Personality cults: causes, goals of formation and examples

The cult of personality
is the exaltation of a certain personality by emphasizing, exaggerating, or even fabricating merits, outstanding abilities, special status or holiness of this person.
In practice, it is expressed by special treatment of a person, if she is still alive, and the creation of various monuments from monumental to literary. In particularly advanced cases, entire rituals of worship and praise are introduced. Insulting such a person may be a serious crime. Project of the Palace of Soviets with a statue of the great leader at the top.
The project was not implemented due to the outbreak of war. It was planned to be the tallest building in the world. But many smaller statues were installed in almost all cities, and the leader himself lies in a mausoleum on Red Square. Most often, the cult of personality refers to the exaltation of the ruler, especially in the 20th century, but the object of the cult can be not only the ruler, but also a certain hero , public or religious figure. The phenomenon itself is much older than feudalism.

A cult of personality arose with the first religion, which grew out of superstition (religion is systematic worship). Now it is difficult to reconstruct the events of that distant era. Presumably our ancestors preferred concrete concepts to abstract concepts and did not take well to the idea of ​​“God is out there somewhere.” The rulers quickly realized the benefits of an alliance with the priests: the priests justify their right to power as god in the flesh, the rulers in exchange give the priests privileges, being the embodiment of the religion itself and its defender. This pattern in one form or another can be traced in many civilizations, not only the great ones.

The cult of personality itself separated from religion in the late era. First, “philological disciplines” were singled out, including PR and propaganda. In the era of mass communications, journalists and PR agents used the same techniques as the priests many thousands of years ago, removing all mysticism from them. What remains is systematic, ritualistic actions and constant worship.

And by and large, faith in Big Daddy, who will solve all problems, is characteristic not only of humans, but also of many pack animals that follow the leader. Making decisions on your own, especially about the fates of several people at once, is a difficult and energy-consuming process. It’s easier to withdraw yourself and shift responsibility to someone else, giving him privileges and saving your resources. This is the principle of all control systems, with rare exceptions.

Now most of the personality cults of the 20th century (leadership) are seriously condemned. Why? Firstly, people see this as irrationality. The resources that are spent on supporting the cult could be spent on something more useful.

Secondly, if the object of the cult is also a subject of politics, everything is much worse. Too often he begins to behave at the behest not of state interests, but of his left heel. A skillful sovereign surrounds himself with those who are smarter than him, a victim of his own cult - with those who are stupider. With obviously sad consequences.

Finally, thirdly, from a theological point of view, the cult of personality is the creation of an idol, which is prohibited in the 10 commandments. Jesus does not approve of competitors...

Causes

Social psychologists are convinced that the emergence of such phenomena as the cult of personality or idol worship is determined by a certain social environment. It is society that creates the following prerequisites for the emergence of such a cult of personality:

1. Political and legal immaturity of people, lack of cohesion and civil society.
2. A large number of individuals, the main characteristic of which is socio-psychological infantilism, that is, the inability to predict the consequences of their own actions and bear any responsibility for what they did.
3. Low level of culture and education in society (among most of its representatives). Culture and personality give way to the consciousness of the individual.
4. Intolerance of dissent in society up to its complete eradication.
5. The reasons for the emergence of the cult of personality also include the need for ideological reinforcement of the functioning of the regime.
6. The influence of the leader's personal qualities (for example, oratory, charisma and exceptional qualities of intelligence and thinking).
7. Manipulation of the consciousness of the masses and its mythologization, that is, the formation of an (artistic) image based on events that actually took place.

All these factors create ideal conditions for the establishment of a totalitarian and authoritarian state system with an exalted leader at its head.

Mass repression

The punitive-repressive apparatus and the security forces are being strengthened:

— 1924 — The Central Executive Committee of the USSR approved the “Regulations on the rights of the OGPU regarding administrative expulsions and imprisonment in a concentration camp.”

- 1930 - the Directorate of OGPU Camps was formed under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, renamed in 1931 the Main Directorate of OGPU Camps (GULAG).

- 1934 - The People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD) of the USSR was formed. It included the OGPU in its entirety, transformed into the Main Directorate of State Security.

— Since November 1934, a Special Conference (“Big Three”) was formed under the People’s Commissar of Internal Affairs, which was given the right to administratively send “enemies of the people” into exile or into forced labor camps for up to five years.

