The Sacralization of Politics and Leadership Cults

The Italian historian Emilio Gentile has talked about the “sacralization of politics” under Mussolini. Leadership cults—whether of the Duce, Hitler or Stalin—helped to unify and integrate populations and reconcile them to otherwise unpopular regimes.  Such a “sacralization of politics” involved lavish spending on monumental buildings and rallying grounds, propaganda exhibitions and publications. Mass rallies, parades and marches offered ritual and projected a sense of power which underlined the atomization and impotence of the individual. In a world of enemies, the Leader offered inspiration and security.

--Mark Mazower, Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (New York: Vintage Books, 2000), 37.