Joseph Stalin, born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili (1878-1953), was a Soviet politician and dictator who ruled the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. He played a key role in the Russian Revolution of 1917 and subsequently rose to power in the Soviet Union after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924.
Stalin implemented policies that transformed the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state. His rule was characterized by centralization of power, suppression of political opposition, and extensive use of propaganda and censorship. He initiated rapid industrialization and collectivization of agriculture, which had profound and often devastating effects on Soviet society.
Stalin’s regime was marked by purges, where perceived political rivals, dissenters, and suspected traitors were arrested, imprisoned, or executed.