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8 Warrior, Communitarian, and Echo: The Leadership of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt A L, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt are three of the political Goliaths of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries . Each led a democratic nation through war, and each articulated for both his constituency and posterity the underlying principles for which his nation fought. Were there any other common factors? One possible way to approach a comparative view of these modern leaders is to explore them in terms of how one premodern society viewed leadership . According to Robert Bly, the highland Mayans of Guatemala used three categories of progressive ascendancy for adult males: the warrior, the community man, and the echo man. Although the step from boy to warrior was fundamental and celebrated, the warrior was not yet considered mature. The communitarian lived for the community—caring for widows and orphans, using his warrior disciplines to protect them, The “echo” was a man who had transcended a culturally defined role and learned to truly hear his people. He embodied compassion and intuition. The focus of the echo man was less on action than on a philosophical understanding of the community’s role in the world and the responsibility of the living to both their ancestral past and future generations. In a sense, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Churchill represent modern versions of this Mayan ideal. Each became “the echo” of his era, earning a place in modern history. Perhaps the greatest difference between these three leaders  Reprinted with permission of the publisher, The Lincoln Fellowship of Wisconsin, from Historical Bulletin  (). © . The essay was developed from a  presentation at the largest Franklin D. Roosevelt conference ever held in the nation at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. John Chester Buttre. Abraham Lincoln. Published by J. C. Buttre, New York, . Border designed by W. Momberger after a photograph by Mathew Brady. Lithograph in color, ⫻ inches. This handsome print featured vignette portraits representing highlights of the Civil War. From The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana; photograph by Virginia Williams. and those in premodern societies is that modern leadership requires a greater degree of action than contemplation. Yet action alone is not enough. This study examines these three phases (warrior, community leader, and echo man) in the leadership development of Lincoln, Churchill, and Roosevelt . In many ways, it shows that the Mayan evolution of leadership defines their political legacies and suggests links between the distant past, the present and the future. The Warrior As a warrior, Lincoln had the least practical military experience of the three. But he was a fast learner and demonstrated astute appreciation of the role of the warrior in modern warfare. Roosevelt learned the importance of military Warrior, Communitarian, and Echo  Franklin Delano Roosevelt (seated, left) and Winston Churchill (seated, right) with Gen. Charles De Gaulle (standing, right) and Gen. Henri H. Giraud at Casablanca, January , . Photograph , ½ ⫻ inches. From the Imperial War Museum, London. Churchill and Roosevelt tried in vain to bring about a reconciliation between the two rival French leaders. From The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana; photograph by Virginia Williams. policy and planning as assistant secretary of the navy during the Woodrow Wilson administration. As president, he assembled a competent staff on whom to rely during World War II. Both Lincoln and FDR grew beyond their warrior stage, whereas Winston Churchill, who had far greater practical experience in military matters, was ultimately restricted by his inflated view of himself as strategist. Lincoln’s early military leadership was minimal. The Black Hawk Indian War offered an opportunity to meet his need for public acceptance. He was elected captain by his men, and he made political contacts. He later deadpanned that his principal enemies had been the mosquitoes.1 Ironically, his military service worked against his first run for state office, as it left him too little time to politick. He had announced his candidacy for the state legislature before his enlistment, which he extended.2 His opponents enjoyed ample time to campaign against him, and Lincoln lost. But his military service encouraged him to reenter politics and begin the practice of law. As a congressman, Lincoln adopted the unpopular stance of opposing the role of the warrior-presidency of James Polk.3 Lincoln believed in Athenian democracy for the United States rather than a Spartan “military industrial complex” state. In fact, as president, he confounded his critics by coming to understand the political role of the military and...

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