Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin, born Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, rose to power in the Soviet Union as General Secretary of the Communist Party after Lenin's death in 1924, becoming a dictator who ruled until 1953. He implemented forced industrialization and agricultural collectivization through Five-Year Plans, causing millions of deaths from famine, purges, and labor camps. Stalin led the Soviet Union to victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, transforming it into a superpower at immense human cost.[1][2][3]