| Description |
1 online resource (xiv, 388 pages) |
|
text file |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction: The Stalinist leader cult : origins, interpretations, and functions -- Part I. The construction of the cult -- The chronology of cult construction (1925-1953) -- The institutions and agents of cult construction -- "The biography is a very serious issue" : the role of biographies in constructing the Rákosi cult -- "He was created by a thousand years" : nationalism and the leader cult -- "Comrade Rákosi lives with us" : the visual and the spatial aspects of the Rákosi cult -- Part II. Responses to the cult's expansion -- "Love for Comrade Rákosi has become deeper" : the communicative influence of the cult -- "Death to Uncle Rákosi!" : negative perceptions of the cult -- Ignorance is bliss : popular indifference and the shortcomings of communist propaganda -- Part III. The dismantling of the cult -- The "new course" and the decay of the Rákosi cult, 1953-1956 -- The collapse of the Rákosi cult. |
| Summary |
This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the cult of the Hungarian Communist Party Secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, one of the most striking examples of orchestrated adulation in the Soviet bloc. While his cult never approached the magnitude of that of Stalin, Rákosi?s ambition to outshine the other?best disciples? and become the best of the best was manifest in his diligence in promoting a Soviet-type following in Hungary. The main argument of Balázs Apor is that the cult of personality is not just a curious aspect of communist dictatorship, it is an essential element of it.0The monograph is primarily concerned with techniques and methods of cult construction, as well as the role various institutions played in the creation of mythical representations of political figures. Separate chapters present visual and non-visual methods of cult construction.0The author engages with a wider international literature on Stalinist cults in an impressive manner. Apor uses the case of Rákosi to explore how personality cults are created, how such cults are perceived, and how they are eventually unmade. The book addresses the success?generally questionable?of such projects, as well as their uncomfortable legacies. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Rákosi, Mátyás, 1892-1971 -- Public opinion.
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Rákosi, Mátyás, 1892-1971. |
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Public opinion. |
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Rákosi, Mátyás, 1892-1971 -- Influence.
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Cults -- Political aspects -- Hungary -- History -- 20th century.
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Cults -- Political aspects. |
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Hungary. |
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History. |
| Chronological Term |
20th century |
| Subject |
Cults. |
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Public opinion -- Hungary -- History -- 20th century.
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Communism -- Hungary -- History -- 20th century.
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Communism. |
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Nationalism -- Hungary -- History -- 20th century.
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Nationalism. |
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Hungary -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989.
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Politics and government. |
| Chronological Term |
1945-1989 |
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1900-1999 |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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History.
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| Other Form: |
Print version: Apor, Balázs. "Invisible shining". Budapest ; New York : Central European University Press, 2017 9789633861929 (DLC) 2017008775 |
| ISBN |
9789633861936 (electronic book) |
|
9633861934 (electronic book) |
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9789633861929 (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
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