Joseph Stalin: Leader of the Soviet Union

Early Life

Born: December 18, 1878, in Gory, Georgia, Russian Empire.
Family Background: Poor family; mother was a devout Russian Orthodox Christian.
Childhood Illness: Contracted smallpox at age 7, leaving him with a pockmarked face.
Education: Sent to study in Tiflis (Tbilisi), became influenced by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

1895: Joined a secret organization seeking Georgian independence.
1901: Became a member of the Social Democratic Labor Party.
- Organized protests and strikes against czarism.
- Arrested in 1902 for coordinating a strike, sent to prison.
Bolshevik Party: Joined and used guerrilla warfare during the 1905 Russian Revolution.
- Gained recognition from Lenin for organizing efforts and ruthless fundraising methods, including bank robbery.
Name Change: Adopted the name "Stalin" meaning "man of steel" in Russian.

Pravda: Ran the Bolshevik newspaper during the 1917 Revolution.
Post-Revolution: Bolsheviks gained control, leading to a civil war and eventual victory.
1922: Appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party; manipulated this role for power.
1924: Lenin's death created power struggle; Stalin ensured Trotsky's exclusion and exile.
Dictatorship Established: Became effective dictator of the Soviet Union.

Late 1920s: Aimed for rapid modernization and industrialization.
- Developed three five-year plans (1928-1938) focusing on coal, oil, steel, and electricity production.
- Harsh penalties for workers who did not meet targets (executions, gulags).
Collectivization: Seized land from peasants to create collective farms; led to mass famine and millions of deaths.
Believed famine was a necessary evil for achieving industrial goals.

Cult of Personality: Promoted his image, portraits widespread in society.
1934: Assassination of party member Sergei Kirov, symbolizing growing paranoia.
1930s Purges:
- Targeted Communist Party members; executed generals and admirals (81 out of 103).
- 20 million citizens sent to gulags or executed.

1939: Non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany.
1941: Faced invasion by Germany; Red Army unprepared due to previous purges.
Stalingrad (1942): Critical defense; turning point in the war.
- Red Army began liberation of Eastern Europe.
Yalta and Potsdam Conferences (1945): Tense relations with Allies; the beginning of the Cold War.

Post-War: Suspicion of the West increased; paranoia led to further purges.
Health Decline: In early 1950s, paranoia affected interactions even with doctors.
- Ordered investigation into a new purge of the Communist Party.
Death: Died of a stroke on March 5, 1953.
Funeral: Huge crowds attended; 500 people crushed in the surge.

Power Struggle: After Stalin's death, Nikita Khrushchev succeeded him.
- While a Stalinist, Khrushchev denounced Stalin’s policies during a de-Stalinization process.

The legacy of Stalin is marked by significant industrial achievements, severe human rights abuses, and the establishment of the Cold War framework.