Personality cult

[[File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006021 008 Chöre mit einem Porträtbild Stalins auf der Bühne.jpg|thumb|right|225px|A choir performance in [[East Germany]] from a cult of [[Stalinist]]s.]]
{{cquote|♫I'm the smiling face on your TV
♫I'm the cult of personality<br>
♫I exploit you, still you love me
♫I tell you one and one makes three|||Living Colour, "Cult of Personality"<ref>[https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/livingcolour/cultofpersonality.html Living Colour Lyrics] "Cult Of Personality"</ref>}}
{{politics}}


{{cquote|Now, everybody's under somebody's spell / Unless they've already gone to [[hell]].|||{{wpl|Pet Shop Boys}}, ''In The Night'' <ref>[https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/lyrics/in-the-night Pet Shop Boys lyrics] "In The Night"</ref>}}
A '''personality cult''' or '''cult of personality''' is a system in which the political legitimacy of an organization is the function of the leader. Often such leaders are able to control a group of people through the sheer force of their personality. In extreme cases the leader can be portrayed as a [[god]]-like figure.

Where the personality cult forms around a head of [[state]], criticising that person is generally prohibited and/or dangerous — with threats or actions made against the critics by supporters of the head of state. Where the head of state has attained strong or complete control of state-sponsored [[media]], they have often used this to spread [[propaganda]] to ensure that the masses receive a consistent positive picture of the head of state. Propaganda will typically depict the leader as being a great leader (or even called "Great Leader" as in [[Kim Il Sung]]), a genius [[prophet]] or a [[god]]-like figure, able to relate to ordinary people and upholding their interests, always in command — shown in propaganda with commanding appearance and never shown in submission to anyone. Frequently, personality-cult leaders claim to be devoted to a mission as the embodiment of the will of the people or of the nation. Leaders promoting personality cults will frequently tie their own image to various national heroes (personality cults of yore) as a means of legitimating themselves and their policies (think of Roman Emperor [[Augustus]] making his great-uncle the Roman [[dictator]] [[Julius Caesar]] a deity and dedicating monuments to him, or of [[Soviet]] posters showing the faces of [[Marx]], [[Engels]], [[Lenin]], [[Stalin]] and [[Mao]]). 

Various monarchies claimed some form of [[divine]] sanction (or "healing touch"), but that doesn't necessarily make them personality cults in the modern sense, as the phenomenon is most commonly associated with post-19<sup>th</sup>-century mass-media. "Personality cults like [[Gaddafi]]'s are different. They depend on modern technologies of mass communication and surveillance, so the leader can seem [[omnipresent]] as well as possessed of magical properties."<ref>''Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present'' by Ruth Ben-Ghiat (2021) W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393868419.</ref>{{rp|93}} The effect is essentially the same between pre-modern and modern personality cults, creating the appearance of an aura of divinity or the [[supernatural]].

New surfaces may be produced for no other reason than to present that image, as [[Satire|satirized]] with the balloon bearing [[Joseph Stalin]]'s image in an empty field in the 1994 [[Russia]]n film ''Burnt by the Sun''.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111579/ ''Burnt by the Sun''] ''IMDb''.</ref><ref group=note>New surfaces created solely to present advertising, on the other hand, [[Double standard|are perfectly fine]].</ref>

Personality cults are often found in strongly [[authoritarian]] societies like [[Absolute monarchy|absolute monarchies]] with no [[democracy]] in them, but they can also develop in authoritarian semi-democratic societies like those of Julius Caesar and Augustus, or in [[totalitarian]] societies like [[Nazi Germany]] under [[Adolf Hitler]] or like the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Although it is very rare to see them in strongly-[[democratic]] countries, they do occur from [[Ronald Reagan|time]] to [[Donald Trump|time]].

