Studied by 2 people
Cult of Personality
The adoration of an individual through the use of art and popular culture, enhancing their status and fostering loyalty.
Lenin
Known as the "Father of Communism," his association gave legitimacy and stability to other leaders, despite resisting a cult of personality during his lifetime.
Mauseleum in Red Square
Stalin
Referred to as the "Lenin of Today," he established a cult of personality through doctored photos, dictatorship, rewriting history, and grand celebrations.
Biography
Generalissimo during WW2
Khrushchev
Used the Cult to end collective leadership and consolidate power. Presented as a reformer perfecting the Soviet system, (ex. condemned Stalin's cult of personality in the Secret Speech of 1956)
Claimed successes through Soviet Space and new policies
Undermined by obvious failures
Cited as a reason for dismissal in 1964
Brezhnev
His cult served as a substitute for power, inspiring cynicism due to his privileged status as a bureaucrat, leading to ridicule so became counter-productive
