Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and his era
Perhaps there is no more controversial figure in our history than Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. This is a totalitarian leader who practically arrogated the highest position to himself, and the author of numerous repressions, and the leader of the victorious country in World War II. A very interesting and colorful character.
It is difficult, even in our time, to find a person who does not know who Stalin is. He aroused irritation in some, anger in others, respect in others, and fear in others. But none of his contemporaries remained indifferent to this charismatic and multifaceted politician.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
Let's try to immerse ourselves in his world for a while and at least slightly lift the veil of history over his biography and the most striking events of his life.
The mystery of the death of Joseph Stalin
The version that they helped him die is becoming louder and louder. The strange events of the last years of her life speak in her favor. Who played on Stalin’s manic suspicion and convinced him to remove his closest people from himself - the head of Vlasik’s personal security and his faithful maid? Who sent the guards to sleep the night he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage? Who inspired the members of the Politburo not to allow doctors to see the body of the paralyzed leader? Witnesses to these events will no longer be able to answer these questions, but it is known what some of them feared. Joseph Stalin understood that he had become a hostage of the apparatus he had nurtured. Some historians claim that he was preparing a new bloodbath for his comrades, others that he planned to move the center of power from the party apparatus to the Soviet authorities. Perhaps the secret archives will still tell us the truth about this.
Biography of Stalin. Start
As for the biography of Joseph Stalin, extremes are observed here. Previously, all details were clearly verified and approved by the relevant authorities. And now everyone is writing about him. We have to look for facts about Joseph Stalin as grains of truth in a sea of wild imagination of the authors. Even his height and weight are adjusted at times.
The only thing that is not disputed is the years of life and the period of reign of the great dictator.
Childhood
Everything in the world has its beginning. Stalin was also small and, like any child, he loved to dream. Who knows whether he managed to realize his childhood dreams, but he left a mark on history for centuries.
Stalin in childhood
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (real name Dzhugashvili) was born on December 21, 1879 in the city of Gori, which then still belonged to the Russian Empire. There is debate about his date of birth, as the numbers differ in different documents. But still, the official birthday of Joseph Stalin, recognized by the entire country, falls on the designated date.
Stalin was Georgian by nationality. His father, Vissarion Ivanovich, belonged to the lower strata of society - a simple shoemaker. Mother - Ekaterina Georgievna - comes from serfs.
It so happened that Joseph was the only child in the family - his older brothers died of typhus at a tender age. He himself was not strong either - from early childhood the future head of the Soviet Union was plagued by various ailments. And at the age of seven he was hit by a phaeton. Joseph survived, but from then on his left hand began to work poorly.
Stalin (top center) at the theological seminary
Stalin's childhood was not an easy one. His father was a bitter drunkard, as a result of which both the boy himself and his mother were repeatedly beaten by the enraged head of the family. The mother, a quiet and meek woman, doted on her only son and tried with all her might to brighten up his life. Being a simple-minded woman with narrow views, Ekaterina Dzhugashvili saw her son as “educated,” which for her meant entering the priesthood.
Due to poor health, he could not engage in heavy physical labor, so it was decided to send the boy to the Gori Theological School, where Joseph Dzhugashvili entered in 1888 and successfully graduated six years later.
Youth
Stalin continued his further studies at the Orthodox seminary in Tiflis. He successfully compensated for his physical deficiencies with an inquisitive mind and thirst for knowledge. This same craving brought him into the ranks of revolutionaries a year before graduating from the seminary. The teenager was keenly interested in the works of Marx and the political views of the Social Democratic Party, led by Lenin. He ardently supported the revolutionary movement and Leninist ideas, so without hesitation he joined the Georgian social democratic organization “Mesami-Dasi”, from where his political journey began.
Stalin in his youth
It was in this organization, as the leader of one of the illegal revolutionary circles, that he discovered the leader in himself. He realized that he knew how to talk, that people loved to listen to him, his opinion was taken into account, and he realized that he liked all this. In this incarnation he was like a fish in water. Joseph Dzhugashvili finally chose his path and became an ardent supporter of Bolshevism. The first underground nickname appeared there - “Koba”. He tried many nicknames, but in the end he took the pseudonym “Stalin”.
