Иосиф Сталин
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; 18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a prominent Soviet revolutionary and politician who served as the leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. Holding key positions such as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953), Stalin initially operated within a collective leadership structure but later consolidated power to become a dictator by the 1930s. His ideological framework, formalized as Marxism–Leninism, guided his policies, known as Stalinism.
Born into poverty in Gori in the Russian Empire (now Georgia), Stalin joined the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party after attending the Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary. Involved in party activities, he played a crucial role in supporting Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction through various means, including editing the party's newspaper, Pravda, and engaging in fundraising through illicit activities. Frequent arrests and internal exiles marked his early political career.
After the October Revolution in 1917 established a one-party state under the new Communist Party, Stalin joined the Politburo and contributed significantly to the Russian Civil War and the subsequent establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922. Following Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin assumed leadership, introducing the concept of socialism in one country and implementing transformative Five-Year Plans, which led to agricultural collectivization and rapid industrialization but also contributed to severe famines.
Stalin's leadership was characterized by the Great Purge, an extensive campaign to eliminate perceived enemies of the working class. The Soviet Union, under his guidance, played a crucial role in World War II, repelling the German invasion and capturing Berlin in 1945. Post-war, the Soviets annexed territories and influenced governments in Eastern Europe, marking the onset of the Cold War with the United States.
While Stalin enjoyed a personality cult during his rule, lauded as a champion of socialism, his legacy is contentious. The post-Soviet era has seen both admiration for his wartime leadership and condemnation for his regime's repressive measures, including mass repression, ethnic cleansing, deportations, executions, and famines. Despite the controversy, Stalin continues to evoke complex sentiments in Russia and Georgia, symbolizing both victory and the darker aspects of Soviet history.