Allies of Lenin disappear and are replaced by support columns, shadows, &tc. These days we use Photoshop. In older times it was the airbrush.
There are photos of Stalin amidst numerous allies. And as they were put on trial and executed, they disappear one by one until he is left standing alone.
Further, using darkroom skills, Stalin had himself inserted into important moments of Soviet history where he'd never been; implying that Lenin couldn't have done it without him.
A secure regime admits its historical embarrassments and errors. An unstable regime tries to legitimize itself by fabricating its history.
Dante
Note: this sculpture's nipples were cropped by Dante prior to submission as a Sigpic