Cult of personality

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Soviet poster featuring Stalin, Soviet Azerbaijan, 1938

Sometimes, governments create idealized images of people. Very often, these people are current or former leaders of the country. What will then result is a cult of personality, or cult of the leader. Techniques such as mass media, propaganda, fake news, spectacle, the arts and patriotism are used to create this image. The leader is shown as a hero, with few or no negative traits. Social engineering is also used very often, especially in sta in one-party states and dominant-party states. A cult of personality often accompanies the leader of a totalitarian or authoritarian countries. It can also be seen in some monarchies, theocracies, and failed democracies.

Augustus of Prima Porta, 1st century CE
Ho Chi Minh statue in front of the City Hall of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) in Vietnam
Statue of Mao Zedong in China