Josef Stalin created a “Cult of Personality” around Vladimir Lenin and then, by association used it for himself. Many of his actions in this regard were against Lenin’s wishes and ideals. Although they did not serve Lenin’s views they served Stalin well. Once he created the cult around Lenin he associated himself with Lenin, then he declared himself as Lenin’s successor. This brought about the era known as Stalinization.
Once in control he used his power to continue to promote himself. Photographs and posters of Lenin and Stalin together were everywhere, including every home. He kept his image in the public eye. Cities and place names were changed including Leningrad and Stalingrad. Statutes were erected and there were almost constant parades held in his honor.
He rewrote history to give himself a greater role in the revolution. At the same time he wrote other people out of the history books so that a generation grew up believing in him. He included himself in the National Anthem so that it would appear to be unpatriotic to oppose him. Furthermore, he assumed titles like; “Father of Nations,” “Great Architect of Communism,” and “Gardner of Human Happiness.”
Life in Stalin’s Russia was not as easy as the propaganda projected. the post revolutionary era in Russia required drastic action. People were starving. Stalin brought the rural peasantry under governmental control and in the urban centers manufacturing and civil projects created employment. Stalin was ruthless in enforcing his vision of communism and the need for him to enforce it. He employed a political purge that went far beyond rewriting the history books and archives. The “Moscow Trials” set up to rid the country also targeted any anti-Stalinists as well. These were characterized by abuse, interrogation, torture, imprisonment of Russian dissidents and deportation of foreign nationals.
Drastic as these measures were, the reign of terror and increased prosperity alone could not have created his cult of personality without employing the measures to alter the public’s perceptions. These included:
- Propaganda circulated through the, media, arts education and recreation.
- Public places held images everywhere, statutes, posters, parades and place names all kept Stalin, and the Lenin/Stalin connection constantly in the public eye.
Works Cited
Buzzle. "Stalinism: The Use of Propaganda by Joseph Stalin." 2012. Buzzle. 02 12 2012 <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/stalinism-the-use-of-propaganda-by-joseph-stalin.html>.
Kral, Rudolf. "The Cult of Stalin and Propaganda." 2009. The Nerd Detective. 02 12 2012 <http://thelearningmachine.blogspot.com/2009/03/cult-of-stalin-and-propaganda-notes-by.html>.
PP2TXT. "Propaganda and the Cult of Personality under Stalin." 2012. PPT2TXT.Com. 02 12 2012 <http://www.ppt2txt.com/r/z80f49d0/>.
St. Lawrence College. "The Cult of Stalin." 2012. St. Lawrence College. 02 12 2012 <http://it.stlawu.edu/~rkreuzer/indv2/stalin.htm>.
The History Guide. "Stalin and the Cult of Personality." 2012. The History Guide. 02 12 2012 <http://www.historyguide.org/europe/cult.html>.
