Introduction
Marking leaders as dark or light depends on how they use ethics to control, manage, or direct entities. There were numerous ethical and unethical leaders in history whose actions led to changes that are still significant to date and standards that challenge how people use power in the current world (Johnson, 2017). One of the most unethical leaders was Joseph Stalin, a Soviet Union dictator that acquired control in 1924. He was an ineffective and immoral leader because he reigned with violence and terror for almost thirty years and caused the death of millions of people, both enemies, and friends. Stalin allowed men to rape approximately two million German women under his rule and kill more than twenty million people. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln brightened lives in America by building trust, satisfaction, and commitment, making him one of the most ethical front-runners and presidents in the United States. Lincoln acquired the U.S presidency in 1861 and made remarkable achievements. While teaching compassion and fair treatment of all citizens, he led the freeing of slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation. Consequently, Lincoln is among the most beloved leaders in modern history because of his values. Stalin and Lincoln are examples of the most unethical and ethical leaders in contemporary history who depicted how dark and light leaders cause destruction or progress to nations.
Stalin's and Lincoln's Biographies
Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin was born in the Russian Empire on December eighteenth, 1878, and became a member of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party as a youth. Alongside being the party's newspaper editor, he was also a robber, kidnapper, and assassin, which led to numerous arrests and internal exiles. Stalin served in the Russian Civil War and witnessed the Soviet Union's formation in 1922, whereby he was appointed as the Communist Party's general secretary (Khlevniuk & Favorov, 2015). After Lenin died in 1924, he forcefully assumed power, exiled Lenin's successor, Leon Trotsky, and others, and used socialism to rule. Stalin led the nation through rapid industrialization and agricultural collectivization, events that caused food production disruptions and famine between 1932 and 1933. He eradicated his enemies through the Great Purge, which caused the imprisonment of more than one million people and the execution of seven hundred thousand others between 1934 and 1939. Although Stalin successfully led the Soviet Union into World War II, he is known for killing more than twenty million people indirectly or directly through executions, famine, collectivization, and forced labor camps. He succumbed to health problems in 1953.
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Abraham Lincoln was born and raised in Indiana, United States, on February twelfth, 1809. Despite being self-educated, Lincoln became a lawyer and Whig Party leader. He later became Illinois state legislator and Illinois' U.S Congressman. Lincoln became the sixteenth U.S President in 1861 through a fair election process in 1860 (Bauer & Dubois, 2012). Unfortunately, the southern states did not concede to Lincoln's victory because they objected to his policies, including anti-slavery, unlike the northern states. Despite facing such opposition, President Lincoln maintained the Union of the states, regardless of the 1861's Civil War costs, which included the death of about six-hundred thousand Americans. He continued fighting the slavery institution through the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, an order that freed Confederate States' slaves and permitted their recruitment into the U.S army (Brewster, 2014). This technique later caused the 13th Amendment that freed all slaves in America. Before his assassination in 1865, Lincoln intended to lead the country, including the southern states, in healing, forgiveness, and rebuilding after the Civil War.
Leadership Style
Since Leon Trotsky was Lenin's legitimate successor, there was a power struggle that led to Stalin's win. Consequently, Stalin resorted to authoritarian leadership to exert and maintain power, and he was pretty successful by various means, such as secret police and single-party state, to suppress opposition (Cernak, 2016). He also established state-controlled mass media, which he used to disseminate propaganda and thus instill fear in citizens to follow his rules. Stalin also restricted and regulated free criticism and discussion about his government and used mass surveillance to ensure all people remained complacent. Whenever he felt threatened, he used terror tactics such as political purges, such as the Great Purge, whereby he ordered the death of real and imagined enemies and persecution of certain people, such as Sergei Kirov. The latter seemed to oppose Stalin's rule. Therefore, Stalin was a dictator throughout his reign.
Having acquired the U.S presidency legitimately, Lincoln became a democratic leader who upheld the country's laws and only fought those that caused inequality and oppression. He worked with a cabinet comprising of enemies and friends, whom he considered team members and thus involved them in decision-making processes. His enemies included political rivals such as Edward Bates, William Seward, and Edwin Stanton. Lincoln exchanged ideas with such persons because their common goal was to strengthen democracy and make the United States better. Lincoln was also a transformational leader because he influenced his followers to achieve his goals. For instance, his cabinet initially objected to the Emancipation Proclamation since it abolished slavery, an institution that appeared significant to America's growth (Brewster, 2014). However, the President influenced them to offer support because its second purpose was the Union's preservation. Lincoln's ability to effectively communicate such aspects to his audience and acquire positive outcomes was remarkable. Therefore, he was a transformational and democratic President that cherished unity and peace.
Ethical or Unethical Behavior. As mentioned earlier, Stalin used dictatorship to rule the Soviet Union, leading to unethical behavior to exert power. Such unethical behavior included forming secret police to instil life-threatening terror into citizens, which disrupted Russians’ lives. The established police force did not bring lawbreakers to justice but instead captured and killed people that disagreed or disobeyed Stalin’s rules. Since Stalin was fearful and paranoid, he betrayed his colleagues by killing them instead of seeking their advice on developing the nation. Consequently, he robbed Russians of the essentials to build by sending them to labor camps to work tirelessly without pay and deported non-Russian citizens. So, Stalin exhibited unethical behavior by showing no regard for human life.
