After the presentation of the Stalingrad sword the comany stood during the playing of Internationale - 29th November 1943 - JOSEPH STALIN, (1879-1953), Russian political leader, who was the undisputed leader of the USSR from 1929 until his death. He helped to convert communism in the USSR from an egalitarian, revolutionary movement into an authoritarian, bureaucratic governmental system. He helped to turn Russia into a great industrial nation, to defeat HITLER in WORLD WAR II, and, after the war, to establish Communist regimes throughout eastern Europe. At the same time, however, he institutionalized terror and was responsible for the death and deprivation of millions of people.