Stalin's rehearsed speeches and hierarchy of public praise

Research staff supplied quotations, statistics, and subject material, while Stalin selected what to use and prepared his own delivery. Question-and-answer forms and repetition were intended to make the rehearsed speeches persuasive. Publication of photographs required approval, and different poses supported images of a soldier, a caring father, or a victorious war leader. Newspaper descriptions established a hierarchy below Stalin, with praise adjusted to each official's standing. Regional leaders could hold immense power while occupying a lower place in that public order. The account links the multiplying ranks of bosses with the concentration of personal rule.