President Lincoln was an ethical leader because he had emotional intelligence and a clear understanding of the law. He was empathetic towards African American slaves that worked for the Whites under inhumane conditions for centuries and thus initiated their freedom process. Lincoln was wise in articulating slaves’ freedom because it was fair. Additionally, he urged the freed persons to live ethically and seek army work, guaranteeing employment to the qualified. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was only effective in certain rebellious states, it was the first step towards a nation striving through equality. Lincoln’s other ethical acts included the initiation of reconciliation between the northern and southern states after the Civil War because he aimed to reconstruct the nation. He did not force the country towards the healing process but instead encouraged the people through a two hundred and seventy-two-word speech, known as the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln’s ethical standards have inspired multiple U.S Presidents, making him one of the most outstanding American leaders.
Effects. Stalin's five-year industrialization plan led the Russian industry into rapid expansion, although it was at its citizens' expense. The Soviet state convicted people following accusations from co-workers, neighbors, the public, and family members and sent them to labor camps known as Gulags. These camps played a significant role in industrialization due to cheap labor availability (Suny, 2020). The Russians ran the logging and engineering factories and coal, metal, and gold mines. Therefore, they constituted the majority of the labor force and thus played a significant role in the emergence of technical intelligence.
The Gulag survivors would return to their homes to permanent social alienation and political disenfranchisement. Stalin's quest to control the nation also led to the destruction of Russian architecture and cultural monuments, which undermined its culture. He also ruined religion and people's rights to freedom of worship by vandalizing churches, such as Moscow's cathedrals. Additionally, the purges, fuelled by his paranoia, caused suffering among the Russians. Although Stalin targeted civilians primarily, he later included the military, which led to the Red Army Officer Corps' purge (Whitewood, 2015). The effect of imprisonment and military officers' execution was vivid during the war periods since the Soviet Union lacked enough military power to defeat its enemies during Winter War and World War II.
Lincoln had a different effect on America and thus changed the world through his morals. He fought to end slavery since it violated the American democratic ideals and caused the freedom of about three million slaves. Although many did not acquire their freedom immediately due to their limitations in the confederate territory, Lincoln's stand encouraged them to escape ((Foner & OverDrive, Inc, 2011). Furthermore, the president had overturned laws requiring runaway slaves' return to their masters. The release of the remaining slaves took place eventually through state laws, also considered as 13th Amendment ratification to the Constitution. Lincoln also won the Civil War and expanded the federal government's role using his knowledge of the law. Therefore, President Lincoln began the fight against inequality in America.
Lesson. Analyzing dark and light leaders has improved my understanding of leadership. The most important lesson that I have learned is that leaders are different due to their ethics, personalities, and intentions. Dark leaders such as Stalin may be wise and productive but approach the progress of nations or organizations using the wrong approach, thus achieving success at others' cost. If Lincoln were a dark leader, he would have allowed the continuation of slavery in the southern states since their cheap available labor contributed to the plantations' produce's success. However, he chose to follow his morals and empathic nature to do the right thing. It did not matter if America's economy would be affected, so long as Americans preserve human lives and rights. Therefore, light leaders often succeed in making entities prosperous because they employ emotional intelligence and good communication skills. I would like to be a light leader in the future to impact significant change that could benefit multiple generations. To achieve such impact, I could improve my emotional intelligence, social and communication skills and learn how to motivate and inspire others' trust.
Conclusion
Stalin and Lincoln are significant figures in the twentieth century due to their impacts on the Soviet Union and the United States. Stalin used unethical methods to lead the Soviet Union and thus caused development and death. As a paranoid dictator, he overcame his enemies and betrayed his friends by ordering their executions. Stalin did not follow the law when handling lawbreakers, so accused people endured torture and death. On the other hand, Lincoln had morals and hence used ethical methods to lead America, which led to the freedom of slaves and the end of the Civil War. He was a compassionate leader who valued both enemies and friends and used their knowledge to run the country. Lincoln followed the law since he understood it well and used his presidential powers to change the U.S.
References
Bauer, M. D., & Dubois, L. G. (2012). Abraham Lincoln . Scholastic.
Brewster, T. (2014). Lincoln's gamble: The tumultuous six months that gave America the Emancipation Proclamation and changed the course of the Civil War. Simon and Schuster.
Cernak, . (2016). Joseph Stalin . ABDO Publishing Group.
Foner, E., & OverDrive, Inc. (2011). The Fiery Trial. W.W. Norton & Company.
Johnson, C. E. (2017). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or shadow. SAGE.
Khlevniuk, O. V., & Favorov, N. S. (2015). Stalin: New biography of a dictator. Yale University Press.
Suny, R. G. (2020). Stalin: Passage to revolution. Princeton University Press.
Whitewood, P. (2015). The Red Army and the great terror: Stalin's purge of the Soviet military. University Press of Kansas
