Skip to content
    History A-Level

    Cult of personality

    What Cult of personality means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of Cult of personality

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Cult of personality in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    The transformation of Stalin into an infallible figure presented as Lenin's true heir, reinforced by omnipresent propaganda and masking the harsh realities of the regime.
    AQA · 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 – Economy and society, 1929–1941 (A-level only) (study guide)
    Portraying Stalin as a god-like saviour, reaching its zenith in this period.
    AQA · 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 – The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941–1964 (A-level only) (study guide)

    Topics that use Cult of personality

    Related terms

    Using Cult of personality in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise History questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All History A-Level terms