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

Joseph Stalin was the main leader of the Soviet Union during World War II, holding the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party and effectively the head of the Soviet state during this critical period. His leadership was pivotal in mobilizing the nation against the Axis powers, implementing significant military strategies, and overseeing the vast industrial efforts required to sustain the Soviet war effort.

Stalin's decisions had profound effects on both domestic policies and international relations during the war, including the signing of non-aggression pacts, leading the Red Army in significant battles like Stalingrad, and playing a key role in the eventual Allied victory. His leadership style was characterized by authoritarianism, yet it was such a style that enabled him to enforce conscription and coordinate extensive wartime production.

In contrast, Vladimir Lenin was the leader before and during the Russian Civil War, but he died in 1924, long before World War II began. Leon Trotsky was a significant figure during the early years of the Soviet Union, especially during the Russian Civil War, but he was expelled from the Communist Party and subsequently exiled from the Soviet Union in the late 1920s, making him absent during the war. Nikita Khrushchev assumed leadership after Stalin's death