— The Secret Department of the NKVD was created, which was engaged in the destruction of political opponents of the authorities who found themselves abroad (in August 1940, Leonid Trotsky was killed in Mexico, many figures of the Comintern and the white movement became victims of the Stalinist regime).

Changes in the system of government institutions in the 1930s. testified to the formation of the foundations of a totalitarian regime with a powerful repressive apparatus.

1928 - “The Shakhty case” served as an impetus for the launch of the fight against “pests” from among the scientific and technical intelligentsia in all sectors of the national economy.

1930 - trial of the Industrial Party; "The Case of Academicians".

Early 1930s - mass repressions against kulaks and “sub-kulak members”. On August 7, 1932, the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted the law “On the protection of the property of state enterprises, collective farms and cooperation and the strengthening of public (socialist) property” (the “five ears of corn” law), according to which even minor thefts were subject to a long term of imprisonment or execution .

The reason for the deployment of mass repressions in the country was the murder on December 1, 1934 in Leningrad of S. M. Kirov, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the first secretary of the Leningrad Provincial Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. A few hours after this murder, a law was passed introducing a “simplified procedure” for the consideration of cases of terrorist acts and organizations. The strengthening of Stalin's regime of personal power was facilitated by the wave of the “Great Terror”.

The end of December 1934 - a closed trial of members of the so-called Leningrad center.

April 7, 1935 - The resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars ordered that “minors, starting from the age of 12, convicted of committing thefts, causing violence, bodily harm, murder or attempts to murder, should be brought to criminal court with the application of all criminal penalties” , including the death penalty.

1936 - the first of the major trials of the leaders of the intra-party opposition (G. Zinoviev, L. Kamenev, etc.). Prosecutor A. Vyshinsky accused them of the murder of Kirov, of attempts to kill Stalin and overthrow the Soviet regime.

1937 - the second trial, during which another group of leaders of the “Leninist Guard” was convicted. Most of the accused were sentenced to death (G. E. Zinoviev, L. B. Kamenev, G. L. Pyatakov, N. I. Bukharin, A. I. Rykov, etc.). It is significant that the victim of the third Moscow trial was G. G. Yagoda, who headed the NKVD until September 1937, when he was replaced in this post by N. I. Yezhov.

June 1937 - after a one-day trial in a military tribunal, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense M. N. Tukhachevsky and 7 prominent military leaders - heroes of the civil war - were shot. This was only the beginning of large-scale terror, which affected not only the senior, but also the middle and junior command staff of the Red Army. In fact, in 1937-1938. the army and navy were beheaded. Thus, of the five people who were the first to receive the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, established in 1935, three were shot (M. N. Tukhachevsky, V. K. Blyukher, A. I. Egorov).

March 1938 - the third trial took place. The former head of government A. Rykov and the “favorite of the party” N. Bukharin were shot.

A wide network of concentration camps is being formed. Mass repressions of the second half of the 1930s. played an important role in strengthening the totalitarian regime and Stalin’s personal power. The terror also had an economic significance: millions of prisoners worked on the construction sites of the first five-year plans, contributing to the economic power of the country.

Purposes of creation

In addition to achieving universal admiration, the creation of such a phenomenon as a cult of personality pursues clear practical goals:

• Instill fear in your enemies

The feeling of the presence of the leader's personality everywhere inspires serious fears in everyone who dares to think about a coup.

• Appearance of invincibility

There are hardly anyone who would want to compete for power with an infallible god-like being. The main thing is that people perceive the leader as the guarantor of the existence of the state and their own well-being, as an equal to God or his earthly incarnation.

• Unlimited power

Only a few of those who believed in the personality of the dictator dare to challenge his decisions or at least somehow express protest.

• Creation methods

The path to creating each individual regime certainly has its own characteristics, however, there are a number of general methods that leaders successfully use:

• Creating Leader Images

Placing portraits, statues or other images of the dictator in crowded places. The people should see their leader every day, and the more often the better. Everyone should know who exactly is at the helm.

• Assigning titles to a political leader

In addition to the title denoting the position held in the state, dictators often assign to themselves other sonorous epithets that speak of courage, strength, love and their paternal love for their people.

