Aging and Political Leadership

The final part of this book takes an in-depth look at Ronald Reagan. His advanced age is not unusual in a political leader. Other heads of government in the post-war world have been as old as, or even older than, he when they held office; for example, Churchill, Insn, Chiang Kai-shek, Nehru, Salazar, De Gualle, Kenyatta, Tito, Mao Zedong, Adenauer, and Ulbricht. The large number of names gives the impression that contemporary leadership is gerontocracy.

The book is divided into three sections. The fist two examine middle age and old age, with each section offering numerous case studies from a variety of countries.