Born on December 18, 1879 Losif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, who would later be known as Joseph Stalin, was born. He grew up in a Russian village called Gori, in Georgia. His mother Ketevan Geladze was a washer woman and his father Besarion Geladze was a shoemaker. Along with physical abuse from his father Stalin did not have an ideal child hood. He was weak and contracted smallpox at age 7 leaving his face permanently scarred and his left arm slightly deformed. He was also bullied as a child, constantly treated as an inferior. This treatment installed in Stalin a need for greatness and respect, as well as a low tolerance for people who tried to cross him.
In 1888 Stalin was sent to church school and later received a scholarship to a nearby seminary for The Georgian Orthodox Church. It was at this seminary that Stalin became familiar with the Messame Dassy, a support group for Georgian independence against Russia. In 1898 Stalin joined this group. While studying priesthood he was secretly reading the "Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx which really sparked his interest in the idea of a movement against the Russian Monarchy. In 1899 Stalin was expelled from his seminary, for reasons that are not certain. He was officially elected to be part of the Tpilsi Committee of Russian Social Democracy Workers Party in 1901. The following year he was arrested and exiled to siberia but escaped in 1904 and joined the underground Marxist movement lead by V.I. Lenin. The Marxist movement split into two factions and Stalin declared himself as part of the Bolshevik party. Stalin became noticed during a revolt for his organization of robberies and raiding of money transports. Later he started participating in many Russian Social Democratic Workers Parties in different locations. It was during this time that he officially met Lenin and was offered a spot into the inner circle of the Bolshevik party. Then in 1906 he married his first wife Ekatrina Svanidze and together they had one child, Yakov. Ekatrina passed away in 1907 from typhus and Yakov died later during his imprisonment in World War II. Stalin continued his organization for movements and was arrested a few times and ultimately sent to a far away village beyond the arctic circle. He remained in this exile until the fall of Russian Rule.
Rise to Power
In 1912 Lenin was exiled to Switzerland and appointed Joseph Stalin to be part of the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. In 1917 the Bolsheviks gained power in Russia. The Soviet Union was officially established in 1922 and Lenin returned as the leader. Joseph Stalin was constantly rising up on the latter of importance within party and eventually became secretary general for the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Lenin died in 1924 and the role for his leadership was wanted by many. Joseph Stalin defeated his competition and became a dictator of the Soviet Union.
By the 1920's Stalin had constructed a plan to turn the Soviet union into an industrial power. His plan required government control over economy and farms. People who refused to cooperate were murdered or exiled. This collectivization led to hunger and eventually famine across the Soviet Union that killed millions of people. Stalin ruled by installing fear into the people of the Soviet Union. He encouraged spying, secret police, and under his rule many were killed or sent to labor camps (like Ivan Denisovich). Also, his government controlled soviet media. Stalin also changed textbooks to give him a more reputable role in the revolution. He also "altered" certain aspects of his life and recreated them into more prestigious myths as well as utilizing the cult of personality. He was featured in artwork, literature, and music including the Soviet national anthem. Around this time Stalins second wife Nadezhda “Nadya” Alliluyeva killed herself, and it is said it was because of Stalins evil dictatorship. They had two children a boy and a girl.
World War II
The Soviet Union invaded many places including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, and more. Stalin had signed a nonaggression agreement with Adolf Hitler concerning Germany but Hitler broke there alliance and invaded the Soviet Union. However during the Battle of the Stalingrad the USSR Red army drove the Germans out of Russia. Stalin then went on to seek other allies like Tehran and Yalta. Ultimately World War II brought great destruction to the Soviet Union. During this time the Soviets also began an atomic bomb project and in 1949 Stalin dropped an atomic bomb leading Russia into a nuclear age.
Tom Brokaw on Battle of Stalingrad
Death
Stalin died March 5, 1953 as a 74 year old man who suffered from a stroke. Originally his body was embalmed and kept Lenin’s mausoleum however in 1961 it was buried as part of a destalinization process initiated by his successor.
Quotes
"I believe in one thing only, the power of human will."
"Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem."
"One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic."
Works Cited:
1. Biography.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. "Joseph Stalin." Bio. A&E Television
Networks, 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
2. History.com STAFF. "Joseph Stalin- Facts & Summary." History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 11 Dec.
2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin>.
3. "Joseph Stalin Biography." Encyclopedia ofWorld Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Stalin-Joseph.html>4.
