Born on December 21, 1878 into a modest family of serfs, Joseph Stalin joined an Orthodox convent in his youth to escape the misery in which he was born. But from then on, Stalin frequented socialist and Marxist circles which made him integrate the political world.
He joined the Communist Party led by Lenin and quickly rose through the ranks by eliminating his political opponents. Arriving at full power in 1930, Stalin implemented throughout the USSR his policy of forced collectivization of land and the establishment of major public industrial projects. He will carry out a purge in his army by eliminating potential competitors in power. Stalin witnessed the Ukrainian famine of 1933 which killed 4 to 5 million people, the Second World War where he took the lead of the Soviet army by stopping the Nazis and the beginning of the Cold War against the United States.
He died in 1953 after a new purge within his party following the war. The entirety of his life will earn him the nickname "The Man of Iron".
1879 - 1953
Status
Politician