Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin)
- Born:
- December 18, 1878 (Officially December 21, 1879), Gori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Georgia)
- Died:
- March 5, 1953, Kuntsevo Dacha, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
- Nationality:
- Georgian, Soviet
- Profession(s):
- Revolutionary, Politician, Statesman, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Early Life and Education
- Born into a poor family in Gori, Georgia.
- Received a scholarship to attend the Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary.
- Expelled from the Seminary in 1899 for revolutionary activity.
Career and Major Achievements
- Joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) and became involved in revolutionary activities.
- Participated in bank robberies and other acts to fund the Bolshevik cause.
- Held various positions within the Bolshevik party after the 1917 October Revolution.
- Appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1922.
- Consolidated power through purges and political maneuvering in the 1930s.
- Oversaw the collectivization of agriculture and rapid industrialization.
- Led the Soviet Union during World War II.
- Established the Eastern Bloc after World War II.
Legacy and Impact
Iosif Stalin's legacy is complex and highly controversial. He transformed the Soviet Union into a major industrial and military power but at the cost of immense human suffering. Scholarly resources like a comprehensive stalin biography history channel classroom set provide detailed analysis of his rule and its lasting impact.
Notable Works
- Marxism and the National Question (1913)
- Foundations of Leninism (1924)
- History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks): Short Course (1938)