Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during World War II?

The leader of the Soviet Union during World War II was Joseph Stalin. He became General Secretary of the Communist Party in the 1920s and consolidated power throughout the 1930s. By the time the war started in 1939, Stalin was firmly in control of the Soviet state and its military operations. Under his leadership, the USSR played a crucial role in the defeat of Nazi Germany, particularly through significant battles such as Stalingrad and the October Revolution turning the tide against the Axis powers.

It is important to note that Leon Trotsky was an early revolutionary leader and played a key role in the Bolshevik Revolution, but he was exiled from the Soviet Union in the late 1920s and did not lead during the war. Vladimir Lenin was the leader right after the Russian Revolution and until his death in 1924, so he was not in power during World War II. Nikita Khrushchev succeeded Stalin, becoming the leader in the mid-1950s, well after the war had concluded. Thus, Stalin’s leadership during World War II and his significant influences on the war's course underscore why he is correctly identified as the leader during this critical time in history.