In Stalin's Russia, how was propaganda and the purges used to strengthen his position?

Propaganda was used to create a glorified and idealised image of Stalin which eventually reached its apex with the Cult of Stalin. By presenting himself as this paternal/god like figure, Stalin was able to forge blind loyalty towards himself and the state. Uniting everyone behind him and encouraging people to work harder for the good of the collective. One major example of this was seen in the Stakhanovite movement in which it was alleged that Alexei Stakhanov mined over 102 tonnes in a 6 hour shift. The Stakhanovite movement increased competition between miners and therefore boosted rates of production. The purges were used to solidify Stalin's position within the communist party. The purges were instigated after growing fears of opposition and after failures in productivity were suspected to be the results of sabotage, rather than the incompetence of government officials. Between 1936-38 the Great Terror saw the murder of around 1 million and the imprisonment of over 7 million into gulags. The purges undoubtedly resulted in creating an atmosphere of fear and suspicion but severely weakened the army - 13/15 of red army generals were purged. Nevertheless, the purges worked to sculpt a party loyal to Stalin.