The Show Must Go On: Charismatic Authority in European Politics Post-2020

Eva Terebova
School of Governance and Politics, MGIMO University

Ekaterina Troshina
School of Governance and Politics, MGIMO University

Abstract: The article examines the concept of “charismatic authority”, formulated by Max Weber in “Economy and Society”, and analyzes the role of this phenomenon in European politics post-2020, based on the three criteria of charisma development outlined by William Friedland (1) a leader expresses novel ideas; 2) a leader faces risks; 3) people see the results of the leader’s activities), while also taking into account the personal factor and touching upon the concept of synthetic charisma. As a result of the analysis of four European countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy), the article concludes by determining that the role of “charismatic authority” in European countries varies, with the common trend, however, being the absence of leaders who can meet all the aforementioned criteria.

Keywords: charismatic authority, leadership, Europe, establishment, synthetic charisma.

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