For the sake of revolutionary ideas, they had to sacrifice education - the seminary did not tolerate a newly minted revolutionary, and Stalin was expelled shortly before the final exams with the wording “failure to appear for an exam for an unknown reason.” His education was not completed. All he had after several years of training was a certificate that he could teach in primary schools.
Path to power
Stalin has been considered a professional revolutionary since 1901. It was then that he decided to devote himself entirely to this activity and began to engage in illegal party activities. Soon he already heads the Tiflis committee of the RSDLP.
Congress of the RSDLP
It is clear that this was by no means welcomed in the Russian Empire. Therefore, Joseph Stalin comes to the attention of the police and becomes a frequent “guest” in prison dungeons. Over 11 years, he survived six arrests and four escapes.
Focusing on the “Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class,” headed by Lenin, Stalin promoted radical methods of inter-class confrontation. By this, he draws harsh criticism from the majority of Mesame Dasi members, who continue to cling to pure verbiage within the framework of disagreement with the tsarist regime. They were not ready to take to the streets and start real resistance.
Thus, Joseph Dzhugashvili finally becomes a “leftist” and loses the support of the conservative majority of his party. Considering Lenin a true follower of Marxism and at the same time receiving support from the working class of Tiflis, the revolutionary Stalin is not going to deviate from his chosen path.
Young Joseph Stalin in 1908
In April 1900, at a workers' May Day rally in Tiflis, Stalin spoke for the first time in front of a large audience. Apparently, both he and his listeners liked the debut. Subsequently, such speeches became part of the biography of Joseph the revolutionary.
When in 1903 at the congress of the RSDLP there was a final split in the party, and it was divided into the Bolsheviks (led by V.I. Lenin) and the Mensheviks, Dzhugashvili without hesitation supported his idol and joined the ranks of the Bolsheviks.
After this, he was entrusted with the leadership of Bolshevik organizations in Transcaucasia. This is the first appointment of this level. Stalin moved to Baku, where for several years he was actively involved in party affairs and organizing large strikes.
Thus began the path to power of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin.
Vladimir Lenin - pre-revolutionary photo
Childhood, family of Joseph Stalin
The family of Joseph Vissarionovich was not rich; they lived in the city of Gori, which is located in Georgia. Externally, the boy had fused toes on his left foot. From the age of seven, as a result of an accident, my left arm lost the ability to straighten. My father worked as a shoemaker, and like a real shoemaker, he swore and beat his household. Joseph also got hit right on the head once.
The mother also did not have a soft character. Since childhood, Joseph has become accustomed to her sternness and authoritative voice. In the end, the parents did not live together. The boy remained to live with his mother. She had to work hard so that her son would not need anything. She predicted the priesthood for him. Due to drunkenness, my father died in a fight, and my mother died before the war.
Stalin's career after the October Revolution
Despite his lack of education, Joseph Stalin was a natural leader and knew how to write speeches and propaganda materials for the press. In addition, he had a cunning and resourceful mind, which allowed him to move up the career ladder with giant strides.
Lenin brought him as close as possible to himself, appointing him, after the success of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917, where he took a very active part, People's Commissar for Nationalities Affairs. The fact that he was entrusted with solving the national question spoke of high trust on Lenin’s part. But it was obvious that Stalin himself wanted more.
The establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship in a state torn apart from inside and outside by military actions inspired new thoughts for the future sole ruler of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He was convinced that this, firstly, was effective and, secondly, was a wonderful justification for autocracy. Since then, this thought has not left his head.
The practice of concentration camps, introduced by Lenin, aroused Stalin's keen interest. Later he would take this into service and apply it widely during his reign.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin in Gorki, 1922
During the most difficult period for the young Soviet state, Stalin began to slowly but surely make sure that Lenin could no longer do without him. Even from exile, Vladimir Ilyich led the party through his faithful assistant. He literally became the right hand of the leader of the world proletariat.
