Was the cult of personality a useful tool for Stalin between 1929 and 1956?

With a question like this it is important to plan. Take 5-15 minutes to do this before writing (depending on how many marks it is worth and how much time you are given) to make sure your answer is structured and coherent - make sure not to waffle - its so easy to put everything down on the page at once, but the best answers are structured and logical. And examiners LOVE a plan - it shows you've thought the question through and know where you are going. Make sure to set out a clear judgement in the intro, weave it into every paragraph, and restate it in the conclusion.With history essays questions should be answered either thematically or chronologically. If we were to do it chronologically we might split it into pre-Second World War, during, post-war, and the period after Stalin's death in 1952. Thematically we might divide it into describing the Cult of Personality (its methods and effectiveness), Stalin's use of terror, the Stalinist political structures, and finally de-Stalinisation (with a focus on the Secret Speech - the relevance of 1956). It is always important to be nuanced in these questions - life isn't black and white, so a simple yes or no to the question may not be the best response. For example you could say yes it was an effective tool in his lifetime, but only worked due to being supported by the terror and the political system he built, and the process of de-stalinsation following his death shows how weak the cult really was.