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The term cult of personality or personality cult generally refers in derogatory terms to what the term's users believe to be the excessive adulation of a single living leader. The term was coined by Soviet leader Khrushchev soon after the death of Stalin, but the phenomenon as such is much older.
Personality cults usually characterise totalitarian states or countries which have recently experienced revolutions. The reputation of a single leader, often characterized as the "liberator" or "savior" of the people, elevates that leader to an almost divine level. The leader's picture appears everywhere, as do statues and other monuments to the leader's greatness and wisdom. The leader's slogans and other quotes cover massive billboards, and books containing the leader's speeches and writings fill up the bookstores and libraries. The level of flattery can reach heights which may appear absurd to outsiders. For example, during the Cultural Revolution, all Chinese essays, including scientific papers, had a quote from Mao Zedong, and all quotes from Mao appeared highlighted in boldface or in red. Design for the proposed Palace of Soviets, 1934, to be surmounted by a colossus of Lenin Personality cults aim to make the leader and the state seem synonymous, so it becomes impossible to comprehend the existence of one without the other. It also helps justify the often harsh rule of a dictatorship, and propagandize the citizens into believing that the leader operates as a kind and just ruler. In addition, cults of personality often arise out of an effort to quash opposition within a ruling eliteAlternative meaning: Elite (computer game In sociology as in general usage, the elite (the "elect"; sometimes the French form "elite" is used) refers to a relatively small dominant group within a larger society, which enjoys privileged status and, almost. Both Mao Zedong and Joseph StalinIosif (Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin ( Russian: Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin , original name Ioseb Jughashvili ( Georgian: Russian: Iosif Dzhugashvili see Other names section ( December 21 [ December 9, Old Style], 1879 1 March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik rev used their cults of personality to help crush their political opponents.
The creation of such a vast cult often led to criticism of the regimes of Joseph StalinIosif (Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin ( Russian: Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin , original name Ioseb Jughashvili ( Georgian: Russian: Iosif Dzhugashvili see Other names section ( December 21 [ December 9, Old Style], 1879 1 March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik rev and Mao Zedong in particular. During the peak of their reigns both these leaders appeared as god-like omniscient rulers, destined to rule their nation for all eternity. Government orders prescribed the hanging of their portraits in every home and public building, and many artists and poets were instructed to only produce works that glorified the leader. To justify this level of worship, both Mao and Stalin tried to present themselves as personally humble and modest, and would often characterize their vast personality cults as nothing more than a spontaneous show of affection by their people. Stalin in particular used this excuse to justify the Communist Party's massive campaign of renaming things in his honor (see List of places named after StalinDuring Joseph Stalin's rule, many places, mostly cities, in the Soviet Union and other communist countries were named or renamed in honor of him as part of the cult of personality. Most of these places had their names changed back to the original ones sho).
Cults of personality can collapse very quickly after the ousting or death of the leader. Stalin and Mao both provide examples of this. In some cases, the leader formerly the subject of a cult of personality becomes vilified after his death, and often a massive effort at renaming and statue-removal ensues.
It should be noted that the term "personality cult" does not generally refer to showing respect for the dead (such as historic national foundersFather of the Nation is a term used by many countries to describe a political or symbolic leader who was one of the most influential founding fathers of the nation. He may also be a key figure from the nation's history whose perceived heroism and moral au), nor does it refer to honoring symbolic leaders who have no real power. The latter often occurs with monarchiesFor related meanings see also Monarch (disambiguation A monarchy (from the Greek monos archein , meaning "one ruler") is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. The distinguishing characteristic of monarchies is that the Head of State ho, such as that of Thailand, in which the king or queen's image is respectfully displayed in many public places, but convention or law forbid them from converting this respect into real political power. Other notable past personality cults included those of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, posthumous Kemal Atatürk's Turkey, Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam, Nicolae Ceausescu's Romania, Enver Hoxha's Albania, Siad Barre's attempts in Somalia, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Imperial Rome and the world of Hellenistic Greece displayed many pre-modern equivalents of cult of personality features, with ancient Egypt especially practised in the ways of elevating monarchs to god king s.
Cults of personality do not appear universal among all totalitarian or authoritarian societies. A few of the world's most oppressive regimes have in fact exhibited little to no worship of the leader. The Khmer Rouge government in Cambodia and the theocratic Taliban government of Afghanistan lacked many of the trappings of cults of personality, and the leaders in these regimes remained almost anonymous. In these cases, the lack of a cult of personality seems partly motivated by the desire to project an image of a faceless but omniscient and omnipresent state. In other cases, such as the post-Mao People's Republic of China, authorities frown upon the establishment of a cult of personality for fear it may upset the balance of power between the leaders within the political elite.
Some current countries that feature personality cults include Saparmurat Niyazov's Turkmenistan and Kim Jong Il's North Korea.
The most famous fictional cult of personality is probably that of Big Brother in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. The character was based on England's Earl Kitchener.
The cult of the personality in a state as described hereabove is very similar to the functioning of person-centred leadership of gurus in purported cults. In fact, some religious scholars consider cults as mini-dictatorships. When the followers see the guru as a great saint or avatar then this personality cult can take extreme forms. Often, cults or new religious movements defend this practice by comparing itself to mainstream religions like Christianity in which Jesus was worshipped when he was still alive. Or they defend this by referring to the Ishta-Deva (chosen deity) principle in Hinduism.