Claim: Joseph Stalin was a Russian politician.

Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953 . In the years following the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924 , Stalin rose to become the leader of the Soviet Union .   After growing up in Georgia , Stalin conducted discreet activities for the Bolshevik Party for twelve years before the Russian Revolution of 1917 . Following the October Revolution , Stalin took military positions in the Russian Civil War and the Polish-Soviet War . Stalin was one of the Bolsheviks ' chief operatives in the Caucasus and grew close to Lenin , who saw him as a tough character , and a loyal follower capable of getting things done behind the scenes . Stalin played a decisive role in engineering the 1921 Red Army invasion of Georgia , adopting a particularly hardline approach to opposition . Stalin 's connections helped him to gain influential positions behind the scenes in the new Soviet government , eventually being appointed General Secretary in 1922 . In 1922 , a stroke forced Lenin into semi-retirement , while Lenin grew critical of Stalin in late 1922 and early 1923 , recommending Stalin 's dismissal from the post of General Secretary . However , a very debilitating stroke in March 1923 ended Lenin 's political career . In the years following , opponents of Stalin , most notably Leon Trotsky , became isolated politically and were sidelined from the government by Stalin . Eventually , this led Stalin to become the uncontested highest leader of the Party and the Soviet Union .