Stalin's Cult of Personality

Question 1

How was Stalin’s use of newspapers and censorship effective?

Answer 1

• Newspapers like ‘Pravda’ and ‘Izvestiya’ were primary propaganda tools used to promote Stalinism
• The gov controlled what could be published using the Glavit (censorship office). Stalin extended the power and scope of the Glavit and gave them lists of banned authors and publications
• Censorship was used to remove any mention of Stalin’s former political rivals e.g. Trotsky and Kamanev removed from image of Lenin’s 1920 speech in Sverdlov Square

Question 2

How was Stalin’s use of newspapers and censorship NOT effective?

Answer 2

• Pravda and Izvestiya were primarily aimed at party members and it is unclear how many ordinary Russian people had access to them and actually read them
• The oversaturation of pro-Stalin content may have been counterproductive and actually put people off Stalin e.g. Communist supporter: “everything is Stalin, Stalin, Stalin”

Question 3

How was Stalin’s use of groups effective?

Answer 3

• Stalin used many soviet youth organisations to indoctrinate the youth into following him e.g. Little Octobrists for under 9s, Young Pioneers for under 14s and the Komosol for 14-28 year olds
• Komosol membership increased by 5 times from 1929-1941 showing that these groups increased in popularity thus increasing the amount of people indoctrinated into Stalinism
• Komosol members gave labour for Stalin’s economic projects, were informants against those who criticised the party, and were flag wavers and cheerleaders in May Day parades and Stalin’s birthday celebrations

Question 4

How was Stalin’s use of groups NOT effective?

Answer 4

• Komosol struggled to recruit women in rural populations – during the NEP they made up only 8% - not representative
• When they adopted class blind membership policies in 1935 there was a decline in working class youth members and dominance of better educated youth – this was counter to Communist ideology and worsened the issue of representation

Question 5

How did the Stakhanovite Movement help Stalin?

Answer 5

• Motivated workers to put in maximum possible effort with famous examples of Aleksei Stakhanov who reportedly mined 102 tons of coal in under 6 hours, Nikita Isotov mining 640 tons in a single shift and other pioneers including Busygin, Smetanin, and Vinogradov
• During the first 5 Year Plan, industrial labour productivity increased by 41%, increased by 82% in the second 5 Year Plan showing these displays of dedication were not unique to a few individuals

Question 6

How did the Stakhanovite Movement NOT help Stalin?

Answer 6

Not all workers held this sentiment, some opposed the movement and became ‘wreckers’

Question 7

How was Stalin’s use of art and cinema effective?

Answer 7

• The arts were manipulated to present a popular culture that emphasised the role of the ‘little man’ and Communist Party ideology
• Artists were expected to create art that celebrated and inspired workers e.g. sculptures of the new Moscow ball-bearing factory and Dnieper power station
• Classical art forms that reflected ‘socialist realism e.g. Shostakovich music were promoted
• Cinema was used to promote collectivisation and the 5 Year Plans e.g. Eisenstein’s ‘October’ (1928), ‘Strike’ (1924), and ‘Battleship Potemkin’ (1925)

Question 8

How was Stalin’s use of art and cinema NOT effective?

Answer 8

While official streams of media conformed to Stalinism and Socialist Realism, an underground popular culture emerged including songs, jokes, and poems. May political jokes focused on the country’s leaders – especially Stalin

Question 9

What evidence is there to suggest that the cult of personality was genuine?

Answer 9

• Millions of petitions and letters were sent to Stalin where people asked for help on issues, local officals were blamed whereas leaders like Stalin were praised
• Stalin was often called uncle and seen as “like a father”
• Stalin was admired by many - even those who didn’t like him respected him
• When he died many people wept
• Stalin was perceived as a god with superhuman abilities and wisdom - reflected in icons and images of him in people’s houses

Question 10

What evidence is there to suggest that the cult of personality was manufactured?

Answer 10

• “Everything is Stalin, Stalin, Stalin” - oversaturated propaganda that had made many people cynical
• Many in the party felt that this was not how Lenin would’ve acted and favoured collective leadership
• A substantial amount of the population (intellectuals, experienced party members, and workers) were aware of the absurdities of the cult