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20May2016
UsePowerWiselyandtheResultsAreFavorable
Aleaderisonewhoknowstheway,goestheway,andshowstheway.JohnC.
MaxwellisanAmericanauthorandspeakerwhofocusesonleadershipheisportraying
thecharacteristicsofasuccessfulleader.InanallegoryoftheRussianRevolution,
postersofPostWWI,andtextsrelatingtoWWII,eachhavetheirownauthoritative
leaderwhousestheirpowerefficientlyinordertoprovidewhatisbestfortheirnation.In
revolutionsandwars,bothcitizensandleadersareaffectedby,inthiscase,
theleaders
owndecisionsonwhattodo
.Manipulativeandauthoritativeleaderswhouse
propagandaandrhetoricalstrategies,suchasappealtoignoranceandbandwagon,
gainthesupportofcitizensandeventuallyrisetopower.
Whenleaderseffectivelyutilizepropaganda,visuallyorthroughliterature,the
citizenswillsupporttheirleaderandhelpthemgainmorepowerinordertoreachtheir
goal.DuringStalinstotalitarianrule,heutilizesthepurposeofpropagandatothefullest
inordertoabsolutelyassurehispoweroverthecitizens.TheSovietpropagandaposter
isanimageofawomanholdingweedandotherfarmersharvestinginthebackground.
(Voron).ApropagandaposterdisplaysStalinsideasonhowtocatchuptotheWest.
ByhavingStalinutilizepropagandaeffectively,hehasauthorityoverthecitizens
decisions.Inwhich,overall,helpshimgainmorepoweroverthecitizensandthenation.
Also,thecitizensarehelpingStalinreachhisgoalbyfollowinghisordersthatare
portrayedonthepropagandaposter.Similartothehistoricaluseofpropaganda,a
GermanmotherreadsaGermanchildrensstoryofWWIItoherchild,Justasasingle

poisonousmushroomcankillawholefamily,soasolitaryJewcandestroyawhole
village,awholecity,evenanentirevolk(Heimer).Thechildsmotherisconvincingher
childthattheJewsareverybadanddangerouspeople.SinceHitlerlimitsliterature,he
approvestheideasofthisbookbecausetheyperfectlyparallelhisopinions.Thus
provingthatHItlerusespropagandanotonlyinpostersandspeeches,butinliterature
aswell.Inthatcase,becausethisbookisbasedonhisbeliefsandideals,itallowshim
torisetopowerandeffectivelygainmoresupportfromhiscitizens.Notonlyis
propagandausedbyleaders,butalsotherhetoricalstrategy,appealtoignorance,is
valuedbyleadersaswell.
Correspondingly,throughaleader'suseofappealtoignorance,theyareableto
earnthesupportofcitizensthatareblindtothetruthleadingtoaleadersimprovement
inutilizingpower.Aroundthe1940s,Hitlerdeliveredaquoteregardingthoseinpower,
Howluckyforthoseinpowerthatpeopledontthink(AdolfHitler).Accordingto
Hitler,thoseinpowerwereluckyenoughtobeinasuperiorpositiononlybecausethe
citizensweresoblindtothetruththattheybelievedanyoftheirleadersideasorbeliefs.
Hitleradmittedthatitwasthecitizenswhoweregivinghimallofthispowerand
authority.Hitlerrealizedthatbyusingtheirblindness,appealtoignorance,heroseto
fullpowerandwasabletomaintainthatpowerwiththeirignorantsupport.
Notto
mention,InGeorgeOrwellsnovel,
AnimalFarm
,Snowballrealizesthatthestupider
animalsarehavingtroublerememberingallSevenCommandments
Noneoftheother
animalsonthefarmcouldgetfurtherthantheletterA.Itwasalsofoundthatthe
stupideranimals,suchasthesheep,hens,andducks,wereunabletolearntheSeven

Commandmentsbyheart(Orwell50).OnManorFarm,therearemanydifferent
animalsandsomeofthosespecialanimalshavetroublerememberingthe
commandmentsincomparisontotheotheranimals.Snowballisquicktorespondand
usesappealtoignoranceinordertogainthecitizenssupportassoonaspossible.He
useshispowereffectivelybecausebeforeheleavesthefarm,manyoftheanimals
standuptosayheisabetterleaderthanNapoleon.Aneffectiveleaderwhouses
appealtoignorancedoesnotjustusethatstrategy,butbandwagonisalsoincorporated
intothebunchaswell.
Inlikemanner,leaderswhoadequatelyusebandwagonasarhetoricalstrategy
gainthesupportofcitizensandunitethemall,leadingtotheriseofasingleleaders
power.
StalinsFiveYearPlan,19281932,includedofagriculturallyandeconomically
catchingupwiththeWesternnations
GivefirstprioritytogatheringtheSovietharvest
(Voron).Atthattime,intheSovietUnion,theonlypriorityfarmersoranyoneelsehad
wastoharvestasmuchastheycouldinordertohelptheirnationrise.Stalinused
bandwagoninordertohelpwithhisnationsunstableeconomicandagriculturalstate.
Throughasaying,thecitizenswereassuredofthefactthattheyallhadtowork
togetherinordertobeequalwiththeWesternnations.Allinall,Stalinemployedthe
useofbandwagoneffectivelybecausetheSovietUnionbecamestableinseveralways
aftertheFiveYearPlanended.Furthermore,Napoleonmanagestopreservethe
famouschantandhaveeveryanimalmemorizeitFourlegsgood,twolegsbad
(Orwell69).Animalswithfourlegsarecomradesandspecieswithtwolegsarebador
consideredtheenemy.Whentensionsbegintorisebetweentheanimalsortheleaders

inthefarm,justoneanimal,usuallythesheep,begintochanteventuallyhaving
everyonechantinunison.Napoleonusesthiswayofbandwagonsufficientlybecause
thisonechantbroughtallfourleggedfriendstogether.Inwhichdemonstrates
Napoleonsownauthoritativeriseinpower.Bandwagoniswhatkeepsallcitizensin
agreementwitheachother,causingtheirleadertoriseinpowerbasedonthoseideals.
Successfulleadersrisetopowerbytellingorshowingtheircitizenswhatisright
andwhatiswrong(inrespecttotheleadersbeliefs),havingthesupportoftheir
citizens,andthemostimportant,keepeveryonetogetherandpreventcontroversies.
Propagandaeffectivelyhelpsaleaderbrainwashtheircitizensastowhattheleader
believesisright.Appealtoignoranceissufficientlyusedbyaleaderwhoknowswhat
theyaredoingandwhy.Aleadersuseofbandwagonhelpstheirnationstayorganized
andinorder
.Itisimportanttonotifythattherearemanywaysaleadercanrisetopower
andgainsupportfromtheirnationandcitizens.Ifaleaderusestheirpowerineffectively,
theywillnotbesatisfiedwiththeirresultsbecausetheirgoalonhelpingthecountryis
nevermet.Thereisnolimitastohowandwhenonecanusethesepowerfulstrategies
becauseleadersoftodayarestillemployingtheseuniversalstrategies,eithereffectively
orineffectively.

WorksCited
AdolfHitler.XploreInc,2016.11May2016.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/adolfhitle109950.html
Hiemer,Ernst.
DerGiftpilz
.Nuremberg,Strmerverlag,1938.
Orwell,George.
AnimalFarm
.NewYork:HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,1945.Print.
Voron,Maria.ShockbrigadeReapingforaBolshevikHarvest(1934).
Persuasive
Images:PostersofWarandRevolutionfromtheHooverInstitutionArchives
.
PrincetonNJ:PrincetonUniversityPress.1992.Print.