Kult jednostki w epoce komunizmu: obchody 60 urodzin Mátyása Rákosiego w świetle węgierskiej prasy
The cult of the leader in the communist era: celebration of Mátyás Rákosi’s 60th birthday in Hungarian press

Summary/Abstract: A cult of the leader was an element of the communist system in the Stalinist era. The symptom of that phenomenon was the celebration of the sixtieth birthday of Hungarian communist leader Mátyás Rákosi. The celebration and preparation were widely described in Hungarian press – one of the most important propaganda instrument – used by the communists to influence the society. The analysis of four daily papers indicates that regime’s aim was to strengthen the appropriate image of Rákosi. Furthermore, it was necessary to mobilize the workers to undertake birthday commitments to increase production and to execute the five-year plan. A huge number of press articles combined with their enthusiastic undertone were supposed to exert pressure on readers pushing them to enter a competition movement.

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