==Examples==
===Current and former heads of state===

[[File:Marxismo Leninismo Pensamiento Maotsetung.jpg|thumb|center|400px|
战无不胜的马克思列宁主义,毛泽东思想万岁!<BR> ("Invincible Marxism-Leninism, long live Mao Zedong Thought!")<BR> l-to-r: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao)]]
====Europe====
{{collist|2|
*Heydar Aliyev and his son, Ilham Aliyev ([[Azerbaijan]]): Aliyev Senior is often proclaimed as the Atatürk of Azerbaijan
*Ion Antonescu ([[Romania]])<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/romanians-cherish-memories-of-their-genocidal-dictator-cult-of-the-wartime-pronazi-leader-casts-doubt-on-bucharest-s-faith-in-democracy-writes-tony-barber-east-europe-editor-1385217.html Romanians cherish memories of their genocidal dictator: Cult of the wartime pro-Nazi leader casts doubt on Bucharest's faith in democracy] by Tony Barber (22 August 1994 23:02) ''The Independent''.</ref>
*[[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] ([[Turkey]])<ref>{{wpa|Atatürk's cult of personality}}</ref>
*[[Silvio Berlusconi]] (Italy)<ref>[https://news.berkeley.edu/2012/02/08/igs-lecture-series/ Berlusconi lecture delves into the cult of personality] (February 8, 2012) ''Berkeley News''.</ref>
*[[Napoleon Bonaparte]] ([[France]])
*[[Julius Caesar]], [[Augustus]], [[Caligula]], Domitian, Commodus, Elagabalus and most [[Roman emperor]]s in general ([[Roman Empire]]).
*[[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] (Romania): Ceaușescu modeled his image after those of his predecessors (Carol II and Antonescu) as well as that of Kim Il Sung<ref>{{wpa|Nicolae Ceaușescu's cult of personality}}</ref>
*Carol II (Romania)<ref>{{wpa|Carol II of Romania's cult of personality}}</ref>
*[[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] (Turkey)<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-cult-of-personality-dashes-turkeys-democratic-dreams/2016/10/31/5451c1f6-9f9c-11e6-8d63-3e0a660f1f04_story.html A cult of personality dashes Turkey’s democratic dreams] (October 31, 2016) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*[[Francisco Franco]] ([[Spain]]):<ref>[https://hyperallergic.com/596046/when-photographers-created-a-cult-of-personality-around-general-franco/ When Photographers Created a Cult of Personality Around General Franco: Like Trump, Spanish dictator's appearance was not that of a majestic ruler. He had a team who studied propaganda methods and traveled to see posters, exhibitions, and ceremonies first hand.] by Miriam Basilio (October 25, 2020) ''Hyperallergic''.</ref> {{wpl|Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead|He is still dead|.}}
*[[Adolf Hitler]] ([[Nazi Germany]])<ref>{{wpa|Adolf Hitler's cult of personality}}</ref>
*Erich Honecker ([[East Germany]]) <ref> [https://wendemuseum.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/aus-meinem-leben/ From the Vault - Aus meinem Leben,] ''Wende Museum'' </ref>
*Miklós Horthy (Hungary)<ref>''A Horthy-kultusz, 1919-1944'' by Dávid Turbucz (2015) Történettudományi Intézet. ISBN 9634160115. Reviewed in [https://www.jstor.org/stable/26374360 ''A Horthy-kultusz 1919–1944'' [The Horthy cult 1919–1944] by Turbucz Dávid (2017) ''The Hungarian Historical Review'' 6(3):695-698.</ref>
*[[Enver Hoxha]] ([[Albania]])<ref>[https://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/10/05/enver-hoxhas-personality-cult-lives-todays-albania/ Enver Hoxha’s personality cult lives on in today’s Albania: Albania is changing fast in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. At the same time a dictator’s ghost seems near impossible to get rid of.] by Bardhyl Selimi (October 5, 2018) ''New Eastern Europe''.</ref>
*[[Vladimir Lenin]] and [[Joseph Stalin]] ([[Soviet Union]]). Also applies to Leonid Brezhnev to a lesser extent, with his love of giving himself medals.
*[[Slobodan Milošević]] and Aleksandar Vučić ([[Serbia]])
*[[Benito Mussolini]] ([[Italy|Fascist Italy]])
*Mehmed II and Abdul Hamid II (Ottoman Empire)
*[[Philippe Pétain]] ([[Vichy France]])<ref>[https://wolfsonianfiulibrary.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/from-verdun-to-vichy-marechal-petain-and-his-social-revolution/ From Verdun to Vichy: Maréchal Petain and his Social Revolution] ''The Wolfsonian-FIU Library''.</ref>
*Józef Piłsudski ([[Poland]]): suppressed in Communist Poland, but rehabilitated into some sort of Founding Father by the post-communist government.<ref>{{wpa|Józef Piłsudski's cult of personality}}</ref> [[Jarosław Kaczyński]], leader of Law and Justice (PiS), is following his footsteps.
*[[Vladimir Putin]] ([[Russia]]): Rehabilitating the images of both Stalin and the Czars!
*[[Margaret Thatcher]] (United Kingdom) - There has been a huge attempt to build a cult around her.  
*[[Josip Broz Tito]] ([[Yugoslavia]])<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/24381432?seq=1 Succession and the Charismatic Leader in Yugoslavia] by Milorad M. Drachkovitch (1964) ''Journal of International Affairs'' 18(1):54-66.</ref>
*{{wpl|Queen Victoria}} & {{wpl|Prince_Albert_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha|Prince Albert}}, plus [[Elizabeth II]] (United Kingdom, and any of her realms including Canada, Australia and New Zealand) 
}}

