Who was Joseph Stalin?
1 Answer
Stalin was leader of the Soviet Union from the mid 20's until his death in 1953.
Explanation:
Stalin was a Georgian born Josef Dzhugashvili. He took the name Stalin meaning man of steel to avoid being arrested by the Czarist authorities.
Stalin was one of a number of leading communists who were involved in a power struggle after the death of Lenin in 1924. Stalin's ruthlessness and ability to out manoeuvre his opponents meant he emerged as being in supreme control.
Stalin's reign of power saw a rapid industrialisation of the Soviet Union. However his rule was based on terror and utter ruthlessness. His forced collectivisation of agriculture and elimination of the wealthy peasant class, the kulaks, led to huge loss of life. In Ukraine a famine cost between 2 and 5 million people their lives.
Stalin eliminated his opponents in a series of purges and show trials in the 1930's. Such purges were not limited to his opponents at the top of the communist party. Tens of millions were executed or sent to the camps in the Gulag. It is estimated that over 30 million died.
Part of Stalin's purge was within the Red Army. Almost the entire officer class was wiped out and this had disastrous consequences when Germany invaded in 1941.
Stalin's ruthlessness was also seen during World War 2 with the displacement of whole peoples who he felt would be sympathetic to the Nazis, for example the Crimean Tatars.
It was also seen after the war with the imposition of Soviet rule throughout Eastern Europe.
Stalin died in 1953 and was replaced by Khrushchev. Stalin's policies were denounced by Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress in 1956.
