Soviet Union — Stalin-era government (1924–1953)
Soviet Union
Basis for the estimate: Five-year plans, collectivization, Gulag, Great Purge, 1936 abortion ban, WWII.
Official system and how it worked in practice
| Official system | Federal socialist state (USSR) under Communist Party rule |
|---|---|
| In practice | Closed autocracy no multiparty elections for the chief executive |
“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for Russia, 1924–1953, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.
Political placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 0 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 64 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 95 | strongly toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 79 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 79 | toward intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 0 | strongly toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 90 | strongly toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 79 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 75 | toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 100 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 50 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 100 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 79 | toward intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 38 | near the center |
Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.
Key positions (estimated)
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion should be illegal in most or all cases. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Governments should be able to require vaccination during a public health emergency. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| A single ruling party can govern more effectively than a competitive multiparty system. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Foreign wars should be avoided unless national territory is directly threatened. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| The government should cap prices for essential goods during normal economic conditions. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: Stalinism (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.