====Americas====
{{collist|2|
*Salvador Allende for the left and [[Augusto Pinochet]] for the right ([[Chile]]), though Allende's hero worship is nowhere to the extent compared to Pinochet, who had overthrown Allende and turned the country into a dictatorship.
*[[Fidel Castro]] ([[Cuba]]): even though Castro disliked the concept and his last wish was that no statues would be erected in his honor and no streets or cities be named after him<ref>[http://www.france24.com/en/20161205-cuba-fidel-castro-cult-personality-last-battle Is Castro's battle to avoid a personality cult destined to fail?] by Joseph Bamat (Issued on: 05/12/2016 - 08:09Modified: 05/12/2016 - 22:14) ''France 24''.</ref>
*[[Hugo Chávez]] and his successor Nicolás Maduro ([[Venezuela]]): Maduro and his fellow Chavistas frequently depicted himself along with pictures of Hugo Chávez and founding father Simón Bolívar).<ref>{{wpa|Hugo Chávez's cult of personality}}</ref>
*François "Papa Doc" Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier ([[Haiti]])<ref>[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,876967-2,00.html The Death and Legacy of Papa Doc Duvalier] (Jan. 17, 2011 ) ''Time''.</ref>
*[[Alberto Fujimori]] and his daughter {{wpl|Keiko Fujimori}} (Peru): along with several Fujimorist political parties<ref>{{wpa|Fujimorism}}</ref>
*[[Juan Perón]] and his wife Eva "Evita" Perón ([[Argentina]]). Cristina Kirchner and her deceased husband Néstor Kirchner followed their footsteps with Kirchnerism. However, the blind worship of [[Javier Milei]] among the "libertarian" far right is way worse (and far less justified).
*
Saint
 [[Ronald Reagan]] for [[Republican]]s and [[John F. Kennedy]] (sometimes [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], but not always [[Japanese American internment|for obvious reasons]]) for [[Democrats]],{{efn|A portion of people reading this article will be probably thinking "Why not [[Obama]]?" Simple: looking back from today, it was a very ''short'' one. The most important element of a personality cult is the usage of authority to perpetuate artificial 'apotheosis'; you don't want videos such as these lying around.<ref>[http://archive.ph/BKUyS#selection-2005.0-2005.59 http://archive.ph/BKUyS]</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZFOoqX8kJTs#! Obama Takes One Last Look At Inauguration Crowd "I'm Not Going To See This Again"] by TPM TV (Jan 21, 2013) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[http://archive.ph/BKUyS#selection-2005.0-2005.59 Some Guy Filmed President Obama Working Out In a Polish Gym] by Aleksander Chan, ''Gawker'' (archived from 7 Jun 2014 23:17:13 UTC).</ref><ref>[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Reimvk8D2Ho Marshmallow Launch at the White House Science Fair] by The Obama White House (Feb 7, 2012) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4l_-RxbFPs Obama Jokes: 'Jedi Mind Meld' Not an Option During Sequester Negotiations] by ''The New York Times'' (Mar 1, 2013) ''YouTube''.</ref> American society has an unusual tendency to [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21580779 mythologize Presidents] ([[American Revolution|ironically]], even worse than today's constitutional monarchies), and over time ignore [[Franklin D. Roosevelt#Internment of minorities|the very]] things [[Iran-Contra|which]] [[Ronald Reagan#A sterling record of fiscal conservatism|make]] them human, e.g., [[JFK]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/11/22/the-cuban-missile-crisis-almost-ended-the-world-was-it-kennedys-fault/ The Cuban missile crisis almost ended the world. Was it Kennedy’s fault?] by Max Fisher (November 22, 2013 at 1:12 p.m. PST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-man-the-myth-in-public-jfk-was-the-emblem-of-a-shining-new-age-in-private-he-was-a-drugtaking-philanderer-with-mob-links-8942600.html The man, the myth: In public, JFK was the emblem of a shining new age. In private, he was a drug-taking philanderer with Mob links] by Mark White (17 November 2013 01:00) ''The Independent''.</ref>
But who knows what will happen in 50 years to the legacy of the first POTUS who transcended the barriers of race. (We'd like an objective account, thanks.)}} and the [[Founding Fathers]] in general.<ref group=note>[[Thomas Jefferson]] in particular is practically a God to [[Libertarian]]s who love quoting him whenever they need to explain their beliefs on certain subjects, and is the namesake of the [[free speech]] group the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, who run the Jefferson Muzzle Awards (think the Golden Raspberry Awards but for [what libertarians perceive as] violations of the First Amendment instead of bad movies, and not as racist and homophobic as the Razzies are)</ref> Not to mention [[Donald Trump|Donald "I Alone Can Fix It" Trump]]<ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/449604/donald-trump-supporters-republicans-cults-personality Personality vs. Party] by Jonah Goldberg *July 18, 2017 4:05 PM) ''National Review''.</ref><ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/republicans-have-built-a-cult-of-personalty-around-trump-2021-3 Republicans have built a cult of personality around Trump that glosses over his disgraced presidency] by John Haltiwanger (Mar 4, 2021, 2:00 PM) ''Business Insider''.</ref> (USA)
*Alfredo Stroessner ([[Paraguay]])<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2006/08/17/alfredo-stroessner/c812251d-536a-488c-b0cc-504b9dc6a49c/ Alfredo Stroessner] by Adam Bernstein (August 17, 2006) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*[[Rafael Trujillo]] (Dominican Republic)
*[[Nayib Bukele]] (El Salvador)
*[[Álvaro Uribe]] ([[Colombia]])<ref>[https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/03/04/uribe-checks-out/ Uribe Checks Out: Washington's most reliable ally in Latin America, the Colombian president, is on his way out. That's a good thing.] by Adam Isacson (March 4, 2010, 7:39 PM) ''Foreign Policy''.</ref>
*Getúlio Vargas ([[Brazil]]),<ref>"I Choose This Means to Be With You Always": Getúlio Vargas's ''Carta Testamento'' by Thomas D. Rogers (2006). In: ''Vargas and Brazil: New Perspectives'', edited by Jens R. Hentschke. Pages 227-255. ISBN 9780230601758.</ref> and currently {{wpl|Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva|Lula}} for the left and [[Jair Bolsonaro]] for the right.
}}

