ABSTRACT
The war raised Stalin’s stature to new heights; afterwards he basked inthe reflected glory of military success. The years which separate 1945from his death on 5 March 1953 saw the cult of his personality reach astounding heights. He became the true charismatic leader. There was always an air of mystery about him. He was not given to much internal travel, and Khrushchev maintained that he only knew the country and agriculture from film which, of course, had been deliberately touched up. Stalin was also sparing in his public appearances. In a pre-television era most citizens knew him only from newspaper photographs. The films in which he appeared presented him in heroic colours with no sign of the pock marks on his face. Like many short men – he was only about 1.6 metres in height – he was acutely conscious of the fact, and portraits and films give the deliberate impression of a taller man.
