Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin was born on December 18, 1878. His birth date was traditionally believed to be December 21, 1879, but the 1878 date was confirmed by records in the Communist Party central archives.

Joseph Stalin died on March 5, 1953, in Moscow. His death triggered a leadership scramble within the Soviet Communist Party, and Nikita Khrushchev ultimately emerged as Stalin’s successor.

Joseph Stalin was raised in poverty in provincial Georgia. A bout of childhood smallpox scarred his face, and his left arm was mangled, most likely in a carriage accident. Although his mother doted on him, Stalin’s father was a drunk who routinely beat him.

Joseph Stalin learned Russian at the church school in his hometown of Gori, Georgia. He entered Tiflis Theological Seminary to train as a priest, but he left school in 1899. He never earned a degree.

From 1928 until his death in 1953, Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union as a dictator, transforming the country from an agrarian peasant society into a global superpower. The cost was tremendous, however: Stalin was responsible for the deaths of millions of Soviet citizens.