Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953), Russian political leader. As generalsecretary of the Communist Party, he expelled those who opposed him and ordered the arrest and deportation to Siberia (a part of Russia, in northern Asia where Russian criminals were exiled or imprisoned) and northern Russia of tens of thousands of members of the opposition. He became premier of the Soviet Union in 1941, and established himself as virtual dictator. Millions of Russian farmers and their families were uprooted by Stalin's police and exiled to Siberia for resisting his plans to collectivize their villages, abolishing private ownership. —9th ACC Volume 3 Approved Glossary