Josif Stalin
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Joseph Stalin (info • help) (Russian, in full: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин (Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin), born Джугашвили (Dzhugashvili), Georgian:(Ioseb Jughashvili); (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878 – March 5, 1953) was an adopted name of the Communist dictator, Iosev Jugashvili (December 18, 1878 – March 5, 1953). He was the second political leader of the Soviet Union, after Vladimir Lenin. He was a totalitarian ruler, and he is famous in history. He started a purge, and caused millions to be put to death. He started his own form of communism, Stalinism.
Stalin cooperated with Hitler before the World War II and finally in 1939 they both made an agreement to conquer Poland and divide it between themselves. This is how World War II broke out.
But later on, in 1941, Hitler turned against Stalin and attacked the Soviet Union, trying to conquer it. After this happened, the USSR began working with the Allies to defeat Germany. Ultimately, Germany lost, but USSR had more casualties than any other country during the war.
When the World War II was over, the Soviet army ended up occupying many countries in Europe, such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and part of Germany, imposing communism on these countries.
Stalin continued to rule over the Soviet Union until he died. Stalin also militarized Russia, by focusing the country's time and energy towards weapons, vehicles, and the armed forces. The most important way Stalin did this was by stealing nuclear secrets from America and making his own bombs. This began the Cold War, which lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union in the year 1990.
Stalin died of a stroke in the year 1953. He was followed by Nikita Khrushchev.
| Came after: Vladimir Lenin |
General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party 1925–1953 |
Came before: Nikita Krushchev |
