World War II Commanders -- Stalin

Author: Li Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Joseph Stalin was born on December 21, 1879. His father was a shoemaker in the Georgian town of Gori, and his mother was the daughter of a serf. Both parents were illiterate lower-class laborers in the Georgian minority. Stalin's family was poor; the little money his father earned from shoe-making was mostly spent on alcohol, and his mother worked tirelessly to ensure her son would not go hungry. His father's wish for Stalin was to become a shoemaker when he grew up, while his mother hoped he would become a missionary. In 1888, his mother took Stalin to the Gori town church school where she worked as a cleaner. She applied for a scholarship of 3 rubles per month for her son, in addition to her own salary of 10 rubles per month, which was their family's entire income. With this, Stalin completed 5 years of schooling and graduated with excellent grades. In the summer of 1894, Stalin was recommended by the school to enter the Tbilisi Theological Seminary. This seminary was a center of active thought and opposition to the Russian Empire and feudal forces. Stalin read a large number of progressive books there. In the autumn of 1898, Stalin joined the "Mesamedasi" society organized by the Social Democratic Party.
In May 1899, Stalin was expelled from the seminary due to his activities. On April 5, 1902, Stalin was arrested for organizing workers' movements and was exiled to Siberia the following year. In the struggle to promote Marxism and oppose the Tsar, Stalin was arrested and imprisoned seven times and exiled six times. In April 1917, at the All-Russian Bolshevik Party Conference, Stalin was elected as a Central Committee member. In May, he was elected as a political commissar. In October, the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party decided that Stalin would lead the armed uprising. Throughout the October Socialist Revolution led by Lenin, Stalin was an unwavering supporter. Where there was crisis, where there was difficulty, Stalin was sent.
In March 1921, at the 10th Congress of the Russian Communist Party, Stalin was re-elected as a member of the Central Political Bureau and the Organization Bureau. On April 3, 1922, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, following Lenin's recommendation, elected Stalin as General Secretary of the Central Committee. From then on, Stalin's position in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Republic was solidified, and he became eligible to lead the Kremlin.
On January 21, 1924, Lenin passed away. In late May of the same year, Stalin presided over the 13th Congress of the Russian Communist Party, where he was again elected as a Central Committee member, a member of the Political Bureau and the Organization Bureau, and General Secretary of the Central Committee. From then on, he became the de facto highest leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Republic. Over the next 30 years, Stalin firmly controlled the highest leadership. During these nearly 30 turbulent years, Stalin led the Soviet people in establishing a socialist system, completing land reform, and undergoing the baptism of the Soviet-German War, ultimately transforming the Soviet Union into a socialist power that shocked the capitalist world.
Stalin did not have a history of attending a military academy, but he mastered military thinking adapted to the times. When dealing with military issues, he always stood at a strategic height, commanding the army with fearless spirit and overwhelming to face war. During World War II, Stalin not only demonstrated unwavering willpower in leading the Soviet people against invaders but also showcased the grandeur of a great strategist in forming the anti-fascist alliance.