Joseph Stalin was a Russian politician.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin ( [ ˈstɑːlɪn ] 18 December 1878 -- 5 March 1953 ) was a Soviet revolutionary , politician and political theorist . Stalin was born to a poor Georgian family in Gori , Russian Empire . A politburo [ ˈpɒlɪtˌbjʊəɹoʊ ] or political bureau is the executive committee for Communist Parties . The Soviet Union ( [ Сове́тский Сою́з , r = Sovetskiy Soyuz ] [ sɐ ` vʲetskʲɪj sɐˈjʉs ] ) , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR ; Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик , [ sɐˈjus sɐˈvʲɛtskʲɪx sətsɨəlʲɪsˈtʲitɕɪskʲɪx rʲɪˈspublʲɪk ] ) , also known unofficially as Russia ( [ Росси́я , Rossiya , rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991 .