====Africa====
{{collist|2|
*Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisia)<ref>[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-tunisias-ben-ali-a-cult-of-personality-ends-2011jan14-story.html Tunisia’s Ben Ali: A cult of personality ends] by Bouazza ben Bouazza & Angela Doland (
Jan. 14, 2011 12:24 PM PT) ''AP'' via ''The San Diago Union-Tribune''.</ref>
*[[Idi Amin]] ([[Uganda]]): gave himself the title "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE (Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular), Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas".
*Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir ([[Sudan]])<ref>[https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-protests-in-sudan-is-change-finally-on-the-horizon/ IntelBrief: Protests in Sudan: Is Change Finally on the Horizon?] (January 3, 2019) ''The Soufan Center''.</ref>
*Jean-Bédel Bokassa, later Emperor Bokassa I (Central African Republic): briefly reformed the country into the Central African Empire.<ref>[https://theweek.com/articles/925204/conscripted-into-emperors-private-orchestra Conscripted into the emperor's private orchestra] by Inna Lazareva (January 10, 2021) ''The Week''.</ref>
*[[Muammar al-Gaddafi]] ([[Libya]])<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/23/muammar-gaddafi-cult-personality Muammar Gaddafi's cult of personality has finally crumbled] by Daniel Kawczynski (23 Feb 2011 10.28 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>
*[[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], Hosni Mubarak,<ref name="Mirak-Weissbach2012">{{cite book|author=Muriel Mirak-Weissbach|title=Madmen at the Helm: Pathology and Politics in the Arab Spring|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RHYCBzgt0sQC&pg=RA2-PA1|date=1 May 2012|publisher=Garnet Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-0-86372-457-2|page=2}}</ref> and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi<ref name="Teller2014">{{cite book|author=Neville Teller|title=The Search for Détente:: Israel and Palestine 2012-2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IAwdBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA315|date=28 September 2014|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78306-592-9|page=315}}</ref> ([[Egypt]]): following in the well trodden footsteps of their Pharaonic predecessors.
*Mobutu Sese Seko ([[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Zaïre]]): his concept of ''authenticité'',<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/051797zaire-mobutu.html Anatomy of an Autocracy: Mobutu's 32-Year Reign] by Howard W. French (May 17, 1997) ''The New York Times''.</ref> his appearance on nearly all banknotes during his rule<ref>{{wpa|Zairean zaire}}</ref>
*[[Robert Mugabe]] (Zimbabwe), similar to Amin, his regime gained a sizable personality cult.<ref>https://pure.rug.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/703735182/The_Zimbabwean_State_and_the_Case_of_Robert_Mugabe.pdf</ref>
}}

