Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин; born Ioseb Besarionis je J̌uḡašvili, pronounced [iɔsɛb bɛsariɔnis dze dʒuɣaʃvili] Georgian: იოსებ ბესარიონის ძე ჯუღაშვილი; 18 December 1878^[1] – 5 March 1953) was the de facto leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953.