cult of personality

• cult of stalin

  • purpose of the cult was to solidify his position as leader of the soviet union
  • created a figure that regular citizens could respect , trust or even worship
  • moreover , dissatisfaction with every day life could be blamed on local leaders while citizens could trust stalin to create a better future
• The myth of two leaders

  • led people to believe that the october revolution , victory in the civil war and the foundation of the soviet union had been masterminded by a duumvirate consisting of lenin and stalin
  • 1938 publication of 2 histories of the communist party (edited by stalin)
  • socialist realist paintings showed lenin working closely with stalin
• lenin's heir

  • Painters used a variety of techniques to show that Stalin was Lenin's true heir- Grigory Shegal's 'leader, teacher, friend' shows Stalin standing in front of a bust of Lenin
• the vozhd

  • It means leader - The term is significant because unlike words like 'prime minister' and ' president' , vozhd has no legal significance
  • Thus, the powers of the vozhd has no legal limit
  • Turned Stalin into an infallible and celebrated figure
  • pravda + other communist newspapers praised the vozhds wisdom daily
  • stalin's birthday became a national holiday
• generalissimo

  • Increased emphasis on Stalin as a military figure and genius, instead of as revolutionary/thinker
  • He was presented as saviour of the nation who heroically defeated hitler
  • Painted from 1945 in his white, generalissimo uniform
• cult of khrushchev : pt1

  • criticised Stalin's cult but established two of his own ; revived the cult of lenin and made his own by 1958
  • shown as a disciple of lenin who was completing the journey lenin had started , responsible for success in space race and virgin lands scheme , respected + diplomatic statesman , hero of WW2 , authority on arts , science , industry and agriculture , great reformer
• cult of khrushchev pt.2

  • The cult of lenin in the 1950s was based on the slogan 'Lenin lives!' - Lenin depicted as a humane person , rather like Khrushchev
  • Used to move away from Stalinism , reminding citizens that the gov was founded on Lenin's revolution , not Stalin's terror
  • the cult eventually backfired on him after the failure of the virgin land scheme and corn campaign
• cult of brezhnev pt.1

  • Brezhnev wanted to consolidate his position and help stabilise the regime
  • shown as : A great leninist (continuing the work of lenin) , military hero (publications emphasised his prowess in WW2, position of marshall in Red Army) , dedicated to ensuring world peace (esp. with USA) , a true man of the people (humble origins and worker)
• cult of brezhnev pt.2

  • Brezhnev's cult was implausable. Whereas Stalin had been respected and feared, Brezhnev became the butt of numerous jokes that focused on his vanity and hollow claims.
  • Stalin's cult=loyalty and respect Brezhnev's=cynicism
  • Veterans of WW2 resented the inflation of his role in the war , young people unconvinced by his claims to be an advocate of peace , his lavish and luxurious lifestyle showed that he was not a man of the people