Stalin was a dictator of the USSR from 1929 to 1953. He rose from extreme poverty to become ruler of the country that covered one-sixth of the world's entire surface area. Stalin ruled by terror for most of his years in office. He didn't let anyone say anything about his ideas. Stalin killed everyone who helped him come to power because he thought they would threaten his rules. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayStalin was responsible for the death of millions of Soviet peasants whom he despised with his program called "Collective Agriculture" (government control of farms). Under Stalin's command, the Soviet Union operated a worldwide network of communist parties. By the time Stalin died, communism had spread to other countries. His style of government became known as "Stalinism" and went on to influence many other countries. The people of the Soviet Union began to hate Stalin and most of the world was afraid of him. He transformed the Soviet Union from one of the least developed countries to one of the most industrial nations. It became one of the military powers of the world. During World War II, Stalin was an ally of Hitler, but Hitler betrayed Stalin, even before the end of the Cold War, when non-communist countries united to try to stop communism. Stalin was born on December 21, 1879 in Gori, a small town near Tbilisi, Georgia, a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the Russian Empire. Stalin's real name was Losif Vissarionovich Djugshvil. In 1912 he was adopted by a family with the surname Stalin, meaning "man of steel". Stalin's father, whose name was Vissarino Ivonovion Diugshvil. His profession was a local shoemaker. Stalin's mother, whose name was Ekaterina Gheladze Djugashvil, worked as a laundry worker. They lived in a small shack. Their first three children had died at birth, so Stalin grew up as an only child. Stalin contracted smallpox at the age of six which scarred him for life. In 1888 Stalin's parents sent him to a small church school in Gori. He spent five years there and became a very intelligent child. Stalin obtained a scholarship to attend the religious seminary in Tbilisi. Stalin entered to study for the priesthood in the Georgian Orthodox Church. When Tsar Alexander III died, his son Nicholas II became tsar. Alexander ruled with full power. It closely controlled the press, limited education, and prohibited student organizations. Nicholas continued his father's policies, and Russia made major economic and social progress. However, it was difficult to solve the problems of this country. The farmers were demanding more land and all the small farms could not produce enough food for millions of people who would starve. The growth of workers slowed due to long hours and low pay. In 1889 Stalin joined a secret Marxist revolutionary group. The Tbilisi Seminary, like many other schools, was a center for forbidden revolutionary ideas. In May 1899 Stalin was expelled for failing to appear for an exam. His interest in Marxim probably played a role in his dismissal. After Stalin left the seminary, he found work as a clerk. Within a year Stalin began his career as an active revolutionary. In 1900, Stalin helped organize a small May Day demonstration near Tbilisi. The demonstration was held to protest working conditions. In March 1901 the tsarist police raided Stalin's house. Stalin was not there, so he escaped arrest. He quit his job and joined the underground movement 15, 1953