“A cult of personality arises when a country’s regime — or, more rarely, an individual politician — uses the techniques of mass media, propaganda, the big lie, spectacle, the arts, patriotism, and government-organized demonstrations and rallies to create an idealized, heroic, and worshipful image of a leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. A cult of personality is similar to apotheosis, except that it is established by modern social engineering techniques, usually by the state or the party in one-party states. It is often seen in totalitarian or authoritarian countries.
The term first came to modern prominence in 1956, in Nikita Khrushchev’s secret speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, given on the final day of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In the speech, Khrushchev, who was the First Secretary of the Party — in effect, the leader of the country — criticized the lionization and idealization of Josef Stalin, and, by implication, his Communist contemporary Mao Zedong, as being contrary to Marxist doctrine. The speech was later made public, and was part of the “de-Stalinization” process the Soviet Union went through ”….Wikipedia
We are in the grips of this kind of cult right now. I do not believe we ever had been so close to authoritarianism before. Perhaps FDR during the war, but history shows that he faced “loyal” opposition throughout the war even. Certainly before WWII, with the Supreme Court destroying much of the New Deal, Roosevelt did not attain “hero” status.
The term first came to modern prominence in 1956, in Nikita Khrushchev’s secret speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, given on the final day of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In the speech, Khrushchev, who was the First Secretary of the Party — in effect, the leader of the country — criticized the lionization and idealization of Josef Stalin, and, by implication, his Communist contemporary Mao Zedong, as being contrary to Marxist doctrine. The speech was later made public, and was part of the “de-Stalinization” process the Soviet Union went through ”….Wikipedia
We are in the grips of this kind of cult right now. I do not believe we ever had been so close to authoritarianism before. Perhaps FDR during the war, but history shows that he faced “loyal” opposition throughout the war even. Certainly before WWII, with the Supreme Court destroying much of the New Deal, Roosevelt did not attain “hero” status.
The fact that he was crippled probably did not help. It is difficult to be an authoritarian when you cannot walk. And the American People knew he couldn’t walk.
And they did not care.
But Roosevelt himself had a buffer and stop button on his authoritarian impulses. He spend one whole year in bed recovering from polio, trying to move his big toe. He tried for years to walk to the end of his street at Hyde Park, about 1/2 a block.
And he never did accomplish either. He told confidants that this humbled him, make him aware of the common man, the forgotten man, but not to be manipulated like Hitler did and Trump is doing now, but to be helped, to be protected.
And of course there was Elenor Roosevelt , who was a governor on Roosevelt’s authoritarian impulses.
And of course, there is the fact that Roosevelt knew what was going on in Germany. He saw the barbarianism of the German Army. He was briefed constantly on the dangers of fascism as the War wore on.
And he made the war a crusade against authoritarianism; a crusade for democracy. He used the slogans of Wilson, who was a racist authoritarian by the way, without the reality of hatred. In a sense, Roosevelt was the real deal, a leader in the liberal democratic tradition.
The liberal democratic tradition is NOT the political party, it is the humanitarian liberalism of the French and American Revolution, the idealism that the common man could govern himself through a system of law and Constitutional Governance. This tradition goes back to the Renaissance and even to classical Greece; the basis of democracy.
And this tradition’s mortal enemy is authoritarianism and totalitarianism.
Khrushchev in the quote above spoke out about the cult of the personality of Stalin and the damage it did to his country. And this was a Communist Dictator speaking. But even Khrushchev understood the danger of one person rule through force and a cult of personality.
In America right now we have a President who is attempting to become an authoritarian. And he is succeeding to some degree; but their ferocious opposition from the majority of the American People; focused of course in the Democratic and Democratic Socialist parties and movements. Trump is attempting to do what no other President has done, become a true autocrat.
And that is the battle that is raging right now in America. And Trump has enlisted, of all people, America’s natural enemy state leader, Putin of Russian to assist him. This would be unprecedented in American history; a foreign adversary’s leader to assist a President in becoming a totalitarian figure.
So far the results are certainly mixed. The separation of powers in the American Constitution seems to be working making it more and more difficult for Trump to maneuver.
Much depends on a divided and undecided Republican Party, who craves political power, but who has limits
For example, just today the Koch Brothers have broken with Trump because of his economic policies. The alliances holding the Republican Party together are straining the more Trump acts authoritarian. The tentative special interests who coalesced around Trump is not strong and is getting shaky as Trumps misguided tariff attacks take hold.
And the Democratic Party is not weak, even though it is much criticized. It has been energized by the “Me Too” movement sparked by the misogynist Trump; women hate the man in great numbers.
So it is an open question whether he can prevail long enough to become a true authoritarian.
But all liberal democrats (political philosophy not party affiliation) are alarmed by how easy Trump was able to rally about 30% of the electorate to abandon completely democratic check and balances on one man rule.
The American system of democratic self government is being tested like never before; it is an open question whether it will be resolved peacefully or through Civil War. This has happened before over slavery, but authoritarian rule was not particularly the issue, no much how the Confederacy complained about Lincoln.
Lincoln had to lead during the Civil War in spite of opposition from Congress, the Press and the American people. The Union won amidst anti-draft riots, open desertion and other hindrances that almost destroyed it's fighting ability.
It was the Confederacy who tried authoritarianism with Robert E. Lee’s brilliant military leadership, but even Lee shied away from one man rule, leaving the leadership of the war’s policy to a poorly organized and definitely not autocratic leadership. In fact, the divisiveness of the Confederate Government in not being able to tax to run a mass army was a decided weakness that ultimately led to total defeat.
The game is not yet up on Trump and a critical game it is. There is a remote possibility that his system of authoritarianism, although clumsy, will somehow overcome his immense unpopularity with most of the American People.
If that happens we may see a true Civil War.
