Stalin (1878–1953) was a Soviet dictator from 1922 until his death in 1953. He replaced Lenin as leader of the Soviet Union. His ideas and policies turned the Soviet Union into a large, powerful and modern country. His way of thinking was called Marxism-Leninism, and his form of government was later called Stalinism. He remains one of the most revered and notorious figures to date. There are countless songs about him, such as those performed by the Red Army Choir and composed by the Pokrass brothers.
Stalin invaded Poland on 18 September 1939. In the subsequent World War II, Stalin stayed neutral but signed a peace deal with Hitler, then the latter figure led a bloody war during which Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. After the end of the war, Stalin gained control of all of the Eastern Bloc.
Despite his transforming of the USSR into a world superpower and boasting an intimidating persona, he was physically ailing and had flaws of his own. He was a chain smoker since he took up the habit as a young boy, and he was a raging alcoholic. Stalin loved eating things ranging from fish and bears to wine and hard liquour, but had malnutrition and a draconic list of other health conditions to add up. Toward his later years, his health took a toll and got the best of him. He later died of a stroke in 1953, ending his rule.
His regime has been condemned for mass repression, ethnic cleansing, wide-scale deportation, terrorism, hundreds of thousands of executions, and famines that killed millions. He is especially condemned in the West. Even shortly after Stalin's death, some Soviet figures disliked him and his regime. Nikita Khrushchev started a campaign against him and things started to relax and cool down during the later years of the Soviet Union, though Khrushchev wasn't perfect either. The Soviet Union was on its last legs when Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, and he was responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union.