When the world is burning, the most powerful people often have one job: show up. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it’s too little, too late. And sometimes, they don’t bother at all.
In this episode of This, Again, we’re looking at three centuries of leaders who vanished when their people needed them most — and what that absence cost them. From Marie Antoinette’s balcony gamble during the French Revolution, to Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication and brutal end, to Emperor Hirohito’s eerie silence and single broadcast, to the British Royal Family’s quiet misstep at the start of COVID — these are cautionary tales about the optics of leadership.
Along the way, we dig into the history of symbolic leadership, why monarchs morphed from rulers to figureheads, and how public expectations have shifted from balcony waves to livestreams.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Because history keeps proving that in politics, the performance
is the power. The moment you disappear from the stage, you risk losing the role entirely.
This, Again? is written, produced, and hosted by Mallory Faust.
For a full list of sources, visit https://thisagain.podbean.com/
Every effort was made to cross-check primary sources and modern research. Where paraphrasing is used, it’s drawn from the cited texts with narrative license for clarity and flow.
If you spot an error or have a source to suggest, DM @thisagainshow
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Marie Antoinette & the French Revolution
Nicholas II & the Romanovs
The British Royal Family & COVID-19
