Scholarly Article

The Russian Myth of Power versus Personality Cult

Kowalska, Martyna

2013-01-01 · Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne · Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan

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Abstract

The considerations in this paper focus upon the Russian idea of which consequence and extension is mythology of the Soviet times. We refer to the myths of tsarist Russia and to a specific relation to the authorities in Russia. The main theme of this paper concerns mythology of the Soviet times, especially one of its elements namely, the myth of power. The attention has been shifted to the history of personality cult, which revolved around Joseph Stalin. The position of the leader in the Stalinist soviet state can be conditioned by a relation to the authorities of which origin may be traced back to pre-revolutionary times. In the summary, an attempt has been made to unmask the myth of the leader on the basis of selected works from the circle of Russian samizdat literature.

Keywords

myth of power, mythical awareness, political myth, personality cult, Joseph Stalin, demythologization, Russian free literature

Citation Details

Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne