Joseph Stalin's Milestones
Birth
Joseph Stalin was born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili in Gori, Georgia, to Besarion Jughashvili and Ketevan Geladze.
Father's death
His father died when Stalin was a child, leaving his mother to raise him.
Attended Tiflis Theological Seminary
Studied at the Tiflis Theological Seminary before being expelled for revolutionary activities.
Began revolutionary activity
Joined underground Marxist groups and began revolutionary activism in Georgia.
Joined Bolsheviks
Joined the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party.
Exiled to Siberia
Exiled multiple times to Siberia for revolutionary activities.
October Revolution
Played a key role in the Bolshevik October Revolution.
People's Commissar for Nationalities
Appointed People's Commissar for Nationalities in the Soviet government.
General Secretary
Served as General Secretary of the Communist Party, consolidating power.
First Five-Year Plan
Launched the First Five-Year Plan to rapidly industrialize the Soviet Union.
Great Purge
Orchestrated the Great Purge, leading to widespread arrests and executions.
World War II leadership
Led the Soviet Union during World War II, including the Battle of Stalingrad.
Postwar expansion
Oversaw Soviet expansion and the beginning of the Cold War.
Death
Joseph Stalin died in Moscow, ending his controversial rule.