Stalin, Joseph (1879-1953), Soviet Communist leader, the longtime ruler who more than any other individual moulded the features that characterized the Soviet regime and shaped the direction of post-World War II Europe; in this regard, Stalin may be considered the most powerful person to live during the 20th century.

Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, as he was originally named�he adopted the pseudonym Stalin, meaning "a man of steel", around 1910�was born on December 21, 1879, in Gori, now in the Republic of Georgia. Both his parents were Georgian peasants. Neither of them spoke Russian, but Stalin was forced to learn it, as the language of instruction, when he attended the Gori church school in 1888-1894. The best pupil in the school, Soso (his schoolboy nickname) earned a full scholarship to the T'bilisi Theological Seminary.