"After it was published, it was praised in the Soviet Union for raising dialectical materialism to "new and higher levels" and considered "one of the pinnacles of Marxist-Leninist thought." It was also praised for its clarity and accessibility, and was referred to as "the first accurate and doctrinally reliable work in this field." Stalin's reputation also grew, as he was viewed as a leader and a philosopher. However, he was more so praised for the fact that he wrote anything at all on dialectical and historical materialism, since prior to this work there was not a complete account on these philosophical concepts."