Georgi dimitrov: Three manifestations of his cult

Abstract

The cult of Georgi Dimitrov, first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, long predated his appointment as leader of the communist state of Bulgaria in 1945. He was one of the few non-Soviet communists who had achieved a high degree of international popularity, at least among their own movement from his revolutionary, illegal activity mainly in Austria and Germany during the 1920s and 30s. Dimitrov’s popularity was mainly associated with his performance at the Reichstag trial in Leipzig in 1933. The trial helped him to make a career in Soviet exile as the general secretary of the Communist International (Comintern) from 1935 to 1943. In this position he became an object of a cult within the framework of public celebrations in Moscow - to a lesser degree than Stalin himself, but on a similar level with other high Soviet functionaries.