| Josef Stalin Иосиф Сталин (Russian) იოსებ სტალინი (Georgian) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Photo of Stalin, allegedly taken in 1919 | |
| Supreme Leader of the Transcaucasian SFSR | |
| In office 5 December, 1932 – 11 August, 1935 | |
| Preceded by | None; office established |
| Succeeded by | None; office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 December 1878 Gori, Russia 
|
| Died | 15 November 1937 (aged 58) Saint Petersburg, Russia
|
| Resting place | None; cremated |
| Spouse(s) | Kato Svanidze (1906–07) Nadezhda Alliluyeva (1919–30) |
| Relations | Besarion Jughashvili (father) Ekaterine Geladze (mother) |
| Children | Yakov Dzhugashvili Konstantin Kuzakov Vasily Stalin Svetlana Alliluyeva |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Koba |
| Allegiance |  Transcaucasian SFSR
|
| Service/branch | Soviet Armed Forces Red Army |
| Years of service | 1932–1935 |
| Rank | Supreme Commander General |
| Unit | All (supreme commander) |
| Commands | All (supreme commander) |
| Battles/wars | Great Caucasian War |
Josef Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December, 1878 – 15 November, 1937) was a Georgian Marxist and revolutionary. Stalin was the leader of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic during the Great Caucasian War, ruling as an authoritarian dictator.
Raised in a poor family in Gori, as a youth Stalin joined the socialist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. He edited the party newspaper Pravda and raised funds for Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction via robberies, kidnappings and protection rackets. Stalin was arrested and sent into exile on numerous occasions and he was well known to the authorities.
Stalin returned to Russia illegally under the pseudonym Konstantin Aleksandrovich. While living in Georgia, he married for the second time to Nadezhda Alliluyeva, with whom he had a son and daughter. Allegedly following an argument with Stalin, Alliluyeva was found dead in a river. Stalin was considered the prime suspect and he spent a year in hiding.
In 1932, Stalin lead a group of mostly Georgian and Armenian Marxist in a revolt against Russian rule in the Caucasus. For almost three years, Stalin ruled the Transcaucasian SFSR with an iron fist. Political dissident was suppressed and the media was censored. Stalin's rule caused resentment among the people of the Caucasus, to a point when the Imperial Russian Army retook control over Georgia, Georgian nationalist Kakutsa Cholokashvili personally wrote to Tsar Alexei and called him the "liberator of the people".
Stalin was arrested following a suicide attempt while attempting to hide in Tbilisi. Stalin was tried for treason, murder and causing civil unrest. He was hung on 15 November, 1937. American propaganda would label Stalin as "the hero of the people".
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