The historic leadership of Hakibbutz Ha'artzi: The power of charisma, organization and ideology

The article describes and analyzes the modus operandi of the historic leadership of Hakibbutz Ha'artzi movement, focusing on Meir Ya'ari. The main argument is that the key to understanding Ya'ari's extended term at the helm of Hakibbutz Ha'artzi, which applies, to a great extent, to the historic leadership in general, is threefold: charisma, organization, and ideology. The article moves along the chronological axis, presenting and interpreting the changing relative weight of each of these three parameters, from Ya'ari's first appearance as a leader in the early 1920s until his formal retirement from the leader's seat at the end of 1972.