A ação discursiva de Winston Churchill como reforço da sua comunicação de liderança

Abstract

In a period characterized by constant shifts in markets, societies and technology, leadership values and their psychological processes play a decisive role in resolving conflicts and mobilizing people.In 1940, when German supremacy was notable and Britain’s invasion seemed imminent, Churchill managed to rewrite the prevailing political atmosphere by inspiring the nation and preventing moral collapse. Propelling the nation to ultimate victory over Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill formed his successful strategic leadership style, fueled by his oratory power, determination and relentless hunger for victory.This research work, whose process intends to demonstrate the importance of discourse as a motivating element, is conducted with the objective of enriching the existing knowledge, crossing the understanding of phenomena in the contemporary world and helping in the resolution of crises and conflicts.Under the theory of discourse analysis and rhetoric, this dissertation aims to study the qualities of a leader that remain valid until today – namely in conflict resolution and periods of international crisis –, relating them to the causes and meaning effects, throughout the historical reality of World War II.The subject under analysis motivated a qualitative investigation, applying the study of Aristotle's Rhetoric (2010) and Patrick Charaudeau's (2006) discourse analysis theory, in the evaluation of the consequent effects of Winston Churchill's discursive activity.The main results indicate how the strength of the former British politician's discursive arguments mobilized the public opinion and unity around certain common values and/or objectives, serving as a weapon of propaganda, diffusion, persuasion and mobilization. As his speeches are a direct reflection of the power of speech, they work as a motivating element for the receivers (phatos), promoting unity around the leader (ethos), as well as the argumentative and mobilizing effect (logos).

Date of Award	23 Mar 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Goulart Brandão (Supervisor)