====Asia & Oceania====
[[File:J9311AnyatamChapelSan Ildefonsofvf 17.JPG|thumb|180px|right|{{wpl|Lorna Silverio}} has her name scrawled on a barangay (read: village) hall signage.]]
{{collist|2|
*King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his son, King Vajiralongkorn ([[Thailand]]): lèse-majesté laws can lead to a 70-year sentence for insulting the Thai royal family. Although King Bhumibol Adulyadej personally opposed the laws, the Thai military junta uses it to suppress dissidents.
*Hafez al-Assad and his son, [[Bashar al-Assad]] ([[Syria]])
*[[Aung San Suu Kyi]] (
[[Burma]]
 Myanmar)<ref>[https://thediplomat.com/2018/07/myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-and-the-cult-of-personality/  Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi and the Cult of Personality: Aung San Suu Kyi’s cult of personality is continuously projected within Myanmar even while it expires internationally.] by David I. Steinberg (July 14, 2018) ''The Diplomat''.</ref>
*[[Chiang Kai-shek]] and his son Chiang Ching-kuo ([[China]] and later [[Taiwan]])<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/20192577 The Production of the Chiang Kai-Shek Personality Cult, 1929-1975] by Jeremy E. Taylor (2006) ''The China Quarterly'' 185:96-110.</ref>
*[[Rodrigo Duterte]] ([[Philippines]])<ref>[https://www.aseantoday.com/2020/02/a-cult-of-personality-dutertes-popularity-remains-high-despite-disagreements-on-foreign-policy/ A cult of personality: Duterte’s popularity remains high despite disagreements on foreign policy] by Zachary Frye (February 5, 2020) ''ASEAN Today''.</ref>
*Emperor Shōwa [Hirohito] ([[Japan]]): until 1945 the Japanese imperial clan claimed to be descendants from the Sun goddess Amaterasu; this claim was especially emphasized starting with the Meiji emperor. The American occupation put an end to it.
*Ho Chi Minh ([[Vietnam]]): has a {{wpl|Ho Chi Minh City|city}} named after him.
*[[Saddam Hussein]] ([[Iraq]])<ref>''Saddam Hussein's Ba'th Party: Inside an Authoritarian Regime'' by Joseph Sassoon (2012) Cambridge University Press. ISBN 052119301X. Chapter 6: The Personality Cult of Saddam Hussein.</ref>
*[[Ayatollah Khomeini]] (and by extension, [[Ayatollah Khamenei]]) ([[Iran]])<ref>[https://english.alarabiya.net/perspective/features/2017/05/11/ANALYSIS-The-personality-cult-of-Ruhollah-Khomeini The personality cult of Ruhollah Khomeini] by Tony Duheaume (Published: 11 May, 2017: 12:00 AM GST; Updated: 20 May, 2020: 10:51 AM GST) ''Alarabiya News''.</ref>
*[[Kim Il Sung]] ("Eternal President" even after his death), [[Kim Jong Il|his son]], and then [[Kim Jong-un|his grandson]] ([[North Korea]])
*[[Mao Zedong|Chairman Mao]] and [[Xi Jinping|Xi "Winnie the Pooh" Jinping]]<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11279204/Xi-Jinping-the-growing-cult-of-Chinas-Big-Daddy-Xi.html "Xi Jinping: the growing cult of China's 'Big Daddy Xi'"] by Tom Phillips (8 December 2014) ''Daily Telegraph''.</ref><ref>{{wpa|Xi Jinping's cult of personality}}</ref> (China): Mao was literally worshiped, had loyalty dances and inspired a Cultural Revolution because his relative power in the Communist Party was shrinking. His successors, up until Xi, deliberately went out of their way to avoid building personality cults.
*Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines)<ref>{{wpa|Ferdinand Marcos's cult of personality}}</ref>
*[[Narendra Modi]] (India)<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/modi-cult-of-personality/2021/03/18/dc7ee180-8773-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html India, the world’s largest democracy, is now powered by a cult of personality: How Prime Minister Narendra Modi refashioned his governing party.] by Kapil Komireddi (March 18, 2021 at 12:09 p.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*Nursultan Nazarbayev ([[Kazakhstan]]): the capital of Kazakhstan was renamed Nur-Sultan in his honor after his resignation.
*Jawaharlal Nehru and the Gandhian dynasty ([[India]])
*Saparmurat Niyazov ([[Turkmenistan]]: aka Türkmenbaşy (lit. Father of all Turkmen. Read his book three times get into heaven free!),<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12316714 Niyazov's Cult of Personality Grips Turkmenistan] by Kristen Gillespie (August 9, 200712:00 AM ET) ''NPR''.</ref> and his successor Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.<ref>[https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan_berdymukhammedov_cult_of_personality/24482468.html Turkmenistan: My Personality Cult Is Better Than Yours] by Farangis Najibullah (February 13, 2012 12:44 GMT) ''Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty''.</ref>
*Park Chung-Hee ([[South Korea]])<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/477334CE20A83C6824039F9626D355DD/S0021911817000821a.pdf/occult_of_personality_koreas_candlelight_protests_and_the_impeachment_of_park_geunhye.pdf The Occult of Personality: Korea’s CandlelightProtests and the Impeachment of Park Geun-hye] by Jamie Doucette (2017) ''The Journal of Asian Studies'' 76(4):851–860. doi:10.1017/S0021911817000821.</ref>
*Ali Abdullah Saleh ([[Yemen]])<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/obituaries/ali-saleh-dead.html Ali Abdullah Saleh, Strongman Who Helped Unite Yemen, and Divide It, Dies at 75] by Scott Shane (Dec. 4, 2017) ''The New York Times''.</ref>
*[[Suharto]]<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/indonesia/94.htm Indonesia] ''ABRI: Country Studies''.</ref> and Sukarno ([[Indonesia]])
*[[Shinzo Abe]] (Japan): The idol for Japanese [[Netto-uyoku]]
}}

