Stalin the Charismatic Leader?: Explaining the ‘Cult of Personality’ as a Legitimation Technique

Abstract

This article reassesses Stalin's attempts to construct legitimacy through the development of a ‘cult of personality’, built through an overt co-option of the charismatic authority generated by Lenin's revolutionary leadership. While seemingly counterintuitive, it will be argued that Max Weber's theory of charismatic authority offers a constructive tool with which to examine Stalin's attempt to construct legitimacy through the creation of the ‘cult of personality’. Through the application of routinised charisma, Stalin's attempts at legitimation are not only better understood, but also present further avenues for exploring non-democratic legitimation techniques through the use of modern media.