did he sign any pact with germany?
Yes, They signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Germany
Joseph Stalin
In August 1939, the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Germany, a non-aggression pact negotiated by Molotov and German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop.
who was the ruthless dictator who was intent on spreading communism in the soviet union and abroad Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin whom did he succeed? Vladimir Lenin was the former person the editor of any magazine or something like that? Yes, he was an editor for a daily newspaper "Pravda" ("Truth")
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Joseph Stalin [SEP] Pact with Nazi Germany: 1939–1941
Between 1940 and 1941 he also purged the military, leaving it with a severe shortage of trained officers when war broke out. As Britain and France seemed unwilling to commit to an alliance with the Soviet Union, Stalin saw a better deal with the Germans. On 3 May 1939, Stalin replaced his western-oriented foreign minister Maxim Litvinov with Vyacheslav Molotov. In May 1939, Germany began negotiations with the Soviets, proposing that Eastern Europe be divided between the two powers. Stalin saw this as an opportunity both for territorial expansion and temporary peace with Germany. In August 1939, the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Germany, a non-aggression pact negotiated by Molotov and German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop.