To add another interesting point: the anti-communist west itself exaggerates to its own audience, the cult of personality for these leaders, even where one barely existed, or at least to a much lesser degree. Why? Because a really simple trick (that works well on gullible westerners), is to claim that a country is entirely controlled by a single “authoritarian” leader, and then blame all the country’s faults on that one person.

They did it with Mao, Stalin, Fidel, and they’re doing it now with Xi, Maduro, etc. People are barely aware that the Xi was elected by 3000 members of the NPC, they think all these leaders appointed themselves somehow lol.

I also encourage people to read the statements of Stalin or Mao comparing themselves or their achievements to Lenin or other precursors, Stalin tried to resign many times and wasn’t allowed to do so.