Stalin (Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin)

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet political leader who ruled the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. He transformed the USSR into a major industrial power through centralized control and aggressive policies, but his reign was marked by brutal political repression, widespread purges, and forced collectivization that caused suffering and millions of deaths. Stalin's leadership played a key role in World War II, particularly in defeating Nazi Germany, but his methods and legacy remain highly controversial, symbolizing both rapid modernization and severe authoritarianism.