A lesser but still ridiculous example would be the so-called {{wpl|Epal (politics)|"epal"}} politicians in the [[Philippines]] who have a fetish for plastering their names and imagery all over public works projects they spearheaded. While legislation has been proposed to put a stop to such vanity face-pasting and other such shameless propaganda,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ph.news.yahoo.com/%E2%80%98anti-epal%E2%80%99-bill--no-more-self-praise-on-posters.html |title='Anti-epal' bill: No more self-praise on posters – Yahoo! News Philippines |publisher=Ph.news.yahoo.com |date=2011-11-08 |access-date=2013-09-17}}</ref> the practice of ''epal'' politics still remains rampant in the country with some politicians defending it, maintaining that it is done mainly to inform the (already ignorant) masses that this mayor or congressman was behind that particular project.<ref name=bandila1>{{cite web |people= |date=4 November 2011|title=Anti-epal bill pinuri sa networking sites, Pero kinontra ng isang mambabatas|trans-title=Anti-epal bill praised in networking sites, but was opposed by one lawmaker|type=Television broadcast|language=fil|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJA1J8P5-Ls|access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |time= |location= |work=Bandila|publisher=ABS-CBN|id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |via=YouTube|ref=}}</ref> In 2026 the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued a memorandum in an effort to curb the practice, which essentially forced provincial, city, municipal and barangay{{efn|A political subunit in the Philippines roughly equating to a village.}} officials to remove any identifying symbol or likeness of public officials on signages and other materials for projects funded by public money.<ref name="noepal">{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2026 |title=ANTI-EPAL DRIVE: DILG Orders Immediate Removal of Officials’ Names and Images from Government Projects |url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/anti-epal-drive-dilg-orders-immediate-removal-of-officials-names-and-images-from-government-projects/ |access-date=2026-02-02 |website=Philippine Information Agency |language=en-US}}</ref> Whether this will eventually bring an end to such narcissistic practices in Philippine politics or not remains to be seen; one mayor in the province of Cavite tried to [[Rationalization#Psychology|reason out]] his practice of sticking his mug onto project streamers and other material, claiming that he did so for the purposes of [[Bullshit|"accountability"]], but knowing them, it's vanity politicking at its finest.<ref name="carranza">{{Cite web |title=The mayor of Silang, Cavite tries to reason out his practice of sticking his mug onto project banners. |url=https://imgur.com/a/RR8bXxB |access-date=2026-02-09 |website=Imgur |language=en}}</ref>

