Hungry for Strong Leaders

History is clear that nothing happens in a vacuum. Every crisis and challenge was set in motion by preceding actions and outcomes. The Hebrew Prophet Habakkuk spells that out in unsettling clarity. The remaking of Europe after World War I and the Great Depression set in motion a disequilibrium that precipitated World War II. In that fear-filled chaos, people around the world clamored for strong leaders to guide them into stability. This brought together Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, and Joseph Stalin as well as Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Showa Hirohito, Francisco Franco, and Haile Selassie. Understanding this era requires remembering that Stalin was an ally of Roosevelt, Churchill and De Gaulle before the Cold War shuffled the deck.

The “great recession” of 2007-09 disrupted the global economy with deep uncertainties for the future. The rise of Islamist terrorism, especially with the form it has taken with the Islamic State displacing huge numbers of refugees into Europe and around the world has upset perceived international stability and the cherished identities of nations. The chaos that has so quickly ensued since the Brexit vote for Great Britain to withdraw from the European Union is disrupting international relationships in unpredictable ways. British leadership is floundering rather than leading.

As much as the west derides Vladimir Putin as a totalitarian autocrat, he is popular in Russia as the one who offers stability and the promise of restored Russian glory. The whole U.S. Presidential election process we are in (from the large number of primary candidates to the identity of the presumptive nominees) suggests the people of the United States are also longing for a strong leader to guide them through the chaos to stability and greatness.

I certainly would not suggest that the current world climate is the same as the time between the World Wars, nor would I make casual comparisons between any of the candidates and dictators from history, I do suspect that we are in a time of uncertainty in which people are hungry for strong leaders they believe they can trust to protect them against what they see as an increasingly hostile and dangerous world. Without a doubt leadership counts and is essential.

In the World War II era some of those strong leaders brought much good to the people of their own countries and the world, while others of them were evil perpetrators of unimaginable suffering. The shifting perception of Stalin from World War II to the Cold War is a cautionary tale that reminds us that danger lurks in even the most seemingly benign of human endeavors. When we humans make our decisions based on fear, we almost always make the wrong choice and pay a painful price in the long run. I’m not suggesting we reject all strong leaders. Nor am I suggesting pure goodness is even possible. But I do believe affirmative motives are more likely to help us choose the most constructive leaders in times of uncertain crisis.