Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was born to a poor family in Gori (now Georgia) in the Russian Empire. He ruled the Soviet Union from 1927 until 1953, serving as both General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953).
He began governing the country through collective leadership, but by the 1930s he had become the Soviet Union’s de facto dictator.
Stalin’s government was responsible for the deaths of millions due to engineered famines, ethnic cleansing, and executions. He also supported mass repression and deportation.
Read more on everydaypower.com