De-Stalinization (Russian: десталинизация) refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953. The central Soviet strongmen at the time were Lavrentiy Beria, head of the Ministry of the Interior; Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU); and Georgi Malenkov, Premier of the Soviet Union.
Some contemporary historians regard the process of de-Stalinisation as a significant turning point in the history of modern Russia.
References to Stalin were embedded in the lyrics of the Anthem of the Soviet Union - the Stalin-centric and World War II-era references were excised where an instrumental version was used.
Read more about De-Stalinization: Re-location of Stalin's Body, Re-naming of Places