de-Stalinization

or de·sta·lin·i·za·tion

[ dee-stah-luh-nuh-zey-shuhn, -stal-uh- ]

noun

1. the policy, pursued in most Communist areas and among most Communist groups after 1956, of eradicating the memory or influence of Stalin and Stalinism, as by alteration of governmental policies or the elimination of monuments, placenames, etc., named for Stalin.

de-Stalinization

/ diːˌstɑːlɪnaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. the elimination of the influence of Stalin

de-Stalinization

1. An effort after the death of the Soviet premier Joseph Stalin to soften some of the repressive measures used by his government. Premier Nikita Khrushchev was a leader in the de-Stalinization movement, which involved the downgrading of Stalin's reputation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of de-Stalinization¹

First recorded in 1955–60; de-Stalinize + -ation

Example Sentences

This kind of rhetoric is evidence of the cult of personality that would be disavowed a few years later when Nikita Khrushchev came to power and undertook a program of de-Stalinization.

From New York Times

By the ’60s the slow thaw of de-Stalinization in Moscow had moderated the Czech government’s worst excesses, but a severe brand of communism survived.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1950s, as part of Nikita Khrushchev’s general process of de-Stalinization, Socialist Realism was consigned to the dustbin of history.

From New York Times

Khrushchev’s “thaw,” his project of de-Stalinization, quickly met with firm resistance from within the Party.

From The New Yorker

Counteraction would only provoke Moscow to tighten its noose and perhaps “go back on de-Stalinization,” Eisenhower explained.

From New York Times