In this Book
- The Invisible Shining: The Cult of Mátyás Rákosi in Stalinist Hungary, 19451956
- Book
- 2017
- Published by: Central European University Press
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 ritual system in Hungary. The main argument of The Invisible Shining is that the cult of personality is not just a curious aspect of communist dictatorship, it is an essential element of it.
The 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. While engaging with a wider international literature on Stalinist cults, the author 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.
Table of Contents
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- Abbreviations
- pp. ix-x
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xiv
- Introduction
- pp. 1-30
- I: The Construction of the Cult
- II: Responses to the Cult’s Expansion
- III: The Dismantling of the Cult
- 10. The Collapse of the Rákosi Cult
- pp. 299-334
- Conclusion
- pp. 335-344
- Bibliography
- pp. 345-376
Additional Information
ISBN
9789633861936
Related ISBN(s)
9789633861929
MARC Record
OCLC
974794892
Pages
416
Launched on MUSE
2018-01-03
Language
English
Open Access
No