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Joseph Stalin
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Joseph Stalin
| birthname =
| image = CroppedStalin1943.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| office       = [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|General secretary]] of the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Central Committee]] of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]]
| term_start   = 3 April 1922
(contracted; show full);'Joseph Stalin''' (or '''Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin'''; 18 December 1878 &nbsp;– 5 March 1953) was the leader of the [[Soviet Union]] from 1922 until his death.  He replaced [[Vladimir Lenin]] as leader of the Soviet Union.  Stalin was a [[totalitarian]] ruler, and stayed in power by removing anyone he thought might be a threat to him. His ideas and [[wikt:policy|policies]] turned the Soviet Union into a powerful, modern nation, the largest on Earth. 
ItThey also led to the deaths of millions of people.<ref name=bbc/> His form of government was later called [[Stalinism]]. 

Stalin [[Invasion of Poland|invaded Poland]] on 18 September 1939. In the subsequent [[World War II]], Stalin stayed neutral but signed a peace deal with [[Germany]]'s leader [[Adolf Hitler]].  He then led a bloody war after Germany invaded the Soviet Union.  The end of the war saw Stalin gain control of all [[Eastern Europe]] including [[East Germany|part of Germany]]. There, a (contracted; show full)[[Category:Time People of the Year]]
[[Category:World War II people]]
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1953 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin]]

{{Cold War figures}}
{{Time Persons of the Year 1927–1950}}