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Childhood Bullying
When Josef was about 7 years old, he contracted smallpox, which left scars on his face and his left arm slightly deformed. Because of this, he was bullied, which left him with a sense of inferiority. From then on, he began his quest for greatness and respect and developed a cruel streak for anyone who corssed him. -
Came in contact with Messame Dassy
In 1895, he came in contact with Messame Dassy, a secret organization that supported Georgian independence from Russia. Some of the members were socialists, and introduced him to the writings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. He then eventually joined the group in 1898. His views had changed from then forward. -
Joined the Social Democratic Labour Party
He joined this party and worked full time in the revolutionary movement. -
Arrested for the first time
In 1902, he 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 -
Gained infamy from the 1907 Tiflis bank robbery
Stalin gained infamy being associated with the 1907 Tiflis bank robbery, which resulted in several deaths and 250,000 rubles stolen (approximately $3.4 million in U.S. dollars). -
Appointed Ofice of Gneral Secretaryof the Comunist Party
In 1922, Stalin was appointed to the newly created office of general secretary of the Communist Party -
Begun Collectivism
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Stalin reversed the Bolshevik agrarian policy by seizing land given earlier to the peasants and organizing collective farms. This essentially reduced the peasants back to serfs, as they had been during the monarchy. Stalin believed that collectivism would accelerate food production, but the peasants resented losing their land and working for the state. Millions were killed in forced labor or starved during the ensuing famine. Stalin also set in motion rapid ind -
Signed a nonaggression pact with Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany
In1939, Stalin made a seemingly brilliant move, signing a nonaggression pact with Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. Stalin was convinced of Hitler's integrity and ignored warnings from his military commanders that Germany was mobilizing armies on its eastern front. When the Nazi blitzkrieg struck in June 1941, the Soviet Army was completely unprepared and immediately suffered massive losses. -
Died 5th of March, 1953
Though his popularity from his successes during World War II was strong, Stalin's health began to deteriorate in the early 1950s. After an assassination plot was uncovered, he ordered the head of the secret police to instigate a new purge of the Communist Party. Before it could be executed, however, Stalin died on March 5, 1953. He left a legacy of death and terror as he turned a backward Russia into a world superpower. Stalin was eventually denounced by his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, in 195