Stalin biography ww2

Stalin took close command of the war and went to great lengths to portray himself as the heroic war leader. He was ruthless as Supreme military commander, often having Generals shot if they lost a battle. He also made armies dig in and refuse to retreat. However, with great loss of life, the Soviet Union were finally able to prevail.

When the German army was at the gates of Moscow inStalin refused to leave, and his presence in the city helped to maintain hope. The Germany occupation of Western Soviet Union was brutal with millions being killed by the occupying forces. As the Russian army liberated their own country and saw numerous accounts of atrocities, they, in turn, committed atrocities in their conquest of Germany.

He believed that many in the occupied zone had collaborated with the Germans. Mstislav I. Joseph Stalin. Gennady Bukaev. Michael Romanov. Alexander III Romanov. Stalin was the subject of flattering artwork, literature and music, and his name became part of the Soviet national anthem. He censored photographs in an attempt to rewrite history, removing former associates executed during his many purges.

Stalin biography ww2

His government also controlled the Soviet media. Cruel efforts under Stalin to impose stalin biography ww2 and tamp down Ukrainian nationalism left an estimated 3. Even the famous photo of Soviet soldiers raising their flag after the Battle of Berlin was altered. Stalin then proceeded to annex parts of Poland and Romania, as well as the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

He also launched an invasion of Finland. Stalin had ignored warnings from the Americans and the British, as well as his own intelligence agents, about a potential invasion, and the Soviets were not prepared for war. As German troops approached the Soviet capital of Moscow, Stalin remained there and directed a scorched earth defensive policy, destroying any supplies or infrastructure that might benefit the enemy.

The tide turned for the Soviets with the Battle of Stalingrad from August to Februaryduring which the Red Army defeated the Germans and eventually drove them from Russia. As the war progressed, Stalin participated in the major Allied conferences, including the Tehran Conference and the Yalta Conference His iron will and deft political skills enabled him to play the loyal ally while never abandoning his vision of an expanded postwar Soviet empire.

Joseph Stalin did not mellow with age: He initiated a reign of terror, purges, executions, exiles to labor camps and persecution in the postwar USSR, suppressing all dissent and anything that smacked of foreign—especially Western—influence. He established communist governments throughout Eastern Europe, and in led the Soviets into the nuclear age by exploding an atomic bomb.

The Nazis and Soviets were mortal enemies. Why did they sign a nonaggression pact—and why didn't it last? Stalin, who grew increasingly stalin biography ww2 in his later years, died on March 5,at age 74, after suffering a stroke. Millions more were killed in the horrific famine that struck Ukraine in and the Kazakh region from toas a of Stalin's cruel efforts to impose collectivism of agriculture and tamp down Ukrainian nationalism.

Because of this, Stalin began a quest for greatness and respect. He also developed a cruel streak for those who crossed him. Stalin's mother, a devout Russian Orthodox Christianwanted him to become a priest. Inshe managed to enroll him in church school in Gori. Stalin did well in school, and his efforts gained him a scholarship to Tiflis Theological Seminary in A year later, Stalin came in contact with Messame Dassy, a secret organization that supported Georgian independence from Russia.

Some of the members were socialists who introduced him to the writings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Stalin joined the group in Though he excelled in seminary school, Stalin left in Accounts differ as to the reason; official school records state he was unable to pay the tuition and withdrew. It's also speculated he was asked to leave due to his political views challenging the tsarist regime of Nicholas II.

Stalin chose not to return home, but stayed in Tiflis, devoting his time to the revolutionary movement. For a time, he found work as a tutor and later as a clerk at the Tiflis Observatory. Inhe joined the Social Democratic Labor Party and worked full-time for the revolutionary movement. Inhe was arrested for coordinating a labor strike and exiled to Siberia, the first of his many arrests and exiles in the fledgling years of the Russian Revolution.

It was during this time that he adopted the name Stalin, meaning "steel" in Russian. Though never a strong orator like Vladimir Lenin or an intellectual like Leon TrotskyStalin excelled in the mundane operations of the revolution, calling meetings, publishing leaflets and organizing strikes and demonstrations. After escaping from exile, he was marked by the Okhranka, the tsar's secret police as an outlaw and continued his work in hiding, raising money through robberies, kidnappings and extortion.

In Februarythe Russian Revolution began. By March, the tsar had abdicated the throne and was placed under house arrest. For a time, the revolutionaries supported a provisional government, believing a smooth transition of power was possible. But in AprilBolshevik leader Lenin denounced the provisional government, arguing that the people should rise up and take control by seizing land from the rich and factories from the industrialists.

By October, the revolution was complete and the Bolsheviks were in control. The fledgling Soviet government went through a violent period after the revolution as various individuals vied for position and control. InStalin was appointed to the newly created office of general secretary of the Communist Party. Though not a significant post at the time, it gave Stalin control over all party member appointments, which allowed him to build his base.