The Stalin Cult and the Construction of the Second World in Hungary in the Early Cold War Years

Abstract

This chapter investigates the implementation of the Stalin cult in communist Hungary during the Cold War. Focusing on the Hungarian case, this chapter discusses how cult objects and images of Stalin traveled across borders, and how such images were transformed during the process of adaptation. It argues that as a transnational phenomenon, the Stalin cult was crucial in the consolidation of the “Socialist Second World.” The personality cult is often considered to be a by-product of Sovietization, generated by the paranoia and the megalomania of the Soviet dictator. The function of the cult was, however, more complex. The iconic image of Stalin offered a supranational symbol of unity for the peoples of the Soviet bloc to rally around. Thus, it had an important role in advancing the expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence after the war, and contributed to the cultural homogenization of the peripheries of the Soviet Empire. The primary function of the Stalin cult in the context of the Cold War was to advance the integration of the Soviet sphere of influence through ritual means. The 70th birthday of the leader in December 1949, which was celebrated lavishly in the countries of the bloc, thus signaled the ritual completion of Sovietization in the new Soviet borderlands and the creation of a transnational cult community.