Stalinism
noun
Sta·lin·ism
ˈstä-lə-ˌni-zəm 
ˈsta-
: the political, economic, and social principles and policies associated with Stalin
especially
: the theory and practice of communism developed by Stalin from Marxism-Leninism and marked especially by rigid authoritarianism, widespread use of terror, and often emphasis on Russian nationalism
Examples of Stalinism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Medieval threat to democracy The rhetoric of absolving Stalinism goes hand in hand with popularizing the state’s version of the Russian Middle Ages through public media channels.
—
Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
This critique involved not just intellectuals on the left, but also famous American realists who played a key part in rallying U.S. liberal opinion to resist Nazism and Stalinism.
—Anatol Lieven, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Again, Breaking With Trump Caroline Ellison, Star Witness in FTX Case, Should Receive Lenient Sentence, Prosecutors Signal
Trumpism, Stalinism and the Tariff Debate
An 8-Year-Old Ohio Girl Takes a Solo Drive to Target in Family’s SUV
Trump and Other Presidents Embrace Golf.
—New York Times, 17 Sep. 2024
In English class, some students might read Animal Farm as an allegory for Stalinism, while others see it as a story about talking animals.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2024
And sometimes, this language which is used by the authorities could be compared with the language of Stalinism, the situation of the late 1940s and early 1950s, in terms of rhetoric, the absurdity of this rhetoric, and the absurdity of repressions.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
Putinism has a chance to outlive Putin, but Russian history, including the history of Stalinism, shows that as soon as an autocrat disappears, a new era of liberalization can begin.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin has revived Stalinism—so effectively, in fact, that in 2019, 70 percent of Russians approved of Stalin and his policies, according to a Levada Center poll.
—Kaja Kallas, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2022
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Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
This critique involved not just intellectuals on the left, but also famous American realists who played a key part in rallying U.S. liberal opinion to resist Nazism and Stalinism.
—Anatol Lieven, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Again, Breaking With Trump Caroline Ellison, Star Witness in FTX Case, Should Receive Lenient Sentence, Prosecutors Signal
Trumpism, Stalinism and the Tariff Debate
An 8-Year-Old Ohio Girl Takes a Solo Drive to Target in Family’s SUV
Trump and Other Presidents Embrace Golf.
—New York Times, 17 Sep. 2024
In English class, some students might read Animal Farm as an allegory for Stalinism, while others see it as a story about talking animals.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2024
And sometimes, this language which is used by the authorities could be compared with the language of Stalinism, the situation of the late 1940s and early 1950s, in terms of rhetoric, the absurdity of this rhetoric, and the absurdity of repressions.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
Putinism has a chance to outlive Putin, but Russian history, including the history of Stalinism, shows that as soon as an autocrat disappears, a new era of liberalization can begin.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin has revived Stalinism—so effectively, in fact, that in 2019, 70 percent of Russians approved of Stalin and his policies, according to a Levada Center poll.
—Kaja Kallas, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Stalinism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Stalinism. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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