===Other political figures===
[[File:GuerrilleroHeroico2.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Guevara: the personality cult pose. Find it on a t-shirt near you!]]
{{collist|2|
*Stepan Bandera ([[Ukraine]]): After being suppressed for decades by the USSR, Bandera's Ukrainian Insurgent Army is officially commemorated by the current Ukrainian government, despite being responsible for collaboration with the Nazis and {{wpl|Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia|massacring Poles|.}}
*{{wpl|Felix Dzerzhinsky}} (USSR/East Germany): Founder of the Cheka secret police which led to become the [[KGB]]. Statues and busts of founder can be found in all the buildings of KGB and the Stasi, plus the Stasi's own regiment was named him, the Wachregiment "Feliks E. Dzierzyński". 
*Lei Feng (China): Supposedly a soldier from the {{wpl|People's Liberation Army}} who lived from 1940 to 1962, he has been used for various [[CCP]] [[propaganda]] campaigns, with a well known slogan being "follow the example of Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习). His personality cult was mainly used to prop up Mao's, as the most famous potrait of him depicted him carrying Mao's "Little Red Book".
*[[Che Guevara]] (Argentina/Cuba)
*Meir Kahane (USA/[[Israel]]): Founder of the [[Jewish Defense League]], considered a terrorist group in both Israel and the USA. Fellow JDL member Baruch Goldstein, who murdered 29 Palestinians, is similarly regarded by extremist Zionists.
*[[Joseph Kony]] (Uganda): leader of the [[Lord's Resistance Army]]<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/08/joseph-kony-lords-resistance-army Q&A: Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army: Former choirboy from Uganda leads a militia with an unparalleled reputation for brutality who pillage, rape and mutilate] by Julian Borger (8 Mar 2012 13.21 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>
*René Lévesque ([[Canada|Quebec]]): practically a god to Québécois independence activists (despite having been born in Campbellton, New Brunswick) and supporters of Quebec Bill 101 (the Charter of the French Language) (even if René was more moderate on language than some of the PQ, and would have resigned as leader rather than eliminate English-language public schools as some party members proposed), and one of the main streets in Montreal is named for him. Camille Laurin, creator of Bill 101, is similarly regarded, though nowhere to the extent compared to ''Mon cher René''.
*Ingrid Newkirk and other [[PETA]] activists such as Dan Mathews (mostly USA)<ref>[https://film.avclub.com/i-am-an-animal-the-story-of-ingrid-newkirk-and-peta-1798203670 I Am An Animal: The Story Of Ingrid Newkirk And PETA] by Nathan Rabin (1/22/08 11:01PM) ''AV Club''.</ref>
*[[Ayn Rand]] and her Randroids (USA)
*Rafael del Riego (Spain): {{wpl|Himno de Riego|one of the old Spanish national anthems}} was dedicated to him
*Maximilien Robespierre (France): Figurehead of the "Reign of Terror" phase of the [[French Revolution]]
}}

===Religious and anti-religious personalities===
[[File:Shoko-asahara-yogic-flying.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Asahara: "Rise above! We're gonna rise above!"]]
{{collist|2|
*[[Shoko Asahara]] (Japan): founder of the [[Aum Shinrikyo]] cult
*[[Ryuho Okawa]] (Japan): self-proclaimed "Master" of the [[Happy Science]] group 
*[[Richard Dawkins]] and the [[New Atheism|New Atheist]] "Four Horsemen" in general for atheists (mostly UK): [[Irony|Once heroes to many liberals]]… until half<ref group=note>[[Christopher Hitchens]] seemed to have survived this downfall, even despite his usual oddities. Dennet seems okay too, for now.</ref> moved in the opposite political direction (for example: [[Sam Harris]]'s support for [[racial profiling]] and [[torture]], and his supporters' attempts to normalize his near-[[Islamophobia]], and Dawkins falling down a similar rabbit hole).
*[[Jim Jones]] and his equally disastrous "[[Kool-Aid drinker]]s" (USA)
*[[David Koresh]] and the disaster we know as Waco (USA)
*[[Falun Gong|Li Hongzhi]] (China): self-proclaimed "Main Buddha of the Universe"
*[[Phyllis Schlafly]] (USA): Andrew's mother and practically a god to many [[antifeminist]]s and [[homophobe]]s
}}

===Crime===
*[[Charles Manson]] and his "Family" (USA)<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/slightly-blighty/201711/charles-manson-the-cult-personality-surrounding-killer Charles Manson: The Cult of Personality Surrounding a Killer] by Raj Persaud & Peter Bruggen (Nov 20, 2017) ''Psychology Today''.</ref>
*Keith Raniere and [[NXIVM]]
*[[Andrew Tate]]
*Luigi Mangione
*[[Jeffrey Epstein]]
*[[Apollo Quiboloy]]

