What years did Joseph Stalin rule?

Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union (now Russia) from 1929 until his death in 1953.

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Note: the Soviet Union was larger than Russia. The Soviet Union covered a lot of territory beyond Russia's borders. Stalin's influence also went far beyond Russia's borders to include controlling all countries behind the Iron Curtain (East Germany, Czechoslavkia, Hungary, Poland).

During Stalin's time the Soviet Union controled Lithuania, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kirgiziya, Uzbekistan and more.