Joseph Stalin
Josef Vissarionovich Stalin Иосиф Сталин იოსებ სტალინი | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Joseph Stalin. | |
| Born |
Ioseb Besarionis dze Jugashvili 21, 1878 Gori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire (present-day Georgia) |
| Died |
March 5, 1953 (aged 74) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Georgian |
| Ideology |
Marxism–Leninism Bolshevism |
| Political party | AUCP(b) |
Joseph Stalin[a] (22 December 1879–5 March 1953) was a Soviet revolutionary and politician from Georgia.[b][1] Stalin is considered the fourth classic of Marxism–Leninism because of his contributions to Marxism and his leadership of the first state to ever achieve socialism. Stalin served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, People's Commissar for Nationalities of the Russian SFSR, and the Minister of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.
Biography
Early life and revolutionary activity
Born on December 18, 1878, in Gori, Georgia, Stalin's early life was marked by poverty and hardship. In 1894, Stalin joined the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Tiflis. In 1898, Stalin joined the recently formed Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP) After the Bolsheviks seized power during the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917, Stalin held a series of important positions within the Soviet government and party apparatus. Following Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin emerged as the undisputed leader of the recently created Soviet Union, outmaneuvering his counterrevolutionary rivals such as Leon Trotsky, Nikolai Bukharin, and Alexei Rykov.
Leadership and construction of socialism
After defeating the anti-Party elements initially, in 1926, Stalin published "Toward Leninism", criticizing the Zinovievite and Kamenevite factions of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The 15th Congress of the CPSU in 1927 emphasized the importance of agricultural collectivization following the successful socialist industrialization and Lenin's cooperative plan. Stalin, in his political report at the Congress, highlighted these key points. However, during this period, a faction of right-wing opportunists led by Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky, and others, openly opposed and defamed the Communist Party's direction. Joseph Stalin's reports in 1928 and 1929 exposed the reactionary right opportunists' deviation from the Party's ideology, influenced by the kulak and rich peasant classes. In 1936, Stalin adopted the new Constitution of the Soviet Union, which stayed in effect until the adoption of the revisionist 1977 Constitution.
Later life and death
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Myths
Despotic rule
During Stalin's leadership there was democratic leadership, and the Western idea of him as a dictator is erroneous.[2]
Aggression in Eastern Europe
A myth propagated by anti-communists is that the Soviet Union under the leadership of Stalin "forced" the peoples of Eastern Europe to transition to socialism and otherwise subjugated them at the conclusion of the Second World War. This claim is refuted when considering the large amount of popular support the Soviet liberators had in the fascist regimes which were being overthrown as well as the nature of the Eastern European anti-fascist and people's democratic revolutions. Declassified CIA documents reveal that the Soviets took a large amount of consideration and care for the condition of the people in formerly fascist regimes in Eastern and Central Europe.[3]
See also
Further reading
References
- ↑ Glossary Entry on Joseph Stalin. Marxists Internet Archive
- ↑ Comments on the Change in Soviet Leadership. cia.gov
- ↑ 1945–1953: Europe Wanted Stalin!. The Red Spectre.
Notes
- ↑ born Djughashvili.
- ↑ Then part of the Russian Empire