• Creation of a state ideology with a sonorous name

Ideology is created in the image and likeness of religion, and the main role in it is, of course, given to the political leader.

• Publishing your own books

The population of the country should know what political views its leader has, what ideas come into his head. These works should contain not only political reflections, but also moral and ethical instructions. The publication of fiction books or books with one’s own sayings in a small, convenient format is very popular.

• Presence in all news

The media should closely monitor the life of the leader and immediately report to the country any news, even insignificant, with the exception of those carrying negative information. The culture and personality of the leader must be united: artists must be encouraged to create works about the head of state.

• Naming objects after a leader

Streets, schools, businesses, squares, cities, airports, awards and even mountain peaks can bear the name of a dictator. It all depends on the imagination of the one who is creating the ideology.

• Publishing unusual laws

The purpose of such actions is to show the people who exactly makes decisions in the state. Laws may seem stupid and meaningless, but they achieve their purpose.

Where it occurs[edit]

Literature[edit]

• 1984 - Big Brother. Moreover, he is a completely virtual person.
• Dune - Muad'Dib! And his son Leto Atreides.

Cinema[edit]

• 300 - Xerxes, deified by the Persians.
• Mad Max: Fury Road is a pseudo-religious cult of Immortan Joe. HE LOOKED AT ME!
• "Kin-Dza-Dza!" - PeZhe cult: “Pezhe is alive - and I’m happy...” - “And I’m even happier!”

Animated series[edit]

• Futurama - Bender especially distinguished himself with this, but in general there are plenty of other examples.

Comics[edit]

• The original "300" by Frank Miller and the same Xerxes.

Anime and manga[edit]

• Legend of the Galactic Heroes: The perception of Lohengramm among the Imperials and Yang Wenli among the Republicans eventually reached a cult of personality. Yang spits at this, Rinehart spits, but uses it.
• Berserk: Griffith tried his best to earn such a reputation. And yet he came to success.
• Kill la Kill is Satsuki's personality cult within one school.
• If there is an idol in an anime, he will definitely have a fan club. Most often found in anime about school. And one more thing: the most beautiful boy/girl will also have his own fan club. Perhaps even several.
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a rare, well-deserved example. Kamina's cult of personality, which arose in Gurren-dan, was able to unite first the scattered villages into a single force against Lorgenome, and then the entire planet against the Anti-Spirals.

Video games[edit]

• Fallout - in the beliefs of the Children of the Cathedral, the Lord is the Dark God. “Dark” does not mean “evil” for them.
• Fallout 2 - the admiration of tribe members for the Vault Dweller.
• Fallout 3 - “Who is, without a doubt, the most important person in Vault 101? Who protects us from the harsh atomic wasteland, to whom do we owe everything we have, even our lives? Answer options
  : 1. Caretaker. 2. Caretaker. 3. Caretaker. 4. Caretaker."
• Fallout: New Vegas - the legionnaires' worship of Caesar. In the antipode of the Legion, NKR, there seem to be no cults of personality (for example, Tandi prevented the transformation of gratitude to the Vault Dweller into a cult), but Caesar claims that there is a cult of Tandi herself. Honest Hearts is the cult of the Father-in-the-Cave, bizarrely mixed with Christianity.

Board games[edit]

• Warhammer 40,000 is, of course, the God Emperor of mankind. Interestingly, he himself was against the creation of a cult of personality around his own person and against religion in general: “Civilization will flourish only on the day when the last stone of the last temple collapses on the head of the last priest.” However, the Ecclesiarchy doesn't care. However, there is an opinion that by such a consistent reduction of religion, the Emperor simply wanted to monopolize his own cult. Faith can work miracles - and in the War Hammer universe, these are not just words. And what could the greatest psyker of humanity, who became the object of worship of trillions of people, turn into... It’s hard to imagine. Perhaps
  he would become the new god of Chaos.
  And, again, it is possible
  that the Horus Heresy also fit perfectly into this plan - but only the God-Emperor himself knows for sure.

Real life[edit]

The obstacle to the formation of a cult of a leader

The desire of society as a whole and each person individually for education and development is an obstacle to building a totalitarian regime.

