Joseph Stalin
By: Spencer White
Define
Joseph Stalin was the leader of the USSR for more than two decades. Stalin forced rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land, resulting in millions dying from famine while others were sent to camps. His red army helped defeat the Nazis in World War 2.
Detail
- Joseph Stalin was born Gori, Georgia (a country just south of russia). At the age of 7 he got the disease smallpox. He survived, but his skin was covered in scars. He later went to seminary to become a priest, however, he was expelled for being a radical. After leaving the seminary, Stalin joined up with the Bolshevik revolutionaries. This was an underground group of people that followed the communist writings of Karl Marx and were led by Vladimir Lenin. Stalin became a leader within the Bolsheviks. He led riots and strikes and even raised money by robbing banks and other crimes. Soon Stalin became one of Lenin's top leaders. After lenins death he became the dictator of the Soviet Union and ruled up until his death in 1953.
- His birth name was Losif Jughashvili.
- He changed the world by transforming the Soviet Union into a powerful, modern nation, and the largest state on Earth through his policies and ideas. He also led to the demise of millions of people. He is also responsible for starting the cold war.