Undoubtedly, this could not but affect his career. He becomes one of the party leaders. The reins of government of the young republic gradually passed into the hands of Joseph Vissarionovich, and he no longer let them go.
The only “cat” that ran between him and Lenin were the events in Tsaritsyn in 1919, when, according to Stalin’s instructions, after the betrayal of one former white officer, a whole galaxy of military specialists were shot without trial. After this incident, Stalin developed a hostility towards military experts.
Tsaritsyn 1919
Lenin criticized the action of his protégé, unable to resist making harsh statements against him, but it is unlikely that he changed his mind. Nevertheless, he certainly drew conclusions about irresolvable disagreements with the leader of the Bolshevik Party.
Stalin stubbornly walked towards his goal - sole power. Since 1921, when Lenin increasingly left the political leadership of party affairs to assistants due to illness, Joseph Vissarionovich was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). The position at that time did not imply such a wide range of powers, which the newly appointed Secretary General later introduced, pushing the Politburo aside.
Lenin, shortly before his death, realized what an unforgivable mistake he had made by entrusting the reins of power to such a dangerous ally. In his letters, he asked to remove Stalin from power and not to trust him with responsible positions. But these messages were too late - the political machine called “Stalin” had already gained momentum.
Lenin in his letters about Stalin
Brezhnev 1964–1982
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich (1906–1982) - from 1966 to 1982 - General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Participant of the Great Patriotic War, where he conducted political work. Since 1950, L. I. Brezhnev has been the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova. Since June 1957 - member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Since May 1960, L. I. Brezhnev was elected chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR; he held this post until June 1964, and at the same time, from June 1963, he was secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. At the October plenum of the Central Committee in 1964, he was elected First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1966, the 23rd Congress of the CPSU restored the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was elected by the plenum of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1977, he again took up the position of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Brezhnev's reign is called the era of stagnation. Read more »
The Rise of Stalinism
After Lenin’s death, Stalin arranged it in such a way that, as if it were a matter of course, Vladimir Ilyich left him as his successor and continuer of the cause of the party of workers and peasants. Unnoticed by others, the prudent general secretary concentrated all power in his hands, while not forgetting to hide behind the implementation of the tasks outlined by “Comrade Lenin” and strict adherence to the party line.
His flexible mind and keen sense of people allowed him to surround himself with supporters who were ready to support the ambitious General Secretary in all his endeavors.
Period of repression
It's amazing how quickly Stalin managed to deal with the opposition. Trotsky, who believed that it was he who would lead the party, was expelled from the country by Stalin. Beginning in 1929, Zinoviev and Kamenev, who led the opposition movement against Stalin, paid for this with expulsion from the party and subsequent repressions. And after the murder of S. M. Kirov, extensive purges of opposition forces began, and soon they were completely destroyed. Some prominent party leaders suffered the same fate.
Trotsky Lev Davidovich
Zinoviev and Kamenev
The thirties of the twentieth century were marked by the beginning of the heyday of the Stalin era. Now he made decisions alone and did as he saw fit. This was facilitated by massive repressions that swept across all corners of the vast country. The punitive body represented by the NKVD put this process on a broad track. Any person could be convicted, exiled to a camp or shot with virtually no trial or investigation.
Stalin did not spare military specialists, whose hostility remained with him from the time of the defense of Tsaritsyn (since 1925 Stalingrad). Large-scale purges swept through the ranks of military personnel. Many people of outstanding intelligence and remarkable abilities were crushed by the punitive machine.
However, it is wrong to consider Stalin alone as the organizer of the repressions. Millions of denunciations written by ordinary Soviet citizens speak for themselves. In addition, there were enough “excesses” in the implementation of Stalin’s decrees at the local level. Particularly zealous performers could give odds to the leader himself.
