The notion of “diaspora collection” and its relationship to the concept of “cultural opposition” ... more The notion of “diaspora collection” and its relationship to the concept of “cultural opposition” in the countries of the former Soviet bloc warrants an explanation. The term does not simply denote collections that were compiled “abroad,” by émigré intellectuals or exiled dissenters. Intellectuals who had emigrated did not always engage with their fellow expatriates, nor did they necessarily participate in the life of diaspora communities and organizations. One of the most prominent examples of a non-conformist cultural figure in exile who remained reluctant to get involved in the activities of diaspora groups was Andrei Siniavskii. The Siniavskii collection in the Hoover Institute highlights not only the blurred boundary between non-conformism and opposition, but also the importance of making a conceptual distinction between the more generic notion of “collections abroad” and “diaspora collections.”1 “Diaspora collections” should also be differentiated from collections that were est...
This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the c... more This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the cult of the Hungarian Communist Party Secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, one of the most striking examples of orchestrated adulation in the Soviet bloc. While his cult never approached the magnitude of that of Stalin, Rákosi’s ambition to outshine the other “best disciples” and become the best of the best was manifest in his diligence in promoting a Soviet-type following in Hungary. The main argument of Balázs Apor is that the cult of personality is not just a curious aspect of communist dictatorship, it is an essential element of it. The monograph is primarily concerned with techniques and methods of cult construction, as well as the role various institutions played in the creation of mythical representations of political fi gures. Separate chapters present visual and non-visual methods of cult construction. The author engages with a wider international literature on Stalinist cults in an impressive manner. Apor uses the case of Rákosi to explore how personality cults are created, how such cults are perceived, and how they are eventually unmade. The book addresses the success—generally questionable—of such projects, as well as their uncomfortable legacies.
This article describes the concepts and approaches to Cultural Opposition used by the COURAGE pro... more This article describes the concepts and approaches to Cultural Opposition used by the COURAGE project (funded by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 programme). It examines how can the legacy of Cultural Opposition be analyzed from the perspective of the cultural heritage and collections and what are the promises of the Cultural Opposition term for the emergence of new possibilities in the historiography of the Communist Era. This article argues that the use of cultural heritage of the socialist Cultural Opposition is strongly linked to the history and trajectory of the Cultural Opposition collections, and that the analysis of the collections story offers a clearer understanding of the post-communist transformation from a different point of view.
This chapter investigates the implementation of the Stalin cult in communist Hungary during the C... more This chapter investigates the implementation of the Stalin cult in communist Hungary during the Cold War. Focusing on the Hungarian case, this chapter discusses how cult objects and images of Stalin traveled across borders, and how such images were transformed during the process of adaptation. It argues that as a transnational phenomenon, the Stalin cult was crucial in the consolidation of the “Socialist Second World.” The personality cult is often considered to be a by-product of Sovietization, generated by the paranoia and the megalomania of the Soviet dictator. The function of the cult was, however, more complex. The iconic image of Stalin offered a supranational symbol of unity for the peoples of the Soviet bloc to rally around. Thus, it had an important role in advancing the expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence after the war, and contributed to the cultural homogenization of the peripheries of the Soviet Empire. The primary function of the Stalin cult in the context of the Cold War was to advance the integration of the Soviet sphere of influence through ritual means. The 70th birthday of the leader in December 1949, which was celebrated lavishly in the countries of the bloc, thus signaled the ritual completion of Sovietization in the new Soviet borderlands and the creation of a transnational cult community.
Balázs Apor. In The Leader Cult in Communist Dictatorship: Stalin and the Eastern Bloc (2005), 63... more Balázs Apor. In The Leader Cult in Communist Dictatorship: Stalin and the Eastern Bloc (2005), 63-80. pols209 eastern_europe cult_of_personality communism. ... Tags. Leader in the Making: The Role of Biographies in Constructing the Cult of Mátyás Rákosi. by: Balázs Apor. ...
