Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Pope John Paul Ii’S Role In The Collapse Of Poland’S Communist Regime: Examining A Religious Leader’S Impact On International Relations, Arragon Perrone

Honors Scholar Theses

The international relations field knows Pope John Paul II for his temporal leadership in the Roman Catholic Church, but less is known about his pivotal role in the rise of Poland’s independent trade movement, Solidarity, and the collapse of that nation’s Communist government. This study analyzes current scholarship in order to establish the importance that an individual actor can have within political science, and in doing so, outlines the criteria for effective leadership. Major texts include Max Weber’s seminal Economy and Society, James MacGregor Burns’ Leadership, which explores the concept of “transforming leadership,” Fred Greenstein’s “The Impact of Personality on …