If you look from the other side, raising the country from ruin and instilling a new ideology in the population is a huge and thankless job. Therefore, tough and even repressive measures are not a whim, but rather a necessity according to the era. There is no proven effective system based on loyalty and liberalism that would work well in such difficult conditions.
Collectivization and industrialization
Years of “dekulakization” and the forced organization of peasants into collective farms are still blamed on Stalin. But this is a double-edged sword. Undoubtedly, the collectivization process took place extremely harshly and at an accelerated pace. This was a consequence of the devastation and food crisis in the country. Whether there was another way in this situation and how it was possible to help the Soviet Union rise from the ruins is not an idle question. It remains open to this day.
When agricultural products began to be produced in abundance, the head of state began to sell them abroad. In exchange, industrial equipment was purchased to develop the country's industrial production, which was limping on both legs. Stalin wanted to transform the young Soviet republic from a backward agrarian appendage into an industrial power.
Collectivization of the USSR
It was the era of his reign that was marked by rapid growth and construction of new industrial enterprises, as well as the development of science. Stalin took a keen interest in the latest developments in these areas. He wanted to bring the USSR to the forefront in all directions. Given the sanctions imposed on the country by major Western powers, this position is difficult to dispute. In defiance of capitalism, Joseph Vissarionovich planned to develop socialist industrialization.
He developed a network of research institutes and raised the salaries of scientists. Stalin sought to penetrate all advanced technologies and not just adopt them from the West, but make his own, much better and more efficient.
He succeeded completely. By the end of the thirties, that is, over two five-year plans, Soviet Russia became a leader in industrial growth and indicators of technical progress. The development of all sectors of the national economy proceeded at a tremendous pace.
Poster “Give industrialization”
In fairness, it must be said that all this was achieved through considerable sacrifices - both physical and social. The standard of living of the population was lower than during normal development going on at its own pace. Investments in socially significant projects were limited in order to fulfill plans for scientific development and industrialization.
Stalin did not forget about promoting his policies among the people. Never tired of declaring himself a faithful follower of Lenin's cause, by the end of the 30s he announced that the construction of socialism in one particular country was completed. And all the hindrances and obstacles at that moment are organized by malicious units who want to prevent the Soviet government from fulfilling the will of the people.
Under this sauce, a real hunt for “enemies of the people” unfolded. Everyone who in one way or another supported Trotsky’s opinion, or was in the opposition bloc organized by Kamenev and Zinoviev, was subjected to severe repression or destroyed.
Gorbachev 1985–1991
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich (b. 1931) - from 1985 to 1991 — General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. One of the initiators of Perestroika. From 1955 to 1966 he was engaged in Komsomol activities in Stavropol. In 1966–1970 - First Secretary of the Stavropol City Committee, in 1970–78 - 1st Secretary of the Stavropol Regional Committee of the CPSU. In 1978 he was elected secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1979 - a candidate member of the Politburo, from 1980 to 1991 - member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. In March 1990, at the Third Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, he was elected President of the USSR. On December 25, 1991, after the Belovezhskaya Agreement, he resigned. Read more »
See also:
- Biographies of prominent figures
- Nominal heads of the USSR
- Heads of government of the USSR
Did you like the article? Share the link!
Stalin is the commander in chief. The Great Patriotic War
One can argue a lot about Stalin’s qualities as the head of the Supreme High Command (during the war he had the rank of marshal), but the fact remains that he led the country to victory over Nazi Germany. It made a huge difference. Stalin, the commander-in-chief, not only defeated the “brown plague”, he proved to the whole world that there would be no success in the war against the Soviet Union. Despite the obvious hostility and policy of opposing communism, not a single capitalist country dared to attack the USSR anymore.
Stalin was not prepared for Germany to violate the peace treaty so treacherously. Far from being an idiot, he understood that war could not be avoided, but he really hoped to outplay Hitler. Of course, the ineffective actions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in the first days of the attack by the Wehrmacht troops hit the country hard. But this is understandable. Stalin is a good tactician, but a rather weak strategist.
