Joseph Stalin was made General Secretary in 1922.
Joseph Stalin . In this capacity , he served as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1953 and as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1952 . In 1922 Stalin became General Secretary and established the Soviet Union . Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953 .