The Development of the Stalin Cult Flashcards
When was the beginning of the Stalin cult?
From December 1929, and his fiftieth birthday celebrations, the cult of Stalin grew conspicuously.
Legacy/friendship of Lenin
Lenin and Stalin had initially been close friends. When Stalin was appointed general secretary in 1922 he became Lenin’s right hand man. However, over time Lenin concluded that Stalin was not the right man for the job to succeed him for his death in 1924.
Use of culture
Many monuments iterated the love of Stalin, for example, the Stalin monument in Prague, a huge 17 thousand tonne monument.
Personal life/ personality traits
Stalin kept his public and private life completely separate and this created a sense of mystery, making the cult grow even stronger. He dismissed all interest in family life, only giving away limited private information.
Education, youth and Komsosol
The Komsomol sought to raise the next generation of Stalinist’s with members encouraged to live the type of socialism Stalin envisaged. It was for people between the ages of 9 and 28. Schools were arranged like miniature versions of the soviet state.
Use of the press
In the early days of Stalin’s leadership, the press drew links between Stalin and the everyday worker. Newspapers would often feature letters from workers hailing the soviet leader.
After WW2, Stalin withdrew from public life. Consequently, the soviet press focussed on Stalin’s relationship with Lenin.
Propaganda
Propaganda was at the centre of Stalin’s cult of personality. State censorship and press restrictions allowed Stalin to portray himself near perfectly. All pictures, films and posters showed Stalin in a positive light,, depicting him as a god like figure, who was the undisputed father of the soviet union.
What was the Union of Soviet writers?
Founded in 1932. Aimed to encourage socialist realism and create propaganda, as well as restrict and censor other works. Only union members could engage in writing as their own profession. The poet Joseph Brodsky, who was not a union member, was arrested in 1964 as a social parasite.
Who was Isaac Brodsky?
A painter whose work provided the blueprint for socialist realism. He was known for his paintings of Lenin and paintings dedicated to the events of the Russian civil war and Bolshevik revolution.
What was the society of Easel painters?
An organisation founded in Moscow in 1925. It advocated for socialist realism.
