Stalin’s Cult of Personality

A cult of personality is when an individual uses mass media, propaganda etc. to create an idealised and heroic image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Stalin created a ‘cult of personality’ to maintain his leadership of the USSR. He used Lenin’s memory as well as his own image to do this.

Stalin did many things to created this ‘cult of personality’, for example the changing of place names such as Leningrad and Stalingrad. He even created the ‘Stalin Prize’ awarded to Soviet artists.

When Lenin died, Stalin delivered the oration at Lenin’s funeral. This made it look as though Stalin was favoured by Lenin- to add to this, Stalin gave incorrect details about the funeral to Trotsky- his political opponent- incorrect details meaning Trotsky missed Lenin’s funeral. Stalin arranged for Lenin to have a big send off and memorial service- despite this being contrary to Lenin’s last wishes. By being the main focus of the funeral, Stalin made many people believe that he was Lenin’s ‘favourite’. This went a long way when the fight for leadership began.

By 1931, huge portraits depicting Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin appeared on special occasions- such as the anniversary of the revolutions of 1917. Very few portraits of Stalin were shown (this could have been due to his self-consciousness about his pock-marked skin, as well as wanting his image to be associated with others considered as ‘great’). Stalin’s image was used to reassure people that they have a strong leader to help them through the Firs Five Year Plan, especially following the confusion surrounding the ‘purges’. After 1945, Stalin’s image was everywhere, this amplified his success as a war hero and the countries ’saviour’. The images made him seem God-like and superior.

Following his death in 1953, Stalin’s successors did much to distance themselves from the cult of personality that Stalin had created.