As mentioned above, one of the main prerequisites for the emergence of a totalitarian and authoritarian regime is the low level of personal culture and education in society. Personal culture presupposes the comprehensive development of a person, giving him the opportunity to independently assess the current situation and, through the prism of his own multifaceted worldview, critically look at the ideology that this or that regime is trying to convey to the masses.

The main support of any totalitarian regime is poorly educated people or those who do not want to be responsible for making decisions and their consequences. In a society with a developed personality culture, it is unlikely that it will be possible to build a cult of personality.

Afterword

In my opinion, most cults are negative in nature, the rest are neutral. I practically don’t see any positive cults. Each of them deprives a person of independence and hinders development.

Useful worships include, for example, the cult of a healthy lifestyle or the cult of education. But everything is good in moderation, and excessive enthusiasm turns into obsession. A person becomes a hostage to an idea; it becomes a goal, not a means. Because of cults, wars, contradictions, personal anxiety, and complexes arise.

A cult is the ignoring and suppression of individuality, the abilities and characteristics inherent in a person. This is the desire to equalize all people, moreover, to make them similar to a certain ideal. At the same time, the emphasis is placed on a negative attitude towards oneself, failure, and not on love and acceptance, and the disclosure of personal potential.

Examples in history

• Joseph Stalin

The most famous Soviet leader who created the most severe cult of personality in the history of the USSR. He ruled the country from 1922 to 1953. The reign is characterized by massive repression of dissidents. He passed away while serving as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

• Saddam Hussein

Political leader of Iraq, who headed the country until April 17, 2003. He was revered by the people of Iraq as a builder of schools and hospitals. After losing the war to American forces, he faced numerous charges, including charges of genocide and mass executions. Executed on December 30, 2006.

• Kim Jong Il

Grand Leader of Korea from October 6, 1994 to December 17, 2011. His cult of personality in North Korea is very close to religion. Any negative statements about this leader are still punishable by actual imprisonment. During his reign, North Korea was repeatedly accused of gross violations of international human rights. After the death of the leader, mourning was declared in the country for a period of three years.

• Adolf Gitler

Leader of Nazi Germany from August 2, 1934 to April 30, 1945. Founder of German National Socialism and the dictatorship of the Third Reich. He was revered as a superman, a perfect personality and an absolute ideal. After defeat in the Second World War he started, he committed suicide.

Examples

Leonid Brezhnev

Doxology addressed to Brezhnev (or "dear comrade Leonid Ilyich") was a hallmark of "developed socialism". This was not a cult, but a tribute to a major leader supported by the nomenklatura dependent on him, included the presentation of an excessive number of government awards to Brezhnev (including the "Order of Victory", which was awarded only to the great commanders of the Second World War, and four Gold Star medals "Hero of the Soviet Union). Portraits of Brezhnev and banners with slogans based on excerpts from his speeches were hung in government agencies. In the last years of his life, a number of works were published under the authorship of Brezhnev: “Small Earth”, “Renaissance” and “Virgin Land”, which were awarded to Brezhnev with the Lenin Prize. However, it is known that they were written in collaboration with a group of writers. The reaction to these phenomena was reflected in a large number of anecdotes. After the death of Brezhnev and other leaders of the USSR, their names appeared (briefly) in geographical names. Thus, the cities of Naberezhnye Chelny, Rybinsk and others were renamed.

Nursultan Nazarbaev

Many politicians and journalists, such as Zhasaral Kuanyshalin and others, note the cult of personality of Nazarbayev. Dosym Satpayev:

Bolat Ryskozha:

According to political scientist Dilyaram Arkin, Nazarbayev’s cult of personality is beginning to spread beyond the borders of Kazakhstan.

What is a full-fledged personality of a citizen?

Speaking about a fully and comprehensively developed person and citizen, we are talking about such a concept as “personal culture”.

Personal culture is, in the first case, the level of human development, his potential, abilities and talents, and in the second, a set of social and political competencies, that is, the ability to:

• to take responsibility;
• participate in the discussion of joint decisions;
• resolve conflict situations without the use of violence;
• participate in making joint decisions regarding the activities of certain social institutions;
• understand cultural and linguistic differences and treat representatives of other nations and cultures with respect.

The formation of a person’s culture occurs in the process of training and education under the influence of his social environment and depends on his individual need for development and improvement.