Cult of personality is a term for what is perceived to be excessive adulation of a single living leader, especially a head of state. The term was coined by the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party Nikita Khrushchev in his 1956 "Secret Speech" denouncing Joseph Stalin to the 20th Party Congress. The phenomenon that Khrushchev described, however, is much older. A cult of personality differs from charismatic authority in that it has a negative connotation by definition, and is thus a pejorative term. It also differs fro ...

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• Cult of personality - History
• Cult of personality - Characteristics
• Cult of personality - Examples

Read more here: » Cult of personality: Encyclopedia - Cult of personality

Throughout history there have always been leaders who have fostered adulation. For much of premodern times, absolute monarchies were the dominant form of government, and monarchs were almost always held in enormous reverence. Through the principle of the divine right of kings, rulers were said to hold office by the will of God, and thus criticism of any leader was interpreted not only as treason but also as blasphemy. Many leaders of the Roman Empire and Hellenistic Greece displayed features of today's cults of personality, as did Imperial China, with ancient Egypt especially noted for ...

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Cult of personality, Cult of personality - History, Cult of personality - Characteristics, Cult of personality - Examples

Read more here: » Cult of personality: Encyclopedia II - Cult of personality - History

Throughout history there have always been leaders who have fostered adulation. Many leaders of the Roman Empire and Hellenistic Greece displayed features of today's cults of personality, as did Imperial China, with ancient Egypt especially noted for elevating monarchs to the status of god-kings. For much of premodern times, absolute monarchies were the dominant form of government, and monarchs were almost always held in enormous reverence. Through the principle of the divine right of kings, rulers were said to hold office by the will of God, which demonstrates the poten ...

See also:

Cult of personality, Cult of personality - History, Cult of personality - Characteristics, Cult of personality - Examples

Read more here: » Cult of personality: Encyclopedia II - Cult of personality - History

Personality cults usually characterize totalitarian, authoritarian, or one-party states, especially those with a strong revolutionary consciousness. The reputation of a single leader, often characterized as the "liberator" or "savior" of the people, elevates that leader to a near-divine level. A personality cult is also characterized with many images and representations of a leader in public places, including statues, billboards, posters, signs, paintings, and vast murals. In many cases the leader is portrayed in various types of garb ...

See also:

Cult of personality, Cult of personality - History, Cult of personality - Characteristics, Cult of personality - Examples

Read more here: » Cult of personality: Encyclopedia II - Cult of personality - Characteristics