Historiosophical prerequisites for the formation of the cult of personality in the biographies of V.I. Lenin 1924–1956
https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-6541-2021-3-136-146
Abstract
The authors make an attempt to analyse on the basis of Hayden White’s theory of historical narrative historiosophical prerequisites for the formation of the cult of personality in the soviet biographies of V.I. Lenin published in 1924–1956. The basis of texts is a plot structure, implying, on the one hand, the existence of immutable laws of historical development, which humanity is forced to obey, and, on the other, a person who is able to learn them through the bitterness of defeats and put them at his service. The explanation of the facts of the historical narrative takes place by using two types of formal argument: Mechanism, which emphasizes the laws of historical development and the role of the masses in the historical process, and organicism, which gives high priority to V.I. Lenin himself and the party he created. The authors conclude that the articulation of the plot structure and types of formal argument embodied in the biographies becomes a prerequisite for the formation of the cult of personality. The latter implies the construction of an image of a person capable of transforming the reality, according to the concept of historical development that dominates in the party political historiography.
About the Authors
E. V. Barysheva
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Elena V. Barysheva, Cand. of Sci. (History)
bld. 6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
D. V. Morozov
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dmitriy V. Morozov
bld. 6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
References
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Review
For citations:
Barysheva E.V., Morozov D.V. Historiosophical prerequisites for the formation of the cult of personality in the biographies of V.I. Lenin 1924–1956. History and Archives. 2021;(3):136-146. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-6541-2021-3-136-146
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