Archie Brown

In this magisterial and wide-ranging survey of political leadership over the past hundred years, Archie Brown challenges the widespread belief that strong leaders âe" those who dominate their colleagues and the policy-making process âe" are the most successful and admirable. Within authoritarian regimes, a more collective leadership is a lesser evil compared with personal dictatorship where cultivation of the myth of the strong leader is often a prelude to oppression and carnage. Within democracies, although âe~strong leadersâe(tm) are seldom as strong or independent as they purport to be, the idea that one person is entitled to take the big decisions is dangerous nonetheless, and the advantages of a collegial style of leadership are too often overlooked. In reality, only a minority of political leaders make a big difference, by challenging assumptions about the politically possible or setting in motion systemic change. Yet in a democracy that is rare. It is especially when enlightened leaders acquire power in an authoritarian system that the opportunity for radical transformation occurs. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, Willy Brandt and Mikhail Gorbachev, Deng Xiaoping and Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair are among the leaders whom Brown examines in this original and illuminating study.

Political Leadership in the Modern Age

The Myth of the Strong Leader

Traces the origins of the communist ideology through its collapse in many nations following perestroika, in an extensively researched volume that also explores communism's current incarnations.

The Rise and Fall of Communism

Traces the origins of the communist ideology through its collapse in many nations following Perestroika, in an extensively researched volume that also explores communism's current incarnations.

The Rise and Fall of Communism explores how and why Communists came to power; how they were able, in a variety of countries on different continents, to hold on to power for so long; and what brought about the downfall of so many Communist systems.--From publisher description.

The rise and fall of communism

Rise and Fall of Communism

In this penetrating analysis of the role of political leadership in the Cold War's ending, Archie Brown shows why the popular view that Western economic and military strength left the Soviet Union with no alternative but to admit defeat is wrong. To understand the significance of the parts played by Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in East-West relations in the second half of the 1980s, Brown addresses several specific questions: What were the values and assumptions of these leaders, and how did their perceptions evolve? What were the major influences on them? To what extent were they reflecting the views of their own political establishment or challenging them? How important for ending the East-West standoff were their interrelations? Would any of the realistically alternative leaders of their countries at that time have pursued approximately the same policies? The Cold War got colder in the early 1980s and the relationship between the two military superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union, each of whom had the capacity to annihilate the other, was tense. By the end of the decade, East-West relations had been utterly transformed, with most of the dividing lines - including the division of Europe - removed. Engagement between Gorbachev and Reagan was a crucial part of that process of change. More surprising was Thatcher's role. Regarded by Reagan as his ideological and political soulmate, she formed also a strong and supportive relationship with Gorbachev (beginning three months before he came to power). Promoting Gorbachev in Washington as 'a man to do business with', she became, in the words of her foreign policy adviser Sir Percy Cradock, 'an agent of influence in both directions'.

Gorbachev, Reagan, and Thatcher, and the End of the Cold War

The Human Factor

Politiker, die sich als starke Führer präsentieren, haben weltweit besonders großen Zulauf. Welche katastrophalen Folgen das haben kann, zeigt der renommierte Oxford-Politikwissenschaftler Archie Brown in seiner brillanten Analyse über politische Führung. Basierend auf einer ausführlichen Recherche beleuchtet er die Erfolge und Misserfolge der größten Demokraten und Diktatoren der vergangenen 100 Jahre. Von Adolf Hitler und Joseph Stalin einerseits über Donald Trump, Wladimir Putin und Recep Erdogan bis hin zu Konrad Adenauer, Nelson Mandela und Michail Gorbatschow andererseits untersucht Brown verschiedene Führungsstile und stellt weitverbreitete Annahmen über politische Wirksamkeit und Stärke in Frage. Anhand zahlreicher Beispiele belegt er, dass das Modell einer kollektiven Führerschaft viel wünschenswerter ist als die Stärke eines Einzelnen. Eine brillante Analyse, von der wir viel für unsere Gegenwart lernen können.

Politische Führung im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert

Der Mythos vom starken Führer

A group of poems by Archie Brown dating from 1985 to the present. Archie writes Christian poetry and poetry about his life. His poetry has inspired readers of many ages.

A Look Inside The Man: Poetry about life and nature

Lilia Shevtsova

This volume analyzes various aspects of the political leadership during the collapse of the Soviet Union and formation of a new Russia. Comparing the rule of Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin, the book reflects upon their goals, governing style, and sources of influence—as well as factors that influenced their activities and complicated them too. Contents Introduction Archie Brown Transformational Leaders Compared: Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin Archie Brown Evaluating Gorbachev and Yeltsin as Leaders George W. Breslauer From Yeltsin to Putin: The Evolution of Presidential Power Lilia Shevtsova Political Leadership and the Center-Periphery Struggle: Putin's Administrative Reforms Eugene Huskey Conclusion Lilia Shevtsova

Political Leadership in Russia's Transition

Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin

Published to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall — a definitive and ground-breaking account of the revolutionary ideology that changed the modern world. The inexorable rise of Communism was the most momentous political phenomenon of the first half of the twentieth century. Its demise in Europe and its decline elsewhere have produced the most profound political changes of the last few decades. In this illuminating book, based on forty years of study and a wealth of new sources, Archie Brown provides a comprehensive history as well as an original and highly readable analysis of an ideology that has shaped the world and still rules over a fifth of humanity. A compelling new work from an internationally renowned specialist, The Rise and Fall of Communism promises to be the definitive study of the most remarkable political and human story of our times.

`To understand this singular man, the reader can do no better than to turn to Archie Brown's astute and lucid book. There have been several excellent works on Mr Gorbachev ... but none examines the subject as thoroughly as this volume ... a rich study, as impressive in its sweep as in its details.' Abraham Brumberg, New York Times `Archie Brown's book is not only a richly researched, easily readable biography of Gorbachev himself. It should be studied at once in every diplomaticservice worthy of the name, starting with our own Foreign Office.' Michael Foot, Evening Standard `Archie Brown has mastered the material and met the people ... he writes with a historical perspective unavailable to authors of the instant biographies which appeared while Gorbachev was in power.' Rodric Braithwaite, Financial Times `Archie Brown's closely reasoned book ... makes a better case for Gorbachev's record as a reformer than Gorbachev's own memoirs ... the most thorough exposition of Gorbachev's domestic political record yet to appear.' Jack F. Matlock, Jr, New York Review of Books `This Oxford don, for years one of the world's most talented Kremlinologists, has already found the memoirs, documents and interviews that allow him to provide a remarkably detailed and authoritative account of the key moments in Gorbachev's career.' Robert G. Kaiser, Washington Post `It is hard to come away from this admirable book without an affection for Gorbachev's insistence on peaceful change, his willingness to let Eastern Europe go and his determination to nurture a pluralist culture.' Nick Cohen, Observer `Brown's latest book is the product of many years of intensive research: it proves to be the most detailed and revealing study of the man who revolutionised the USSR. Excellent.' Good Book Guide

The Gorbachev Factor

The most comprehensive analysis of new thinking in Soviet politics yet undertaken, embracing writing on the Soviet economy, the political system, the national question, foreign policy and the future of world communism. The authors are among the best-known and most highly-regarded specialists on the Soviet Union in the Western world.

New Thinking in Soviet Politics

A rigorously argued and lively interpretation of the transformation of the Soviet system, written by a leading authority on Soviet politics. This thoroughly researched book draws on new archival sources and puts perestroika in fresh perspective.

Archie Brown

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