Cult Of Personality Flashcards
When did the cult of Stalin start growing
From December 1928 and Stalins 50th birthday celebrations the cult grew conspicuously
Stalin became the leader who inspired confidence during a period of rapid change
Every new initiative was sold as the work of the all knowing leader and portraits showed Marx, Engles, Lenin and Stalin in continuous progression
Literature, arts and socialist realism
From 1932 all writers had to belong to the ‘Union of Soviet Writers’, while painters and art critics were required to join the Union of Artists. Similar bodies established for musicians, film makers and sculptors. These exerted control over both what was created and who was allowed to create it because non membership meant artistic isolation
Propaganda
Relied heavily on propaganda to harness support for policies
Military illusions sometimes used e.g. collectivisation was termed as a full scale socialist offensive on all fronts
The work hero became a common theme and Stakhanov a role model