===Technology===
*[[Steve Jobs]] (USA): co-founder of Apple Computers known for his showmanship and obnoxiously perfectionist behavior<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-15194365 The cult of Steve Jobs] by Kate Dailey (7 October 2011) ''BBC News''.</ref>
*[[Elon Musk]] (USA): (in)famous businessman and engineer known for his batshit insane approach to new technologies. [[Hyperloop]] anyone?<ref>[https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/elon-musk-cult/ Elon Musk: The Cult of the Controversial Businessman: Is the SpaceX and Tesla entrepreneur really a visionary, or is it all modern-day myth-making?] by Ian Nordin (February 15, 2020) ''Study Break''.</ref> Musk declared himself 'technoking' in 2021.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/15/investing/elon-musk-technoking-of-tesla/index.html Elon Musk is now 'Technoking' of Tesla. Seriously] by Chris Isidore (6:34 PM ET, Mon March 15, 2021) ''CNN''.</ref>
* [[Richard Stallman]] (USA): [[open source|free sofware/open source]] advocate and creator of the GNU libraries, which are the backbone of the [[Linux]] operating system. Noted for ghosting people who don't called Linux, GNU/Linux and making fun of those who use Vi program for coding instead of Emacs.

In the technology world there a number of what is known as ''{{wpl|benevolent dictator for life|benevolent dictators for life|'',}} people who are like unofficial gurus of a particular project who become the final say of a project and its actions. However no cult is based around them. For instance; Linus Torvalds for Linux and Eugen Rochko for [[Social media platforms#Fediverse .26 Mastodon|Mastodon]].

===In pop culture===
For various reasons, the idea of a personality cult is entering pop culture spheres, sometimes as just another set piece (such as in {{wpl|Cult of Personality (song)|''Cult of Personality''}} by Living Colour in 1988), but sometimes it's a major element of a movie. An example is the [[Germany|German]] film ''The Wave'' (originally made in 1981 and remade in 2008). The movie was based on the social [[experiment]] called "[[Third Wave]]" created by {{wpl|Ron Jones (teacher)|Ron Jones|,}} and is about a German teacher who attempts to show his high school students what [[fascism]] is. As a result, he accidentally creates a personality cult that leads to large amounts of vandalism, an attempted [[murder]], and a [[suicide]] when the instructor (Wenger) tells his students that the experiment is over. The 2001 German thriller film ''Das Experiment'' is somewhat similar. The [[Fun:God|Emperor of Mankind]] is also a fine example.

==Bad attempts==
There have been in bad attempts to create cults of personality on certain individuals, only to flop usually because the person doesn't much of a personality in the first place. Examples include [[East Germany]]'s {{wpl|Ernst Thälmann}} who the government initially called their youth wing Thälmann Pioneers, and {{wpl|Walter Ulbricht||,}} who famously made a old-man-yells-at-cloud speech about pop music. British far-right wingers have tried British Union of Fascists's [[Oswald Mosley]], by calling him "Leader". In a modern context there has been an attempt to build a cult of personality around [[Margaret Thatcher]]; with the Thatcher Room at 10 Downing Street, a former study at the prime minister residence, the [https://www.margaretthatcher.org/about Margaret Thatcher Foundation], a conservative neoliberal thinktank, and several statues including one in the Westminster Guildhall and the other in hometown of Grantham which have both been attacked.<ref> [https://londonist.com/london/history/margaret-thatcher-statue-decapitated-guildhall-art-gallery When Margaret Thatcher's Statue Was Decapitated With A Cricket Bat (And A Metal Pole)], ''The Londonist'' </ref><ref> [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-65708970 Grantham statue of Margaret Thatcher vandalised again], ''BBC News Lincolnshire'' </ref>

The [[John Birch Society]] named themselves after a then-deceased [[Baptist]] [[missionary]] and low-ranked US Army officer during [[World War II]] in China. The Society trotted out a [[hagiography]], puffing up the minimal factual information that was known about him.<ref>[https://jbs.org/about/john-birch/ Who is John Birch?] ''The John Birch Society''.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Great man theory]]

==External links==
*{{wpa|On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Totalitarianism]]

Categories: Authoritarianism, Culture, Cults, Political terms, Psychology, Totalitarianism