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Birth
Born as Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili in Gori, Georgia. His parents were poor. His childhood wasn't great. At 7 years old, he got smallpox, which caused him him to have scars on his face for the rest of his life. He was often bullied by other kids and beaten by his father. He always felt like he needed to prove himself. https://www.stocktrekimages.com/jpa500140a-Portrait-of-Soviet-Union-leader-Joseph-Stalin.html -
Attending Seminary
Stalin's mother wanted him to be a priest, so he went to attend a seminary. There he learned Russian and began to secretly read the work of Karl Marx. Stalin loses interest in his studies, becomes an atheist, and is expelled due to missing exams. -
Joined the Bolsheviks
Stalin became an underground political agitator. Later, he joined the Bolsheviks, one of the two wings of the Marxist Revolutionists, which was led by Vladimir Lenin. Stalin took part in several criminal activities and was arrested a several times. -
Rise to Power
Stalin was appointed to serve on first Central Committee of Bolshevik Party by Lenin. he continued to move up the party ladder for a few years until Lenin died in 1924. Stalin won over his rivals for control of the Communist Party. Later he became Russia's dictator. He started calling himself "Stalin," which comes the Russian word for "steel" combined with "Lenin." https://depositphotos.com/11867244/stock-photo-joseph-stalin.html -
Dictator of the Soviet Union1
Those who opposed him killed or sent to labor camps. He issued campaigns to get rid of anything that could pose a threat to him and the party. He renamed cities after himself. History books were rewritten to make him look better and more important. The government had control over media. Stalin also industrialized Russia and built many factories. https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/joseph-stalin?phrase=joseph%20stalin&sort=mostpopular -
Pact with Hitler
At first, Stalin tried to form an anti-Hitler alliance with Western powers but, then decided to form a pact with him (the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact). Then Hitler attacked Poland, starting WWII. -
The Start of WWII
After signing the pact with Hitler, Stalin annexed some of Poland, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and invaded Finland. In 1941, Germany invaded the USSR, which broke the pact. Stalin was unprepared because Stalin ignored all warning about Germany possibly invading the USSR. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans had invaded the USSR and were heading towards Moscow. Stalin stayed in the city, using a scorched earth method against the them. The Germans and the Soviets fight at Stalingrad. The Soviets lose over a million soldiers, but win nonetheless. -
As the War Continued
As the war continued, Stalin participated in Allied meetings including the ones at Tehran (1943) and Yalta (1945) with "The Big Three." -
Death
As Stalin grew older, he grew increasingly suspicious and paranoid. He arrested (mostly Jewish) doctors he suspected of medically murdering Soviet leaders. He started planning a "Doctors' Plot." But before he could finish, he suddenly died of a stroke at 74 years old. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-joseph-stalin-general-secretary-01-june-1940-31284151.html -
Sources
https://www.sutori.com/story/joseph-stalin--cS3RyWaanKCgpzcqq4o32vpD
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Stalin
https://www.history.com/topics/russia/joseph-stalin#section_6
https://www.ducksters.com/biography/joseph_stalin.php
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/joseph-stalin-national-hero-or-cold-blooded-murderer/zhv747h https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stalin_in_July_1941.jpg
