The report focuses upon the description of two major subgroups of the leadership strata in East European countries: those who compose the Central Committees, the Secretariats, and the Politburos; and those who were recruited into the Central Committees, the Secretariats, and the Politburos during four time periods in the political evolution of Eastern Europe. The time periods are the period of revolution, the period of Stalinism, the period of New Course, and the post New Course period. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between perceived system conditions in the four time periods and the career characteristics of the leadership groups. Because of the extensiveness and uniqueness of the data, a number of descriptive sets of data as well as change and constancy over time are used. (Author).
Patterns of Political Leadership is a study of political leaders in one of the world's most volatile areas—the Middle East. It focuses on the highest levels of political leadership in three countries—Egypt, Israel and Lebanon. Within a cross-national framework the three elite groups are analyzed both aggregately and over time, in terms of recruitment, circulation, social background, and behavioral characteristics. Theoretical and methodological problems of equivalence and comparability are confronted and a number of hypotheses advanced regarding elite characteristics, many of which are expected to shape internal and external policies of the three countries. The Israeli and Egyptian groups are analyzed as elites in confrontation, enabling the reader to acquire new insights on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The specific leaders under study are those of cabinet level and higher rank—totalling more than 400 individuals. In each polity the unique characteristics of the leadership are explicated in considerable detail. In Lebanon, the linkages between the political and economic elites are explored, as these relate to that country's commercial centrality in the Arab world. The phenomena of za'imism and dynastic power receive particular attention, as do the dynamics of sectarian politics in this most unique Middle Eastern democracy. The Israeli political leadership is studied from both socializational and behavioral perspectives. The process of elite formation is analyzed against a background of European persecution and the emerging garrison democracy in Palestine. An attempt has been made to gauge the impact of the October 1973 War on the Israeli elite and the concomitant transfer of power to a younger generation of leaders. The Egyptian political leadership is studied in the Nasir-Sadat milieu characterized by a blending of charisma and military rule. Particular attention is given to the formative forces and events that shaped the behavior of modern Egypt's elite. President Sadat's efforts to defeat the Ali Sabri coalition is presented in detail as is Sadat's dramatic ascendance after the relative success of Egyptian arms in October 1973. The final chapter presents a comparative assessment of the three elite contingents. A number of contrasts and similarities emerge regarding elite recruitment, political culture, education, tenure, age, representativeness, and integration. Changes in elite composition and efficiency are related to systemic stability and the future configuration of the Arab-Israeli conflict itself. The author concludes that recent fundamental changes in the composition and orientations of Egyptian and Israeli leaders are likely to improve the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
Fifteen eminent social scientists from North America and Eastern Europe met under the auspices of Northwestern University's Comparative Politics Program to discuss the significance and characteristics of changes in political leadership in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union since World War II. The presentations at the conference were edited and re-written following the discussion. They are incorporated into this comprehensive analysis of political leadership in European communist countries since World War II. This volume is divided up into four parts and fourteen different chapters. Part One examines the theoretical questions of leadership in European socialist countries. Part Two provides a factual perspective, including contemporary quantitative data and biographical analysis. Part Three discusses the interaction of the leadership and society. Jan Triska's concluding overview relates specific chapters to the informal discussions at the conference. Some of the notable contributions include "Historical Development of the Communist Theory of Leadership," Alfred G. Meyer; "The Theory of Political Leadership and the Issue of Totalitarianism," Carl J. Friedrich; "Marxist Theories of Leadership and Bureaucracy," Andras Hegedus; "Trends in Top Political Leadership in USSR," Frederick C. Barghoorn; "Representation of Career Types in Soviet Political Leadership," Frederic Fleron; "The Soviet Appartchiki," Michael P. Gehlen. Leadership in East European Communism, 1945-1970 is essential reading for students of comparative politics and the politics of East European socialist countries and the Soviet Union.
"The editors have merged work from two disciplines, economics and political science; in a summary conclusion, a sociologist suggests possible extensions in the comparison of socialist systems for the future. . . . contributes generously to the field."—Slavic Review
