Joseph Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and political leader who served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. He was one of the most influential figures in the history of the Soviet Union, and his policies and leadership had a
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held office as the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as the premier from 1941 until his death. Despite initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he eventually consolidated power to become a dictator by the 1930s. Stalin codified the Communist Party's official interpretation of Marxism as Marxism–Leninism, and his version of it is referred to as Stalinism.