Being able to inspire interest, enthusiasm or affection in others is a gift believed to be divinely conferred on people thus charisma has a religious meaning. This meaning was however turned political by Max Weber who portrayed it as an act of having self-confidence and complete self-devoutness in qualities of personal leadership like boldness and disclosure (Davies, 1954). He distinguishes charisma from leadership on the basis of tradition and through this he defines a charismatic leader as a leader who is well equipped with extraordinary powers to solve political problems. Charisma is a relationship between a leader and his followers and the relationship is gained through the ability of the leader to influence the followers through appeal and dedication. The relationship does however not depend just on the leader but also on the followers. A charismatic follower is more concerned with the political figure as opposed to the political party in which one is affiliated to. He makes a judgment on political leaders on the basis of their strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, a non- charismatic follower focuses on the political party as opposed to the political figure. Although charismatic behaviors can be displayed by political candidates it is difficult to get pure charismatic leaders and followers.
The 1952 national election campaign was surrounded by a crisis which resulted from people's insecurity due to lack of basic amenities like shelter, food and clothing besides health (Davies, 1954). Other factors like war memories also contributed to individual crisis since people lacked enough peace of mind. These crises provided a good opportunity for the presidential candidates to avail charismatic responses. Two candidates, in particular, showed some hope for success due to the number of voters who were indicating some form of passionate support. For instance, Eisenhower was well equipped with vast experience in the military having worked as a supreme commander during the World War II, a characteristic which was acceptable to people who were looking for a dependable leader.