Joseph Stalin
Historical and international
Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Position estimated from: Soviet leadership 1924-53: five-year plans, collectivization, purges, Russified patriotism.
Political compass placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 0 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 69 | toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 96 | strongly toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 76 | toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 78 | 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 | 92 | strongly toward state restrictions |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 76 | toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 82 | toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 100 | strongly toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 63 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 100 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 78 | toward intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 41 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the available evidence through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Key positions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A single ruling party can govern more effectively than a competitive multiparty system. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| The government should be able to restrict how certain religions are practiced, such as their places of worship, clothing or schools. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| Abortion should be illegal in most or all cases. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Agrees | estimated |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | 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 |
| Regulations on business should be minimized whenever possible. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Stalinism92% similar positionAuthoritarian Socialism89% similar positionJuche86% similar positionMarxism–Leninism86% similar positionBa’athism86% similar position
Similar and contrasting figures
Kim Jong Un88% similar · Historical and internationalPol Pot85% similar · Historical and internationalFidel Castro85% similar · Historical and internationalNicolás Maduro84% similar · Historical and internationalHo Chi Minh84% similar · Historical and internationalDave SmithContrasting: 32% similarMurray RothbardContrasting: 33% similarRon PaulContrasting: 34% similar
Sources
Profile last reviewed October 11, 2026.