The rapid military successes of the Nazis in the first months of the war are quite understandable. Nazi Germany was superior to the Soviet Union in terms of its location, level of funding, and other indicators. At its service was the economic and raw material base of all of Europe. And how can one blame Stalin, if even European countries, much more developed and powerful, almost instantly fell to the onslaught of the Third Reich.
The Great Patriotic War
Stalin managed to quickly put the country on a war footing and arranged the evacuation of strategically important enterprises to the rear. If you think about it, this is a very complex and labor-intensive process even in peacetime. You try to take any plant and move it at least a meter. And during the war, these same factories, one and a half to two months after the evacuation, worked at full capacity for the needs of the front.
Urgent measures were also taken to strengthen the troops of the Red Army and Navy.
In addition, Stalin rallied the multinational people so that Hitler’s specialists were unable to create the notorious “fifth column” to divide people and destroy the country from within. This, by the way, was a phenomenon of that time. Western historians have never been able to explain it.
They note Stalin's high merits as a negotiator. It was he who managed to organize an alliance with England and the USA against Hitler and convinced them to open a second front. In all conferences during the war, he played a leading role, while seeking agreements from his opponents on the necessary terms. It was Stalin who insisted on convening the Nuremberg Trials so that the world would learn about all the crimes of the Nazis and, in addition, innocent people would not suffer.
Nuremberg trial
Surprisingly, the leader of the victorious country used the spoils of war and glory more than modestly. Surely there is a rational explanation for this.
One of Stalin's major contributions to peace policy was the creation of the United Nations, which exists virtually unchanged to this day.
UN flag
The low supply of mechanized military equipment played an important role in the defeats of our troops in 1941-1942. Germany was head and shoulders ahead of us in this sense, if not more. This is understandable - industrialization has just begun in our country, while the Germans have been successfully promoting technological progress for a long time.
Of the biggest disadvantages, it is among the career officers of the former tsarist army. Of course, this greatly weakened the senior command staff and deprived Headquarters of competent strategic and tactical management. People at the top levels of military positions, as a rule, did not have the appropriate education and combat experience.
However, there is no better school for troops than war, no matter how sad it is. And in the Red Army, training progressed by leaps and bounds. Empirically, military leaders gained experience, studied and comprehended military science. As a result, by the end of the war with Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union had the most powerful army not only in Europe, but in the whole world. By the way, this was one of the main reasons for the refusal of the bloc of major capitalist countries to start a war against the USSR. Everyone saw perfectly well that this army would repel any enemy.
You can treat Stalin as you like, but his historical role in the defeat of fascism is difficult to overestimate. This will remain for centuries.
Post-war Stalinism
Many historians agree that the apogee of totalitarianism and Stalinist repressions occurred in the post-war years of his rule (until his death). Most likely, this was so, because during the war years serious contradictions were revealed and unresolved problems of an ideological nature were exposed.
On the other hand, the country that had just been raised from its knees after the war was again in ruins. Almost destroyed, but not broken. The big question is whether it is possible to restore the economy as soon as possible and bring industry to its previous level using liberalism and loyal methods. Stalin can be respected simply because he had to go through this twice. Perhaps none of the historical figures can boast of such “luck”.
The head of state had to mobilize all his strength and skills, as well as available resources, in order to once again bring the country to the forefront in the shortest possible time. And he succeeded, despite everything. The USSR, under the leadership of I.V. Stalin, even turned into a powerful nuclear power.
Poster about Stalin
He also successfully solved the problem of partially disbanding a huge army, which by the end of the war had reached such a size that it was really ready to conquer the whole world. It was necessary to gradually withdraw from the troops units and formations that were not needed in the new conditions, as well as equipment, and to find use for the freed-up resources in peaceful life.
During his reign, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin managed to raise our country to such a height that it not only stood on a par with developed capitalist countries, but even ahead of them in many respects. The great dictator and tyrant did so much for the USSR that not a single general secretary could surpass him.
