Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953, when he died. He was responsible for one of the most important and devastating genocides, the Great Purge. His ferocious reign took the lives of an estimated 20-60 million people due to his harsh and cruel treatment. Through his exploitation of the lower classes and his manipulative abuse of power, Stalin created one of the worst examples of leadership in history. It takes an interesting character to be able to carry out the cruelties displayed in his regime and the traits that Stalin developed in his cult of personality were probably acquired as a child and teenager. This article will discuss how Stalin's background helped build the qualities of a ruthless man. leaders and how he visualized them at the time of his power. This paper will also reflect on his destruction of citizens' rights and his inability to maintain his responsibilities as a sovereign. Stalin's Childhood and BackgroundStalin was born on December 18, 1878 in Gori, Georgia. His mother was called Ketevan Geladze. His biological father is not precisely known, although there are many theories as to who his paternal father is. It could be that Stalin is the descendant of a Gregorian prince or count. Another theory is that Stalin is the son of General Nikolai Przhevalsky, one of the greatest scientific explorers of the 19th century. Stalin might have been the son of a Jewish wine merchant named Yaakov Egnatashvili. His mother did the laundry at his house. This is one of the most probable theories because he paid for Stalin's seminary education and Stalin named his first son Yaakov in honor of Egnatashvili. Even Stalin could have been the son of a priest. It is also possible that your father... in the middle of the paper... minutes of the phone call between Stalin and Krupskaya. Matthews, John R., 1937 – The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union / by John R. Matthews. P. cm.-(World History Series)This discussed the history of the Soviet Union, from the Revolution of 1917 through the Lenin and Stalin eras."Joseph Stalin." Joseph Stalin. Np, nd Web. January 19, 2014This web source provides details on Stalin's "cult of personality" and provides further input on his distortion of the media image. “The Art of Conservatism.” : Marxism according to Stalin. Np, nd Web. January 21, 2014Shows how Stalin manipulated Marxism and revealed his interpretation of Marxist ideologies versus actual Marxist beliefs."Marxism." Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 21 January 2014. A definition of Marxism and a brief history of how it was adapted in Stalinist Russia is given.