Joseph V. (Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili or Dzugashvili), 1879–1953, Soviet political leader: secretary general of the Communist party 1922–53; premier of the U.S.S.R. 1941–53.
Sta·lin (stä'lĭn, stāl'ĭn) Soviet politician. The successor of Lenin, he was general secretary of the Communist Party (1922-1953) and premier (1941-1953) of the USSR. His rule was marked by the exile of Trotsky (1929), a purge of the government and military, the forced collectivization of agriculture, a policy of industrialization, and a victorious but devastating role for the Soviets in World War II.