The Shadow of Colonialism on Europeâs Modern Past
The words ‘empire’, ‘colonialism’ and ‘sovietisation’ often appear together in academic and non-a... more The words ‘empire’, ‘colonialism’ and ‘sovietisation’ often appear together in academic and non-academic narratives of the Communist experience, yet very few attempts have been made to connect these concepts on a more abstract, theoretical level.1 While the notion of ‘empire’ enjoys a pivotal status in recent historiography of the Russian and Soviet past, scholarly works advocating the idea that the Soviet Union was a novel and distinct form of Empire usually do not incorporate ‘sovietisation’ into their (meta-)conceptual framework.2 In a similar way, theories of sovietisation — with a few notable exceptions — only make passing references to the imperial nature of Soviet power.3 This failing is partly due to both the strong negative connotations and the semantic complexity of the terms ‘empire’ and ‘sovietisation’. Other contributing factors include differences in their use in the vernacular and in academic contexts, the differences between their use today and in the past, and the uneven amount of attention they received from scholars. This brief chapter cannot provide a complex theoretical assessment of these terms either. It will, however, argue for the need of such a study, and will highlight one possible avenue of research that would make a combined analysis of the two notions feasible.
... By 1949, the public adoration of the party secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, reached a magnitude unpa... more ... By 1949, the public adoration of the party secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, reached a magnitude unparalleled in the Hungarian political scene. ... Such associations usually exploited the fact that the first names of the two figures were identical (Mathias is the Latin form of Mátyás). ...
The final two chapters turn to the private lives of Poles, Jews and ethnic Germans abroad. Wiebke... more The final two chapters turn to the private lives of Poles, Jews and ethnic Germans abroad. Wiebke Lisner's '"A Birth is Nothing out of the Ordinary Here. . .": Mothers, Midwives and the Private Sphere in the "Reichsgau Wartheland" 1939-1945' shows that relationships 'based on personal acquaintance, similar biographical experiences, a common language and shifting definitions of "Germanness"' created 'a degree of autonomy for ethnic German mothers and their Polish midwives'. In giving priority 'to the wishes and needs of the woman giving birth and her family', Lisner suggests, ethnic Germans and Poles were 'defying the imposition of "German" standards and the state's desire to exercise control' (330). Carlos A. Haas's final chapter, 'Transformations of the "Private": Proximity and Distance in the Spatial Confinement of the Ghettos in Occupied Poland 1939-1942' illustrates how 'massive spatial restrictions' (332) affected the character of intimacy and private life. Polish Jews may not have been aware of the Third Reich's developing plans for a 'Final Solution', but 'through the spatial aspects of German policy' the Jewish population certainly understood, 'at least to a degree, the dynamics of the indirect, later the direct, extermination' (351). Lisner's chapter is in many respects the exception to the rule in addressing explicitly the space for non-conformity and (passive) resistance, topics which receive considerably less attention in this volume than, for example, Martin Broszat, Detlev Peukert or Alf Lu¨dtke's classical studies of everyday (private) life in the Third Reich. This minor caveat aside, the volume's combination of new empirical research and theoretical sophistication is impressive, representing an important point of departure for anyone interested in the private and privacy in the Third Reich.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made withou... more All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the ...
The notion of “diaspora collection” and its relationship to the concept of “cultural opposition” ... more The notion of “diaspora collection” and its relationship to the concept of “cultural opposition” in the countries of the former Soviet bloc warrants an explanation. The term does not simply denote collections that were compiled “abroad,” by émigré intellectuals or exiled dissenters. Intellectuals who had emigrated did not always engage with their fellow expatriates, nor did they necessarily participate in the life of diaspora communities and organizations. One of the most prominent examples of a non-conformist cultural figure in exile who remained reluctant to get involved in the activities of diaspora groups was Andrei Siniavskii. The Siniavskii collection in the Hoover Institute highlights not only the blurred boundary between non-conformism and opposition, but also the importance of making a conceptual distinction between the more generic notion of “collections abroad” and “diaspora collections.”1 “Diaspora collections” should also be differentiated from collections that were est...
