Stalin

Stalin gained the effective leadership of Russia in 1929. Stalin's time as leader of Russia was to gain fame for three reasons:
· 1. The Five Year Plans
· 2. Collectivisation
· 3. The Purges
But what do we know about Stalin?
• he was born in 1879
• he came from a poor background; his father was a cobbler and his mother was a peasant
• his real surname was Djugasvili
• he did well at school and won a scholarship to go to a seminary where priests were trained
• it was at this seminary that Stalin turned to Marxism
• he became a follower of Lenin and went to secret meetings and distributed leaflets
• between 1902 and 1913 he was arrested 8 times and exiled to Siberia. He escaped 7 times!!
• in prison he adopted the name Stalin which translated as "Man of Steel". He felt that it would be good for his image
• he was a very good organiser and the part he played in the November 1917 Revolution was probably small. But the skills he gained while ...