Joseph Stalin, the son of a Georgian cobbler, worked his way from a poor peasant to the ruler of the largest nation in the world. His merits are numerous: helping overthrow the Tsarist government, win the Russian civil war and subsequently industrialize Russia and defeat Hitler in World War II. While Stalin's achievements are impressive, he is described by many as a "brutal ruler of communist Russia." There is no doubt his methods were harsh and savage, but does their effectiveness and the outcome justify the means"

Joseph Stalin got involved with the revolutionary socialist party in 1899 while attending a seminary of priests. He entered the Russian political scene during a time when the working class was angry with Tsar Nicholas II, who had a series of humiliating defeats in the Russo-Japanese war. The war effort resulted in unacceptable living conditions in the Rodina (motherland), and the Tsar...