The Cult of Stalin

From my antipathy to any cult of the individual, I never made public during the existence of the International the numerous addresses from various countries which recognized my merits and annoyed me. I did not even reply to them, except sometimes to rebuke their authors. Engels and I first joined the secret society of Communists on the condition that everything making for superstitious worship of authority would be deleted from its statute.
-Karl Marx, as quoted by Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress

Both Marx and I have always been against any public manifestation with regard to individualism with the exception of cases when it had an important purpose; and we most strongly opposed such manifestations which during our lifetime concerned us personally.
-Frederick Engels, as quoted by Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress

Few leaders in the history of the world have enjoyed having unquestioned authority as did Joseph Stalin. Stalin wielded a level of control over the Soviet Union that would have been the envy of Napoleon and Genghis Kahn. To a large degree this power was gained and maintained through fear and repression. However, while ruling like a tyrant, Stalin was able at the same time to garner a massive public following. Although his image was engineered by a highly sophisticated propaganda machine, a genuine love of Stalin came to exist. Following the death of Stalin, a large scale there was a deconstruction of the cult of Stalin.

Construction of Stalin's Image

Stalin's rise to power was methodical and precise. The construction of his image, too, was well thought out. Nearly every medium propagandized Stalin's image. The great tradition of truthful and imaginative literature was cast aside and became a vehicle for promoting Stalin. The new medium of film, for which Stalin had a particular fascination, was also directed towards creating an image of Stalin. Not only in the arts, but in everyday life the physical image of Stalin was ever-present.

Stalin in Literature

Stalin in Film

Stalin as a Visual

Deconstruction of Stalin's Image

Just as Stalin's image had been forcibly built up, it needed to be torn down by force following his death. This destruction of the Stalin myth has taken place on many different levels. From an official standpoint, de-Stalinization began in 1956 with Khrushchev's "secret" speech to the 20th Party Congress. A symbolic and visual removal of Stalin's pedestal took place following this official denunciation. In literature attacks on Stalin are now commonplace. Ironically the medium of film, for which Stalin had such an admiration, also has come to be used against him and the cult built up around him.

Official Deconstruction

Visual Deconstruction

Literary Deconstruction

Cinematic Deconstruction

Jake Fey

x9e0@music.stlawu.edu