Joseph Stalin was born on 18 December 1878 in Gori. A Georgian-born Soviet politician, Stalin rose through the Bolshevik party to become general secretary, and, after the death of Lenin, ruled the Soviet Union as a dictator until his own death. He forced the country through rapid industrialisation and the collectivisation of agriculture, which was followed by a devastating famine, and he conducted the Great Purge of the 1930s, in which many people were executed or sent to labour camps. The Soviet Union under his leadership defeated Nazi Germany in the Second World War and became a superpower with control over Eastern Europe. Nikita Khrushchev denounced his rule in 1956.
Before and after
- 13 July 1878Treaty of Berlin of 1878
- from 22 October 1878 to 30 September 1890Gesetz gegen die gemeingefährlichen Bestrebungen der Sozialdemokratie
- November 1878Advance Australia Fair
- November 1878Birth of Lise Meitner
- 18 December 1878Birth of Joseph Stalin
- 1879Discovery of samarium
- 1879Discovery of thulium
- 1879Founding of Fulham F.C.
- 1879Founding of Sunderland A.F.C.
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 18 June 1812 to 18 February 1815War of 1812
- from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871Franco-Prussian War
- from 18 March 1871 to 28 May 1871Paris Commune
- from 1885 to 1914Scramble for Africa
- from 25 April 1898 to 11 August 1898Spanish–American War
- from 8 February 1904 to 5 September 1905Russo-Japanese War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.