At the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party in 1956, Nikita
Khrushchev denounced Josef Stalin's "Cult of Personality" in the
so-called "Secret Speech." He declared, "It is impermissible and
foreign to the spirit of Marxism-Leninism to elevate one person,
to transform him into a superman possessing supernatural
characteristics akin to those of a god." A cult of personality
arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other
methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often
through unquestioning flattery and praise . Sociologist Max
Weber developed a tripartite classification of authority; the
cult of personality holds parallels with what Weber defined as
"charismatic authority ". A cult of personality is similar to
hero worship, except that it is established by mass media and
propaganda. On August 10, 2002, the government of Turkmenistan
adopted a law to rename all the months and most of the days of
week. The names were chosen according to Turkmen national
symbols, as described in