The Image of Lenin as a Resource for the Totalitarization of the Soviet Society in the 1920s

Abstract.  Regardless of one’s attitude towards the figure of V.I. Lenin, his influence on Russia and the world cannot be denied. The lasting interest in his personality and his activities has not diminished, which is confirmed by the numerous publications that pose new research tasks and attempt to provide a modern representation of Lenin and his actions. This article is an attempt to understand one of the ways in which Soviet society was totalitarianized in the 1920s — the formation of a unified, universally recognized image of Lenin, which served to achieve the ambitious goals of the Soviet Republic in the process of establishing the new state. In the context of the crisis of succession of power, Lenin was called on to become a symbol of a new era in country development, to divert attention from the issues of intra-party struggle, and to designate a successor to his legacy. The novelty of this study lies in its attempt to show the formation of Lenin’s image through artistic sources such as paintings, sculptures and literature, as well as written accounts of village gatherings and minutes from general meetings of citizens — mass sources that provide insight into the lives and interests of peasants over a specific time period. Analysis of these sources revealed that although the Lenin cult lacked internal cohesion in the mid-1920s, it already served to legitimize almost any action. And by the end of the 1920s, Soviet society had become convinced that Lenin was omnipresent and that country development depended on following his precepts under the guidance of the collective Lenin — the Communist Party.

Keywords: Lenin, totalitarianization, sentences of village assemblies, Soviet society, 1920s, historical imagology.