... into a severe, bureaucratic governmental system. He helped to turn Russia into a great industrial nation, to defeat Hitler in World War II. After the war he also established communist regimes through Eastern Europe. However he reigned terror and was responsible for the death and deprivation of millions of people. Stalin still remains the least known of the towering figures in world politics ... young Joseph through various sicknesses including smallpox and septicemia, which left his left arm slightly crippled for life. He enrolled in the local orthodox parochial school in Gori in 1888 J...

• Word Count: 371
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... that in his last years his ability to speak Russian deteriorated and he spoke only Georgian. The one institution that Stalin's birthplace shared with the larger Russian Empire was the Orthodox Church which Georgia actually converted more than 500 years before Russia. The Church played a strong role in his early life: he lived with a priest and his schooling was religious. His ... . It was Georgia's principle center of higher learning and drew manny upper-class students from all across the region. This set the scene for much conflict between the strict Russian Orthodox priests who ran the...

• Word Count: 2506
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School