It was not for nothing that cities, streets, districts, millionaire collective farms, automobile factories (the famous ZIS, later the Likhachev plant) were named after Stalin; even a turbo-electric ship was named “Joseph Stalin.” Revolutionary at that time, tanks of the IS family (Joseph Stalin) are the pride of tankers. They were so ahead of their era that their prototypes are still in service with the Russian army.
Tanks of the IS family (Joseph Stalin)
Chernenko 1984–1985
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich (1911–1985) - Soviet party and statesman, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee from 1984 to 1985, Hero of Socialist Labor (1976). In 1941–43, secretary of the Krasnoyarsk regional party committee. In 1945–48, secretary of the Penza regional party committee. In 1948–56 in the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova. In 1956–1960 he worked in the apparatus of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1960–65, head of the Secretariat of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Since 1965 head. department of the CPSU Central Committee. Candidate member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1966–71. Member of the CPSU Central Committee since 1971. In 1976–1984, Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 7th–11th convocations. Read more »
Personal life of the leader
Until some time this topic was taboo. They only knew about her what was allowed to be covered. His family and children were carefully protected from prying eyes. All photographs and other evidence of this aspect of Stalin's life were destroyed.
Then another extreme appeared - so many new stunning facts about the personal life of the head of the Soviet state were discovered that many of them look like obvious stupidity.
Family
It is known that Stalin’s first wife was the sister of his classmate Ekaterina Svanidze. She lived only three years after the wedding, managing to give birth to her husband’s son, Yakov. After the death of his mother, the boy was raised by her parents throughout his childhood, since the father, due to his extreme workload with revolutionary affairs, could not independently take care of his son.
Ekaterina Svanidze - Stalin's first wife
Stalin married for the second time fourteen years later. His wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva, was a good two decades younger than her husband. But this did not interfere with their marriage and the birth of children. They say that the leader loved his wife very much, who bore him a son and daughter - Vasily and Svetlana.
The first-born Yakov was finally brought to his father's house, and the family was reunited. Stalin's sons and daughter lived under the same roof. The tough totalitarian leader now has a family home.
Little is known about his marriage life with Nadezhda Alliluyeva. This is not surprising - given the leader’s extreme suspicion, his wife’s social circle was incredibly narrowed. Some were not allowed to approach her for a cannon shot, others were afraid to approach her themselves - it was an uneven time to give Stalin food for suspicion.
Nadezhda Alliluyeva and Joseph Stalin
Nadezhda, according to contemporaries, was a woman of fine spiritual organization. Such a vacuum of communication was not good for her. The situation was aggravated by the fact that Stalin himself was also rarely at home - in his role as head of state, his workload increased incredibly. In addition, due to his despotic nature, he did not hesitate to tyrannize his wife and loved ones, without hiding his bad mood or discontent when they did not obey him.
It is difficult to say whether this or something else was the reason, but the apogee came when the youngest daughter Svetlana was seven years old. Stalin's wife was found dead on November 8, 1932. She committed suicide by shooting herself in the head with a pistol. The very fact of suicide of the wife of the country's first person, of course, was initially tried to be silenced. According to the official version, the cause of death was complicated appendicitis.
Obviously, the death of his beloved wife greatly influenced Stalin. He was never able to recover and never tied the knot with anyone else. Perhaps his reverent attitude towards his youngest daughter lies precisely in this.
Stalin with children Vasily and Svetlana
Joseph Stalin's eldest son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, died during the Great Patriotic War. It seems that the leader did not make any preferences and did not exempt his son from the general conscription. There is a version that Yakov was captured, and Stalin was offered to exchange his son for a captured German general. The head of the USSR refused, saying: “I don’t exchange generals for lieutenants!”
Of Stalin's direct descendants, he had a grandson, Joseph Alliluyev. However, he is known very little, especially since Stalin’s descendants were forgotten after the leader’s daughter Svetlana emigrated to the USA.
Stalin in photographs
There are very few amateur photos of Stalin. The dictator was very scrupulous about his image, which would be replicated to the masses. Therefore, all the photographs, even amateur ones, captured Stalin exactly as he wanted to see himself from the outside.
