Иосиф Сталин
Joseph Stalin (help·info) (Russian, in full: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин (Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin), ne: Иосиф Виссарионович Джугашвили (Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili), (December 18 [O.S. December 6 (although the date on his death certificate is December 21, 1879)] 1878[1]) – March 5, 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from mid-1920s to his death in 1953 and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1953), a position which had later become that of party leader.
Stalin became general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922 and following the death of Vladimir Lenin, he prevailed over Leon Trotsky in a power struggle during the 1920s. In the 1930s Stalin initiated the Great Purge, a period of severe repression that reached its peak in 1937.
Stalin is generally considered to have molded the features that characterized the Soviet regime from the era of his rule to its collapse in 1991 — though Maoists, anti-revisionists and some others say he was actually the last legitimate socialist leader in the Soviet Union’s history. Stalin’s policies were based on Marxism-Leninism but are often now considered to represent a political and economic system called Stalinism.
Stalin replaced the New Economic Policy (NEP) of the 1920s with Five-Year Plans in 1928 and collective farming at roughly the same time. The Soviet Union was transformed from a predominantly peasant society to a major world industrial power by the end of the 1930s. Confiscations of grain and other food by the Soviet authorities caused or aggravated a famine killing millions throughout the country between 1932 and 1934, especially in Ukraine (see Holodomor). Many peasants resisted collectivization and grain confiscations, and Stalin ordered violent repression against peasants deemed «kulaks.»
A hard-won victory in World War II (the Great Patriotic War, 1941–45), for which the Soviet Union was arguably unprepared due to Stalin’s massive purges of military officers before the war, was made possible in part through the capacity for production that was the outcome of industrialization, as well as significant Lend-Lease efforts by the Western Allies. In the postwar years, Stalin laid the groundwork for the formation of the Warsaw Pact and established the USSR as one of the two major world powers, a position it maintained for nearly four decades following his death in 1953.
Stalin’s rule was characterized by a strong cult of personality, an extreme concentration of power, and little concern for the harsh consequences of strict policies. Stalin tried to crush all opposition by commencing a bureaucratic network of terror that resulted in tens of millions of deaths. In addition to the purges and the famine, many were killed in the Gulagss. Lasting over a period of nearly twenty three years, many of its proponents fell victim to it in turns. Nikita Khrushchev, Stalin’s eventual successor, denounced his mass repressions and cult of personality in 1956, initiating the process of «de-Stalinization»[2] which later became part of the Sino-Soviet Split.
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Stalin became general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922 and following the death of Vladimir Lenin, he prevailed over Leon Trotsky in a power struggle during the 1920s. In the 1930s Stalin initiated the Great Purge, a period of severe repression that reached its peak in 1937.
Stalin is generally considered to have molded the features that characterized the Soviet regime from the era of his rule to its collapse in 1991 — though Maoists, anti-revisionists and some others say he was actually the last legitimate socialist leader in the Soviet Union’s history. Stalin’s policies were based on Marxism-Leninism but are often now considered to represent a political and economic system called Stalinism.
Stalin replaced the New Economic Policy (NEP) of the 1920s with Five-Year Plans in 1928 and collective farming at roughly the same time. The Soviet Union was transformed from a predominantly peasant society to a major world industrial power by the end of the 1930s. Confiscations of grain and other food by the Soviet authorities caused or aggravated a famine killing millions throughout the country between 1932 and 1934, especially in Ukraine (see Holodomor). Many peasants resisted collectivization and grain confiscations, and Stalin ordered violent repression against peasants deemed «kulaks.»
A hard-won victory in World War II (the Great Patriotic War, 1941–45), for which the Soviet Union was arguably unprepared due to Stalin’s massive purges of military officers before the war, was made possible in part through the capacity for production that was the outcome of industrialization, as well as significant Lend-Lease efforts by the Western Allies. In the postwar years, Stalin laid the groundwork for the formation of the Warsaw Pact and established the USSR as one of the two major world powers, a position it maintained for nearly four decades following his death in 1953.