This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the c... more This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the cult of the Hungarian Communist Party Secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, one of the most striking examples of orchestrated adulation in the Soviet bloc. While his cult never approached the magnitude of that of Stalin, Rákosi’s ambition to outshine the other “best disciples” and become the best of the best was manifest in his diligence in promoting a Soviet-type following in Hungary. The main argument of Balázs Apor is that the cult of personality is not just a curious aspect of communist dictatorship, it is an essential element of it. The monograph is primarily concerned with techniques and methods of cult construction, as well as the role various institutions played in the creation of mythical representations of political fi gures. Separate chapters present visual and non-visual methods of cult construction. The author engages with a wider international literature on Stalinist cults in an impressive manner. Apor uses the case of Rákosi to explore how personality cults are created, how such cults are perceived, and how they are eventually unmade. The book addresses the success—generally questionable—of such projects, as well as their uncomfortable legacies.
This article describes the concepts and approaches to Cultural Opposition used by the COURAGE pro... more This article describes the concepts and approaches to Cultural Opposition used by the COURAGE project (funded by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 programme). It examines how can the legacy of Cultural Opposition be analyzed from the perspective of the cultural heritage and collections and what are the promises of the Cultural Opposition term for the emergence of new possibilities in the historiography of the Communist Era. This article argues that the use of cultural heritage of the socialist Cultural Opposition is strongly linked to the history and trajectory of the Cultural Opposition collections, and that the analysis of the collections story offers a clearer understanding of the post-communist transformation from a different point of view.
This chapter investigates the implementation of the Stalin cult in communist Hungary during the C... more This chapter investigates the implementation of the Stalin cult in communist Hungary during the Cold War. Focusing on the Hungarian case, this chapter discusses how cult objects and images of Stalin traveled across borders, and how such images were transformed during the process of adaptation. It argues that as a transnational phenomenon, the Stalin cult was crucial in the consolidation of the “Socialist Second World.” The personality cult is often considered to be a by-product of Sovietization, generated by the paranoia and the megalomania of the Soviet dictator. The function of the cult was, however, more complex. The iconic image of Stalin offered a supranational symbol of unity for the peoples of the Soviet bloc to rally around. Thus, it had an important role in advancing the expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence after the war, and contributed to the cultural homogenization of the peripheries of the Soviet Empire. The primary function of the Stalin cult in the context of the Cold War was to advance the integration of the Soviet sphere of influence through ritual means. The 70th birthday of the leader in December 1949, which was celebrated lavishly in the countries of the bloc, thus signaled the ritual completion of Sovietization in the new Soviet borderlands and the creation of a transnational cult community.
Balázs Apor. In The Leader Cult in Communist Dictatorship: Stalin and the Eastern Bloc (2005), 63... more Balázs Apor. In The Leader Cult in Communist Dictatorship: Stalin and the Eastern Bloc (2005), 63-80. pols209 eastern_europe cult_of_personality communism. ... Tags. Leader in the Making: The Role of Biographies in Constructing the Cult of Mátyás Rákosi. by: Balázs Apor. ...
The Shadow of Colonialism on Europeâs Modern Past
The words ‘empire’, ‘colonialism’ and ‘sovietisation’ often appear together in academic and non-a... more The words ‘empire’, ‘colonialism’ and ‘sovietisation’ often appear together in academic and non-academic narratives of the Communist experience, yet very few attempts have been made to connect these concepts on a more abstract, theoretical level.1 While the notion of ‘empire’ enjoys a pivotal status in recent historiography of the Russian and Soviet past, scholarly works advocating the idea that the Soviet Union was a novel and distinct form of Empire usually do not incorporate ‘sovietisation’ into their (meta-)conceptual framework.2 In a similar way, theories of sovietisation — with a few notable exceptions — only make passing references to the imperial nature of Soviet power.3 This failing is partly due to both the strong negative connotations and the semantic complexity of the terms ‘empire’ and ‘sovietisation’. Other contributing factors include differences in their use in the vernacular and in academic contexts, the differences between their use today and in the past, and the uneven amount of attention they received from scholars. This brief chapter cannot provide a complex theoretical assessment of these terms either. It will, however, argue for the need of such a study, and will highlight one possible avenue of research that would make a combined analysis of the two notions feasible.
... By 1949, the public adoration of the party secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, reached a magnitude unpa... more ... By 1949, the public adoration of the party secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, reached a magnitude unparalleled in the Hungarian political scene. ... Such associations usually exploited the fact that the first names of the two figures were identical (Mathias is the Latin form of Mátyás). ...
