An examination of four charismatic personalities who shaped much of the political debate in the latter half of the 20th century, this study reveals how Gandhi, Mandela, Mao, and Gorbachev led movements that remade the world through their own selfless inspiration, dynamic political leadership, and genuine moral courage. DeLuca analyzes the relationship between politics, culture, and society by focusing upon the personalities of these four figures and the ways in which they addressed issues of social change and political upheaval. Though different in terms of time and location, the problems they faced were similar, be it in their attempts to overthrow a repressive political regime or to promote economic and institutional reform within an existing system.

While Gandhi's approach emphasized heightened spiritual awareness as a means of transforming the Indian people, Mandela's emphasis on a more militant form of social protest succeeded in stimulating the political energy of South Africa's black majority. Mao and GorbacheV's programs stood at opposite ends of the Marxist political spectrum. Mao made a popular revolution from below and sought to perpetuate the notions of total revolution and the complete transformation of the individual in Chinese society. Gorbachev, on the other hand, aimed to reform a stagnant Soviet system from above. Though his early initiatives engendered widespread enthusiasm, he was unable to restructure the Soviet system and ultimately found himself presiding over the collapse of the very system he had tried to revitalize.

Mikhail Gorbachev was a major force at the center of political change in the latter half of the 20th century. His emphasis on the spoken word and the visual image was so pronounced that the character of the reform program he introduced became both a reflection and an extension of his own political persona. To promote his political program, Gorbachev depended upon the media to assist him in delivering his message and restructuring the Soviet experience; it was almost as if he believed that he could talk a revolution into existence. He hoped to promote both real and symbolic change, but found instead that such efforts led to his own downfall.

GorbacheV's case is an example of the power of personality in transforming a political culture. The author organizes his material into three topic areas: "perestroika," "glasnost," and New Thinking in foreign policy; and, in each of these areas he highlights GorbacheV's relations with the media, his public image, and the political influence of the media. GorbacheV's New Thinking influenced Soviet foreign policy and set in motion a change in the international environment, as he preached disarmament and international understanding as opposed to military confrontation and nuclear conflict. The net result, however, was the loss of the Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe and the end of the Soviet Union's superpower status.