Joseph Stalin

About Joseph Stalin

The Soviet dictator who transformed Russia into an industrial and military superpower at enormous human cost. Stalin collectivized agriculture, causing famines that killed millions in Ukraine and elsewhere. His Great Purge of 1936 to 1938 killed an estimated 700,000 to 1.2 million people. Stalin led the Soviet Union through World War II, suffering over 20 million deaths but defeating Nazi Germany. He established Soviet control over Eastern Europe after the war. Stalin died in 1953, possibly murdered by associates. His legacy divides Russians, with some remembering him as a wartime hero and others as a mass murderer.