Joseph Stalin

Definition

Joseph Stalin was a Soviet political leader who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party and Premier of the Soviet Union. His rule, from mid-1920s until his death in 1953, is marked by policies of industrialization, collectivization, and authoritarian control.

Related terms

Five-Year Plans: A series of nationwide centralized economic plans in the Soviet Union initiated under Stalin to rapidly industrialize the country.

Great Purge: A campaign of political repression in the Soviet Union which occurred from 1936 to 1938 where millions were persecuted for being "enemies" of communism.

Collectivization: A policy implemented by Stalin that involved consolidation individual landholdings into collective farms known as "kolkhozes" and "sovkhozes".