Sarah Davies and James Harris
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300182811
- eISBN:
- 9780300184723
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300182811.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Russian and Former Soviet Union History
This chapter considers Stalin’s approach to his own burgeoning leader cult. The existence of the cult in a nominally Marxist, collectivist state created the potential for considerable ideological and ...
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This chapter considers Stalin’s approach to his own burgeoning leader cult. The existence of the cult in a nominally Marxist, collectivist state created the potential for considerable ideological and political tension. While Stalin tacitly promoted the cult, he made a point of describing it as a concession to popular tradition, criticizing its excesses, and insisting that cultic texts remained within acceptable parameters. The chapter focuses on specific case studies, including Stalin’s biography, and the various ways his image was projected in major Soviet political rituals and ceremonies.Less
This chapter considers Stalin’s approach to his own burgeoning leader cult. The existence of the cult in a nominally Marxist, collectivist state created the potential for considerable ideological and political tension. While Stalin tacitly promoted the cult, he made a point of describing it as a concession to popular tradition, criticizing its excesses, and insisting that cultic texts remained within acceptable parameters. The chapter focuses on specific case studies, including Stalin’s biography, and the various ways his image was projected in major Soviet political rituals and ceremonies.
Olga Kucherenko
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199585557
- eISBN:
- 9780191725043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199585557.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, Military History
This chapter examines the ideological and spatial construction of the image of the Soviet Motherland in children's culture of the time. The cultivation of group identifications and loyalties among ...
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This chapter examines the ideological and spatial construction of the image of the Soviet Motherland in children's culture of the time. The cultivation of group identifications and loyalties among Soviet children went together with encouragement of xenophobia, supremacist attitudes, and the cult mentality. The eagerness of child-soldiers and their sense of purpose were to a great extent predetermined by the conviction about the superiority of the Soviet way of life, and the sanctity of the country's territorial and ideological integrity that was moreover directly linked to a child's personal survival.Less
This chapter examines the ideological and spatial construction of the image of the Soviet Motherland in children's culture of the time. The cultivation of group identifications and loyalties among Soviet children went together with encouragement of xenophobia, supremacist attitudes, and the cult mentality. The eagerness of child-soldiers and their sense of purpose were to a great extent predetermined by the conviction about the superiority of the Soviet way of life, and the sanctity of the country's territorial and ideological integrity that was moreover directly linked to a child's personal survival.
Sarah Davies and James Harris
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300182811
- eISBN:
- 9780300184723
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300182811.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Russian and Former Soviet Union History
Using the materials of Stalin’s personal archive, this book explores the dictator’s “vision” of the world. It considers his vision from two different but complementary perspectives. It begins by ...
More
Using the materials of Stalin’s personal archive, this book explores the dictator’s “vision” of the world. It considers his vision from two different but complementary perspectives. It begins by addressing the question of how he interpreted information. When one compares the material that he read from week to week with the decisions he subsequently shaped, it is possible to draw conclusions about the way he understood and interpreted that information. The book reveals not only how he perceived the world, but also how he mis-perceived it. It then addresses the question of how Stalin projected his vision of the world. It is now clear that Stalin devoted a remarkable amount of time to the business of words, and that he (and not only he) regarded his command over the verbal realm as central to his power more generally. The book investigates the crucial role played by the leader’s carefully crafted spoken and written utterances in the creation and projection of his vision. Stalin’s vision is considered through an examination of several important themes, all of which were at the forefront of the leader’s attention and which continue to occupy the attention of scholars: Bolshevik leadership, spymania, capitalist encirclement, the leader cult, the working class, and Soviet culture.Less
Using the materials of Stalin’s personal archive, this book explores the dictator’s “vision” of the world. It considers his vision from two different but complementary perspectives. It begins by addressing the question of how he interpreted information. When one compares the material that he read from week to week with the decisions he subsequently shaped, it is possible to draw conclusions about the way he understood and interpreted that information. The book reveals not only how he perceived the world, but also how he mis-perceived it. It then addresses the question of how Stalin projected his vision of the world. It is now clear that Stalin devoted a remarkable amount of time to the business of words, and that he (and not only he) regarded his command over the verbal realm as central to his power more generally. The book investigates the crucial role played by the leader’s carefully crafted spoken and written utterances in the creation and projection of his vision. Stalin’s vision is considered through an examination of several important themes, all of which were at the forefront of the leader’s attention and which continue to occupy the attention of scholars: Bolshevik leadership, spymania, capitalist encirclement, the leader cult, the working class, and Soviet culture.
