ethnic disease.
  7. Вирус вождизма Krasnaya Zvezda 13 August 2008 (Russian)
  8. Вожди и лидеры. Вождизм by Dmitry Olshansky (Russian)
  9. Путин играет мускулами и добивается нового мирового порядка Kommersant 19 January 2009 (Russian)


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