Stalin’s rule was characterized by a strong cult of personality, an extreme concentration of power, and little concern for the harsh consequences of strict policies. Stalin tried to crush all opposition by commencing a bureaucratic network of terror that resulted in tens of millions of deaths. In addition to the purges and the famine, many were killed in the Gulagss. Lasting over a period of nearly twenty three years, many of its proponents fell victim to it in turns. Nikita Khrushchev, Stalin’s eventual successor, denounced his mass repressions and cult of personality in 1956, initiating the process of «de-Stalinization» which later became part of the Sino-Soviet Split.
Joseph Stalin Biography
Who Was Joseph Stalin?
Joseph Stalin rose to power as General Secretary of the Communist Party in Russia, becoming a Soviet dictator after the death of Vladimir Lenin. Stalin forced rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land, resulting in millions dying from famine while others were sent to labor camps. His Red Army helped defeat Nazi Germany during World War II.
Early Life
The son of Besarion Jughashvili, a cobbler, and Ketevan Geladze, a washerwoman, Stalin was a frail child. At age 7, he contracted smallpox, leaving his face scarred.
A few years later he was injured in a carriage accident which left arm slightly deformed (some accounts state his arm trouble was a result of blood poisoning from the injury).
The other village children treated him cruelly, instilling in him a sense of inferiority. Because of this, Stalin began a quest for greatness and respect. He also developed a cruel streak for those who crossed him.
Stalin’s mother, a devout Russian Orthodox Christian, wanted him to become a priest. In 1888, she managed to enroll him in church school in Gori. Stalin did well in school, and his efforts gained him a scholarship to Tiflis Theological Seminary in 1894.
A year later, Stalin came in contact with Messame Dassy, a secret organization that supported Georgian independence from Russia. Some of the members were socialists who introduced him to the writings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Stalin joined the group in 1898.
Though he excelled in seminary school, Stalin left in 1899. Accounts differ as to the reason; official school records state he was unable to pay the tuition and withdrew. It’s also speculated he was asked to leave due to his political views challenging the tsarist regime of Nicholas II.
Stalin chose not to return home, but stayed in Tiflis, devoting his time to the revolutionary movement. For a time, he found work as a tutor and later as a clerk at the Tiflis Observatory. In 1901, he joined the Social Democratic Labor Party and worked full-time for the revolutionary movement.
Russian Revolution
In 1902, he was arrested for coordinating a labor strike and exiled to Siberia, the first of his many arrests and exiles in the fledgling years of the Russian Revolution. It was during this time that he adopted the name Stalin, meaning «steel» in Russian.
Though never a strong orator like Vladimir Lenin or an intellectual like Leon Trotsky, Stalin excelled in the mundane operations of the revolution, calling meetings, publishing leaflets and organizing strikes and demonstrations.
In February 1917, the Russian Revolution began. By March, the tsar had abdicated the throne and was placed under house arrest. For a time, the revolutionaries supported a provisional government, believing a smooth transition of power was possible.
But in April 1917, Bolshevik leader Lenin denounced the provisional government, arguing that the people should rise up and take control by seizing land from the rich and factories from the industrialists. By October, the revolution was complete and the Bolsheviks were in control.
Communist Party Leader
The fledgling Soviet government went through a violent period after the revolution as various individuals vied for position and control.
In 1922, Stalin was appointed to the newly created office of general secretary of the Communist Party. Though not a significant post at the time, it gave Stalin control over all party member appointments, which allowed him to build his base.
He made shrewd appointments and consolidated his power so that eventually nearly all members of the central command owed their position to him. By the time anyone realized what he had done, it was too late. Even Lenin, who was gravely ill, was helpless to regain control from Stalin.
Great Purge
After Lenin’s death, in 1924, Stalin set out to destroy the old party leadership and take total control. At first, he had people removed from power through bureaucratic shuffling and denunciations.
Many were exiled abroad to Europe and the Americas, including presumed Lenin successor Leon Trotsky. However, further paranoia set in and Stalin soon conducted a vast reign of terror, having people arrested in the night and put before spectacular show trials.
Potential rivals were accused of aligning with capitalist nations, convicted of being «enemies of the people» and summarily executed. The period known as the Great Purge eventually extended beyond the party elite to local officials suspected of counter-revolutionary activities.