The Rise and Role of Charismatic Leaders

The charismatic leader is distinguished from other leaders by his capacity to inspire loyalty toward himself as the source of authority, apart from an established status. Charis matic appeal is validated through the perceptions of the fol lowers. Its possession depends upon the leader's ability to draw upon and manipulate the body of myth in a given culture and the actions and values associated with these myths. At tributes of the charismatic leader tend to vary from society to society. In new states the breakdown of traditional and co lonial-legal systems of authority produces conditions of uncer tainty conducive to the emergence of charismatic leadership. Through strategies of cultural management, the charismatic leader legitimizes his claims by associating with himself the sacred symbols of the culture. Disintegration of nationalist unity after independence often makes incompatible the simul taneous pursuit of the two goals of political development: the consolidation of the state and the growth of central government capacity to modernize. Charismatic appeal is initially concen trated on and contributes to the achievement of national co hesion.