To remove or reverse Stalin's influence and policies, as happened in the Soviet Union after 1953.
From de- (to remove) + Stalin + -ize suffix (to make or cause); a historical term created in the 1950s during the Soviet Union's political reforms.
When historians talk about destalinizing the Soviet Union, they're describing one of the most dramatic political reversals ever—erasing a dictator's legacy overnight, removing his name from cities, and rewriting official history to condemn someone once worshipped.
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