Joseph Stalin was a Soviet politician who served as the leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. He held the position of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death. Stalin was one of the most influential and controversial figures of the 20th century. Born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, Stalin was born into a poor family in Gori, Georgia. He became involved in revolutionary politics in the early 1900s and joined the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1904. After the October Revolution of 1917, he held a number of important posts in the Soviet government. Stalin was one of the architects of the Soviet Union and played a central role in the establishment of the nation's first planned economy. He remained in power until his death in 1953, during which time he exercised control over the Soviet Union's extensive military and intelligence apparatus. Stalin was one of the most feared and notorious dictators of the 20th century. His reign is associated with widespread political oppression, mass deaths and famines.