Stalin's Cult of Personality

Question 1

What were the factors of Stalin’s Cult of Personality?

Answer 1

• Propaganda
• Censorship
• Education
• Social Circumstances
• Manipulation of religion
• Komsomol

Question 2

What was the descriptor for music under Stalin?

Answer 2

Folk music was to be happy. Music generally was to be played in a major key (more joyous and positive).

Question 3

What was the title of a famous piece by Prokofiev? What did it emphasise?

Answer 3

Ode to Stalin (1939). This emphasised how Stalin had greatly improved life in the Soviet Union

Question 4

What was the style of art adopted? Name the title of such a piece of art from 1938

Answer 4

Socialist Realism e.g. Stalin and Voroshilov in the Kremlin

Question 5

What widespread book was published in 1934? What was the basic storyline?

Answer 5

The Great Conveyor Belt – Stalin informs a tractor plant executive how to overcome production problems

Question 6

How many cinemas were there in 1933? 1940?

Answer 6

1933 - 7,000 cinemas

1940 - 30,000 cinemas

Question 7

Who was the famous film director? What were his two famous films and how did they reinforce the cult of personality?

Answer 7

Sergei Eisenstein
Ivan the Terrible and Alexander Nevsky were his two famous films. They reinforced the cult of personality by emphasising the role of the individual in saving Russia. This justified Stalin’s rule and his use of terror. Likewise, they attempted to craft a Russian culture and history for the country to attach to.

Question 8

How was Stalin’s fatherliness and relationship with children shown?

Answer 8

Through images of him holding and being with happy children – such as the image of him holding the child printed in Izvestiya

Question 9

What photo from 1933 stressed Stalin as the single, strong leader? What at the Great Soviet Exhibition in 1939 consolidated this?

Answer 9

“Stalin at the Helm”. A large centrepiece statue of Stalin.

Question 10

Name the posters from 1933 which reflected Stalin overseeing the empowerment of women as workers

Answer 10

‘Women in the collective farm are a great force’

Question 11

What was the title of the image from 1940 which tried to show Stalin as a hard worker for he nation?

Answer 11

‘Stalin in the Kremlin cares about each one of us’

Question 12

What example of photomontage attached Stalin to the industrial successes in Russia?

Answer 12

An image of Stalin overseeing the Dnieper Dam (which was a key example of gigantomania and the success of Russian industrialisation)

Question 13

When was control of poster design centralised? Who became in charge of this?

Answer 13

1931 – Izogiz

Question 14

What were set up to bring artists/writers/playwrights etc into line?

Answer 14

Unions

Question 15

When was the union of Soviet Writers set up? What powers did this possess?

Answer 15

1932 - it had the power to reprimand and punish writers who failed to follow its artistic mandates. One had to be part of it, if one wanted to write.

Question 16

What genre did the likes of Isaac Babel and Boris Pasternak adopt due to such high degrees of censorship?

Answer 16

“The Genre of Silence”

Question 17

Name two examples of opponents being removed from sources and photos.

Answer 17

Trotsky and Kamenev removed from an image of Lenin addressing soldiers in 1920
Yezhov removed from an image with Stalin walking down the canal (‘The Disappearing Yezhov’)

Question 18

Into what photos was Stalin added to secure the idea of being the successor of Russia?

Answer 18

Photos of Lenin

Question 19

In what year was the History of the All-Union Communist Party published? What was its other name?

Answer 19

1938 - the Short Course

Question 20

How did the Short course develop Stalin’s cult of personality?

Answer 20

The short course gave Stalin a much greater role in the history of the party – he was cited as the chief companion of Lenin in the October Revolution and Civil War. Likewise, Trotsky was cited as a bourgeois opportunist and other old Bolsheviks were designated as enemies of the people. In this way, by increasing Stalin’s role and downplaying the roles of others, he was seen as the ideal successor to Lenin and the right leader of Russia in the wake of the revolution.

Question 21

What did the short course became for educational institutions? How many copies had been sold domestically by 1948?

Answer 21

The main history text. 34m copies sold by 1948.

Question 22

How did the growing fear of war help fuel the cult?

Answer 22

The war scare meant people felt they needed a strong leader to deal with the chance of a war – Stalin provided this

Question 23

Which historian claims that the show trials and purges were an active demonstrator to the population that Stalin was the nation’s protector from saboteurs?

Answer 23

Robert Thurston

Question 24

How did industrialisation contribute to the cult?

Answer 24

It led to worsening living conditions for many and hence why they turned to Stalin as the sign of hope and something to believe in

Question 25

Which benefactors of the circumstances were more likely to buy into the cult?

Answer 25

Stakhanovites and young intelligentsia (benefitted from education)

Question 26

How did the Tsarist nature of Russia contribute to the emergence of Stalin as a single figurehead?

Answer 26

Since the people were used to having a strong, individual leader to believe in (they were seen to be omnipotent). Stalin replaced the Tsar in this role.

Question 27

What was the name of the organisation which carried out the destruction of religious buildings?

Answer 27

The League for the Miltiant Godless

Question 28

How many priests were there in 1924? 1941?

Answer 28

1924 = 60,000
1941 = around 6,000

Question 29

What proportion of church buildings were still operating as a church by 1941?

Answer 29

1/40

Question 30

What happened to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour?

Answer 30

It was destroyed and turned into a swimming pool

Question 31

How many peasants still saw themselves as Christian according to a survey in the 1930s?

Answer 31

55%

Question 32

Who said “Stalin was like a God for us”?

Answer 32

Pavel Litvinov (a Russian growing up in the 40s)

Question 33

How was Stalin made out to be a God?

Answer 33

There were images and statues of him everywhere. He became an icon in households.

Question 34

What was Komsomol?

Answer 34

Komsomol was a political organisation for 14-28 year olds. It organised activities and events.

Question 35

How many members did Komsomol have by 1927?

Answer 35

2 million

Question 36

How did Komsomol help feed the personality cult?

Answer 36

It spread the communist belief and stressed the role of Stalin as the leader of the socialist movement. Since being part of Komsomol led to better employment and progression, many bought into the cult and ideology to receive such perks. The organisation would hold events in the name of and celebrations for Stalin.

Question 37

What were education levels in 1926? 1937?

Answer 37

1926 = 56.6%
1937 = 75%

Question 38

How many counter-revolutionary crimes were there in 1930? 1936?

Answer 38

266,000 in 1930

191,000 in 1936