The final two chapters turn to the private lives of Poles, Jews and ethnic Germans abroad. Wiebke... more The final two chapters turn to the private lives of Poles, Jews and ethnic Germans abroad. Wiebke Lisner's '"A Birth is Nothing out of the Ordinary Here. . .": Mothers, Midwives and the Private Sphere in the "Reichsgau Wartheland" 1939-1945' shows that relationships 'based on personal acquaintance, similar biographical experiences, a common language and shifting definitions of "Germanness"' created 'a degree of autonomy for ethnic German mothers and their Polish midwives'. In giving priority 'to the wishes and needs of the woman giving birth and her family', Lisner suggests, ethnic Germans and Poles were 'defying the imposition of "German" standards and the state's desire to exercise control' (330). Carlos A. Haas's final chapter, 'Transformations of the "Private": Proximity and Distance in the Spatial Confinement of the Ghettos in Occupied Poland 1939-1942' illustrates how 'massive spatial restrictions' (332) affected the character of intimacy and private life. Polish Jews may not have been aware of the Third Reich's developing plans for a 'Final Solution', but 'through the spatial aspects of German policy' the Jewish population certainly understood, 'at least to a degree, the dynamics of the indirect, later the direct, extermination' (351). Lisner's chapter is in many respects the exception to the rule in addressing explicitly the space for non-conformity and (passive) resistance, topics which receive considerably less attention in this volume than, for example, Martin Broszat, Detlev Peukert or Alf Lu¨dtke's classical studies of everyday (private) life in the Third Reich. This minor caveat aside, the volume's combination of new empirical research and theoretical sophistication is impressive, representing an important point of departure for anyone interested in the private and privacy in the Third Reich.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made withou... more All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the ...
This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the c... more This book offers a detailed analysis of the construction, reception and eventual decline of the cult of the Hungarian Communist Party Secretary, Mátyás Rákosi, one of the most striking examples of orchestrated adulation in the Soviet bloc. While his cult never approached the magnitude of that of Stalin, Rákosi’s ambition to outshine the other “best disciples” and become the best of the best was manifest in his diligence in promoting a Soviet-type following in Hungary. The main argument of Balázs Apor is that the cult of personality is not just a curious aspect of communist dictatorship, it is an essential element of it.
The monograph is primarily concerned with techniques and methods of cult construction, as well as the role various institutions played in the creation of mythical representations of political fi gures. Separate chapters present visual and non-visual methods of cult construction.
The author engages with a wider international literature on Stalinist cults in an impressive manner. Apor uses the case of Rákosi to explore how personality cults are created, how such cults are perceived, and how they are eventually unmade. The book addresses the success—generally questionable—of such projects, as well as their uncomfortable legacies.
This collection of essays is the first attempt to systematically explore the Sovietization proces... more This collection of essays is the first attempt to systematically explore the Sovietization process in Central and Eastern Europe after the Second World War. Sovietization is generally understood in the book as a process with a dual dimension: it was in part an imperial project whereby the Soviet system was exported to the region, but it was also an attempt by the governments of the “people’s democracies” to adopt a Soviet way of life (self-sovietization). Sovietization was a process dictated by ideological imperatives, but it also reflected the distinctive aspect of socialist strategies of state and nation building. Sovietization is examined in the book not only in terms of the imposition of new forms of government, but also in terms of the socialist response to modernity, as reflected in approaches to new technology and management, consumption and leisure patterns, religious and educational policy, political rituals and attitudes to the past. The essays contained in the volume explore the diversity and the tensions within the Sovietization process in the countries of the region.
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Papers by Balázs Apor
The monograph is primarily concerned with techniques and methods of cult construction, as well as the role various institutions played in the creation of mythical representations of political fi gures. Separate chapters present visual and non-visual methods of cult construction.
The author engages with a wider international literature on Stalinist cults in an impressive manner. Apor uses the case of Rákosi to explore how personality cults are created, how such cults are perceived, and how they are eventually unmade. The book addresses the success—generally questionable—of such projects, as well as their uncomfortable legacies.