Cults of Personality: Meet Uncle Joe EQ: What is a cult of personality and how did the Soviet propaganda machine use this ideology to portray Joseph Stalin as a more relatable person?

What is a Cult of Personality? DEF: A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods to create an idealized, heroic, and at times worshipful image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. This concept can apply to a leader or any other individual Write down an example of a modern individual who has a cult of personality and explain how they are represented (now)

What was Stalin Really Like? Stalin was an extremely calculating and cruel individual -Kept files on everybody He was responsible either directly or indirectly for the deaths of more than 60 million people during his 30 year reign -Trotsky’s murder in 1940 He used fear and terror to rule the Soviet Union with an Iron Fist

Connection with Lenin: One of the key elements for Stalin to take over after Lenin’s death was his perceived connection to Lenin In reality, Lenin did not like or trust Stalin, but the people did not know this -Lenin had wanted Trotsky to take over

Connection with Marx and Engels: Since Marx and Engels were the creators of the Communist Manifesto and the official communist agenda, all communist leaders wanted to be connected with them Even though Soviet Communism had several different ideas than Marx and Engels, Stalin was often portrayed as being connected to these two men

Connection with the people: One of the keys to a cult of personality is that you need to connect with the people Even though Stalin almost never came into contact with the Soviet people, he was often portrayed as a “common man”

Using Children: In the famous “Uncle Joe” campaign, a whole series of posters were set up with Stalin and children. The idea was to show the “softer” side of Stalin This worked on many levels to give people the impression that Stalin was much nicer than he actually was.

The Man of Steel: While also showing the softer side of Stalin, he also needed to be shown as a strong leader. His nickname, “The Man of Steel” was both a reference to his strength and power and his unfriendly personality In these posters, Stalin is seen as a strong and unifying leader of the Soviet people