Derek McKay's "The Great Elector"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews "The Great Elector" by Derek McKay. The book, which is about Frederick William of Brandenburg, whose position as an elector gave him the power to vote for or against the Holy Roman Emperor, is reviewed in terms of how McKay treats the question of ethical leadership, the issues raised in the book, and in terms of McKay's underlying assumption about what it takes to be a successful leader. The paper also looks at the implications the book has concerning the rise of Nazism.

From the Paper:

"It is difficult to evaluate history or historical figures without bias and in terms of historical setting. However, this is exactly what Derek McKay attempts in his book, The Great Elector about Frederick William of Brandenburg. McKay's purpose is to provide a biography based on the circumstances of the time as well as what is known about the man without judgment concerning his effect on history. This is a difficult task, especially for a person whose epithet, "the Great Elector" contains an inherent judgment and presumptive bias, albeit the epithet was given to him by contemporaries."

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