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de-Stalinization

American  
[dee-stah-luh-nuh-zey-shuhn, -stal-uh-] / diˌstɑ lə nəˈzeɪ ʃən, -ˌstæl ə- /
Or destalinization

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 British  
/ diːˌstɑːlɪnaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

  1. the elimination of the influence of Stalin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

de-Stalinization Cultural  
  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.


Etymology

Origin of de-Stalinization

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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 May 6, 2021

During the period of de-Stalinization in the 1950 and early ’60s, the city’s name was again changed, to Donetsk.

From New York Times Jun. 11, 2012

Upon concluding her testimony, the defendant vows to continue exhuming Varlam's body because "burying him means forgiving him" -- a thinly veiled call for thoroughgoing de-Stalinization.

From Time Magazine Archive

In his celebrated de-Stalinization speech, Khrushchev cited the national anthem as an example of the dictator's passion for self-glorification, calling it a "clear deviation from Marxism-Leninism, debasing and belittling the role of the party."

From Time Magazine Archive

Politically, after Nikita Khrushchev started his de-Stalinization policy in the Soviet Union, the Bulgarian repercussion was evident in Chervenkov's disenchantment with the Soviet trauma and his looking favorably instead toward the Chinese example.

From Area Handbook for Bulgaria by Baluyut, Violeta D.

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