4. "Joseph Stalin Quotes." Brainy Quote. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.brainyquote.com/
quotes/authors/j/joseph_stalin.html>.
pictures and video:
http://pixgood.com/young-stalin-haircut.html
http://www.biography.com/people/joseph-stalin-9491723
http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin
World War II
The Soviet Union invaded many places including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, and more. Stalin had signed a nonaggression agreement with Adolf Hitler concerning Germany but Hitler broke there alliance and invaded the Soviet Union. However during the Battle of the Stalingrad the USSR Red army drove the Germans out of Russia. Stalin then went on to seek other allies like Tehran and Yalta. Ultimately World War II brought great destruction to the Soviet Union. During this time the Soviets also began an atomic bomb project and in 1949 Stalin dropped an atomic bomb leading Russia into a nuclear age.
Death
Stalin died March 5, 1953 as a 74 year old man who suffered from a stroke. Originally his body was embalmed and kept Lenin’s mausoleum however in 1961 it was buried as part of a destalinization process initiated by his successor.
Quotes
"I believe in one thing only, the power of human will."
"Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem."
"One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic."
Works Cited:
1. Biography.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. "Joseph Stalin." Bio. A&E Television
Networks, 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
2. History.com STAFF. "Joseph Stalin- Facts & Summary." History.com. A+E Networks, 2009. Web. 11 Dec.
2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin>.
3. "Joseph Stalin Biography." Encyclopedia ofWorld Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Stalin-Joseph.html>4.
4. "Joseph Stalin Quotes." Brainy Quote. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.brainyquote.com/
quotes/authors/j/joseph_stalin.html>.
pictures and video:
http://pixgood.com/young-stalin-haircut.html
http://www.biography.com/people/joseph-stalin-9491723
http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin
I like how the blog provides great information about Joseph Stalin and also features pictures to show what Stalin looked like through his life. I learned first that Stalin was born Losif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. I did not know he was born with a different name. I think its pretty interesting that he got kicked out of the seminary when he was studying for his priesthood. He was on scholarship at the seminary at The Georgian Orthodox Church. I learned that when he was there, he became familiar with Messame Dassy. Massame Dassy was a support group that wanted Georgian Independence from the Russian Gov. I also learned and thought it was pretty interesting that Stalin signed an agreement with Adolf Hitler for non-agression for Germany.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mention Stalin's early life because it gives a better understanding of his upbringing. I find it interesting that while he studied priesthood he would read the "Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx. This really showed his interest in the subject and it foreshadowed his future life. I find it fascinating how he was arrested and exiled to Siberia but later escape to join the Marxist group lead by Lenin. I think that it is crazy how he was arrested multiple times but was able to bounce back and rise to power. I thought the video was very helpful and educational because it gave a better understanding on the topic.
ReplyDeleteStalin was truly ruthless. If he wanted something and thought that it would help, then he would get it done. It is crazy that he made people stay at their positions during the battle of Stalingrad. Although many died, he was successful. Its interesting to know about his childhood, and how he had smallpox and deformities. He was also bullied which makes me think that maybe his ruthlessness was a result of this bullying. It kind of sounds like the same situation that Hitler was in, if I remember correctly, Hitler was also beaten by his father. Although Stalin was harsh, he got many things done in his lifetime and advanced Russia greatly, like creating an atomic bomb. Great blog post.
ReplyDeleteYour blog provides an immense amount of information about Stalin's life and ideas. You did a great job of conveying just how ruthless and cruel Stalin was as a leader. I found it interesting that Stalin did not have a great childhood and that this was one of the reasons that he yearned for absolute power. I was surprised that Stalin was in a church school and a seminary for part of his life, but still ended up begin so cruel. Your video was brief and informative and I liked how you ended your blog with some quotes. Overall, your blog was very informative and interesting.
ReplyDeleteCool blog Emma, I learned a bit about Stalin for my topic, but not this much. Im glad I learned more about him since he is so interesting. There was so much I did not know about him. The quotes were helpful to describing him as a person. Many of his impacts he created on Russia are still lasting today even though it has been so long.
ReplyDeleteThis blog has a lot of good information about Stalin and particularly his early life which I did not know much about. It's interesting to learn about his beginnings because of how he was such a cruel person when he was in power. Stalin was a successful person and leader of the Soviet Union. Even though he did many terrible things Russia became a powerful nation because of him.
ReplyDelete