Joseph Stalin was born as Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili in Gori, Georgia, Russian Empire (18 December 1878  – 5 March 1953). was a Georgian politician who became leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death. He replaced Vladimir Lenin as leader of the Soviet Union. His ideas and policies turned the Soviet Union into a powerful, relatively modern nation, as the largest on Earth. His form of government was later called Stalinism.