Joseph Stalin
For ceremonial photos, Stalin usually posed with awards. As for the awards, the leader had something to be proud of. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin had many orders and medals, and was three times a recipient of the Order of the Red Banner. But in general, he didn’t really boast about them and didn’t strive to put on a ceremonial jacket every time. Although he loved the jackets themselves and wore them almost everywhere.
Joseph Stalin - biography of personal life
Stalin was married twice. Ekaterina Svanidze and Nadezhda Alliluyeva are his wives. Two sons Yakov, Vasily and daughter Svetlana. Yakov was born from his first marriage; his wife died of tuberculosis when the boy was still very young. Nadezhda was a harsh woman and very touchy; after 14 years of marriage, her character traits worsened, and the wife committed suicide out of resentment towards her husband. She shot herself. All information about the life of the leader of the Soviet state with women is scanty and classified. For the first time, Joseph Dzhugashvili (this is Stalin’s real name) got married at the age of 26.
The romantic Georgian beauty believed that a real hero, a fiery knight of the revolution, fell in love with her. The hero Koba was popular at that time. Local Robin Hood helping poor people. Catherine was only 16 years old, the young people were married. Stalin was often not at home, his wife whiled away the days and evenings alone. A son was born, Catherine’s body was weak, there was no money for treatment, every penny went into the party treasury. The wife dies, and the son lives with his maternal grandparents.
Young Nadezhda Alliluyeva managed to melt the tyrant’s heart again. A feeling arose, although demonstrating it even to ourselves was prohibited. The second son Vasya was born, and Stalin took Yakov, the first son, to his place. Then daughter Svetlana appears.
The woman lacked communication. It was impossible to talk to my husband; he did not spoil his family with this. Nadezhda did not get close to men; everyone, including her, was afraid of rumors and gossip. Women were also afraid of Stalin: no matter how much they said something unnecessary. So, being deprived of communication, taking care of the house and children, the second wife of Joseph Vissarionovich passed away. Stalin never married anyone else. His family biography is over.
Death of Stalin
Stalin died suddenly. Of course, by that time he could no longer boast of excellent health, but no one expected the death of the great dictator. This happened at his home on March 5, 1953. The cause of Joseph Vissarionovich’s death was recognized as cerebral hemorrhage.
His death shocked millions of citizens of our country. He really was a kind of icon, they believed in him, they even prayed for him. People cried when the sad news reached all corners of the Soviet Union.
During Stalin's funeral, when the funeral procession walked through the streets, they could not accommodate everyone who wanted to see the leader off on his last journey. This man really managed to create nationwide love for himself.
At first, the mausoleum in which the body of V.I. Lenin lay became a necropolis for him. Later, after the cult of personality was debunked, the coffin with Stalin’s body was taken out of the mausoleum and reburied near the Kremlin wall. A bust of the leader is installed on the grave.
Be that as it may, the date of Stalin’s death meant the end of an entire era.
Stalin's funeral
Only daughter
The only daughter of the Leader of the Nations, Svetlana, was born in 1926. Initially, Stalin himself doted on her.
However, as a high school student, she began to have romance novels. So, at the age of sixteen, she was in love with the forty-year-old screenwriter A. Kapler. Her lover managed to introduce the girl to good literature and poetry. He was able to cultivate her artistic taste. But the head of state was outraged. A case was opened against Kapler and he was sent to a camp.
Svetlana’s new chosen one was her brother Vasily’s friend G. Morozov. The father allowed his daughter to get married. In their marriage they had their first child. Despite this, after some time the couple separated. And the ex-husband was immediately removed from the capital. For three years he could not find a job.
Meanwhile, Svetlana met the son of Soviet leader A. Zhdanov, Yuri. Stalin loved the Zhdanov family very much and sincerely wanted these families to become related. And so it happened. Children appeared. By the way, at one time it was the head of state who helped appoint Yuri to the position of head of the department of the Central Committee. But the personal life of Stalin’s children did not work out... And this marriage also fell apart.
