Propaganda and the Cult of Personality under Stalin Purpose of Stalin’s propaganda machine: To reinforce a belief in the achievements of socialism, the Soviet government, and Stalin To create a personality cult around Stalin which raised him to the level of an infallible ‘Vozhd’ or Leader To equate Stalin with the state so that any criticism of him could be seen as anti-Soviet and, therefore, treason

Methods available for this included: Stalin’s cult of personality State-controlled youth organisations Education The media The arts and popular culture Leisure activities

The Cult of Personality After Lenin’s death (and very much against his wishes) a personality cult was created around his memory, using methods such as: Embalming his body and putting it on public display in Red Square Lenin’s image appeared everywhere in posters, film, statues Petrograd was renamed Leningrad Stalin was an active promoter of this cult so as to link his name with that of Lenin The Lenin personality cult made it easier for Stalin to create one around himself.

CULT OF LENIN? Comrade Lenin cleans the earth of scum

Under lenin’s banner Lenin featured prominently as a source of inspiration in Stalin’s propaganda but did he betray Lenin’s ideas? Do it for Lenin! It was obviously safe and beneficial for Stalin’s rule to promote the cult of Lenin since he was dead.

Under Lenin’s Banner toward Socialist Construction - Would Lenin Have approved Of Stalin’s ideas?

Celebrations for Stalin’s 70th birthday in 1949. A huge picture of Stalin hangs over Red Square in Moscow – as if by magic. In fact, it is suspended by a balloon and then lit by searchlights.

Stalin’s Cult of Personality Stalin also had a city named in his honour – in 1923 Tsaritsyn became Stalingrad The slogan: ‘Stalin is the Lenin of today’ was officially encouraged Stalin adopted the title ‘Vozhd’ (Great Leader) Stalin’s 50th birthday in 1929 was made into a vast national celebration Stalin was portrayed in various guises: Stalin with peasants, Stalin with workers – all designed to show him as an ordinary man of the people. Stalin liked to be portrayed, as here, as the friend of the workers, discussing the latest project – in this case the Dneiper Dam.

Stalin and his image Stalin the lover of children and friend of the workers. Stalin saw himself as the "great leader and teacher of the Soviet people." He wished the media to picture him as the true friend, comrade and successor of Lenin. This "official image" had a dark story behind it. Sorrow lurked behind the happy smiles in this 1936 photograph on the front page of Izvestia, which became a famous icon titled "Friend of the Little Children." The child is Gelya Markizova, whose father, Ardan, was shot for allegedly plotting against Stalin and whose mother, Dominica, was murdered mysteriously. Even the little people could disapear from photogrphs. In a display of Stalin's contempt for ordinary workers, a man who gave street directions to "The Boss" at a party congress in 1930 is replaced by architecture. In the version printed in Projector magazine, Stalin doesn't need any help.

Youth Organisations Party youth organisations were: The Pioneers for those under 14 Komsomol for those between 14-18; membership shot up from 2.3m in 1929 to 10.2m in 1940. Young people were encouraged to report members of their own families to the authorities for ‘anti-Soviet’ views One boy, Morozov, reported his father who was then jailed. When the boy was murdered by members of his own family, he was made a martyr and hero by the state.

EDUCATION In 1930 Lunacharsky, the Commissar for Education was sacked; this started the process of returning to traditional policies The 1935 Education Law undid most of the revolutionary ideas introduced in the early 1920s; it reasserted discipline by restoring the authority of teachers Schools could only use texts prescribed by the state The Short Course history of the Communist Party became the standard text; it presented Stalin’s view of the party and the Revolution. By 1939 94% of those town-dwellers under 49 were literate; 86% in the countryside. A poster from 1920: ‘You may as well be blind as illiterate’. The Bolsheviks believed that illiteracy had been a key factor in maintaining the power of the tsars.

The Media All media were controlled by the government Pravda was the paper of the Communist Party Izvestiya was the paper of the Soviets Radio stations conveyed the official party view

Socialist realism – Art in Stalin’s Russia How truthful was social realism in portraying life in the Soviet Union?

Art and Popular Culture RAPP was the official organisation which encouraged the party line in the arts and popular culture. The experimental art of the early 1920s was abandoned and replaced by ‘Socialist realism’; this was seen in all forms of culture – art, cinema, literature. Socialist realism was much more conventional, traditional but it was designed to convey pro-Soviet messages to inspire the population to work harder, love the Vozhd etc. A typical painting in the style of ‘socialist realism’. Stalin is shown amongst the workers, urging them to meet their production targets. The workers look on, impressed.

‘Under the leadership of the great Stalin - forward to communism’

Women feature Strongly in Collective Farm Propaganda WHY?

Leisure and Public Celebrations Public celebrations were used to mobilise and motivate the population; these included: The annual celebration of the anniversary of the 1917 October (November) Revolution The flight by Soviet pilots in 1937 over the North Pole was claimed as a great Soviet victory for technology over nature. Football became a mass spectator sport Facilities like Gorky Park in Moscow were built with its swimming pool, dance area and theatre.

CONCLUSION The traditional view among western historians, especially during the Cold War, was of a population cowed by terror and repression. This is too simplistic. The Soviet regime used other methods of ensuring control and public support. Propaganda was skilfully developed to bring about a significant degree of genuine popular support for the regime. Terror alone would never have been enough to secure that degree of support..

Plenary... ‘Stalin in the Kremlin cares About each one of us’ - Describe the main features of the cult Of Personality.

Plenary: To Great Stalin - Glory How effective was Stalinist propaganda?