Smiles, Styles, and Profiles: Claim and Acclaim of Ronald Reagan as Charismatic Leader

Abstract

This paper critically evaluates Ronald Reagan's popular appeal using two theories that have currently regained considerable interest: charisma and authoritarianism. Viewed through these concepts together, the paper argues that Reagan's presidency depended on a charismatic, or in other words, an emotional appeal that fulfills a longing for submission. This longing arises from social conditions and creates a sort of apprehensive, if not fearful insecurity that compels a person to seek out something more powerful than oneself and submissively embrace it as a type of savior or sacred object. This means, in short, that people accept a charismatic claim. Subsequently, the nature of charismatic recognition requires the believer to bow down in submission. The paper suggests that submission to charismatic authority is an example of authoritarian submission, and furthermore suggests a theory that ties together Max Weber's theory of charismatic authority with the theory of authoritarianism in the tradition of Critical Theory