"Perhaps no question is as central to political discourse as that of political leadership. For if there is an 'irreducible fact' of politics, it is that in any political society some shall be the rulers and some the ruled" (Dahl, 1968, p. 251). If that fact of consensus exists, it is perhaps the only one that accurately describes what a leader is. Political leadership is a difficult and somewhat nebulous term to define; some define it as a power relation, others a form of influence or persuasion, still others as the effect of individual personalities on the political system as a whole. Political leadership is also associated with both formal and informal organizational systems, organized or unorganized, and in groups of every size and dimension (Kellerman (ed.), 1986, p. xiii).
In looking at such issues surrounding political leadership as the role of the leader, political acumen, the questions of why leaders lead, why followers follow, and the evaluation of motiva-tional factors that develop the complex political interactions within society, it is helpful to look at the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. This paper will examine basic leadership theory as related to the Reagan Presidency, his role as a domestic leader, and as a leader for foreign policy. In each, the emphasis will be on the personal qualities that engendered leadership from Reagan, as well as his perceived leadership abilities. It will conclude with an examination of Reagan's timing and other factors related to an assessment of his leadership, and will end with a brief analysis of the Reagan legacy, under the rubric of basic leadership qualities.
It is often difficult to access a leader during the first
few years after his or her stage in office. This is particularly true with presidents, and many have commented that it takes a least a generation past the last years a president is in office to be able to judge his abilities as a leader. One certainly finds an immedi...