The Ascension of the Ordinary Man: How the Personality Cult of Kim Il-Sung Was Constructed (1945–1974)

This article deals with the history of the creation of the personality cult of Kim Il-sung—the first ruler of North Korea. It presents new information regarding the cult, which the author obtained through various North Korean and Soviet sources, as well as a new model for the understanding of its creation process. The author’s central contention is that the history of the cult can be presented as a three-stage process. The first stage, which lasted from 1945 to 1950, was characterized by North Korea being under complete Soviet control and all important decisions regarding the cult being made by Kim Il-sung’s Soviet supervisors. The second one— from 1950 to 1967—was a period when Kim Il-sung, who wanted to strengthen his cult, had nevertheless to act carefully, considering the circumstances, such as war, and the political situation in the communist bloc. Finally, during the third period—from 1967 and afterwards, Kim Il-sung was independent in his decision making, so his cult was revived and soon surpassed its original—the Soviet cult of Stalin.