Editing Joseph Stalin (section)

==Personal life and characteristics==
Ethnically Georgian,{{Sfn|Conquest|1991|p=1}} Stalin grew up speaking the Georgian language,{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=1|2a1=Khlevniuk|2y=2015|2p=97}} and did not begin learning Russian until age eight or nine.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=97}} It has been argued that his ancestry was genetically [[Ossetian people|Ossetian]], but he never acknowledged an Ossetian identity.{{Sfn|Foltz|2021|pp=94–97}} He remained proud of his Georgian identity,{{Sfn|Montefiore|2007|pp=66–67}} and throughout his life retained a heavy Georgian accent when speaking Russian.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=1|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2003|2p=2|3a1=Montefiore|3y=2007|3p=42|4a1=Khlevniuk|4y=2015|4p=97}}{{Sfn|Montefiore|2003|p=579}} Some colleagues described him as "Asiatic", and he supposedly said that "I am not a European man, but an Asian, a Russified Georgian".{{Sfn|Rieber|2005|p=18}}
[[File:Lavrenti Beria Stalins family.jpg|thumb|[[Lavrentiy Beria]] with Stalin's daughter, Svetlana, on his lap, with Stalin and [[Nestor Lakoba]] in the background, 1931]]

Described as soft-spoken{{sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=183|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=5|3a1=Kotkin|3y=2017|3p=5}} and a poor orator,{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=149|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=49|3a1=Service|3y=2004|3p=334|4a1=Khlevniuk|4y=2015|4p=52}} Stalin's style was "simple and clear, without flights of fancy, catchy phrases or platform [[wikt:histrionics#Noun|histrionics]]".{{Sfn|Volkogonov|1991|pp=xx–xxi}} He rarely spoke before large audiences and preferred to express himself in writing.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=329}} In adulthood, Stalin measured {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|abbr=in|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Kotkin|2017|p=40}}{{sfn|Volkogonov|1991|p=65}} His moustached face was pock-marked from [[smallpox]] during childhood; this was airbrushed from published photographs.{{Sfn|Kotkin|2017|p=4}} His left arm had been injured in childhood which left it shorter than his right and lacking in flexibility.{{Sfnm|1a1=Service|1y=2004|1p=25|2a1=Khlevniuk|2y=2015|2pp=13–14}} Stalin was a lifelong smoker, who smoked both a pipe and cigarettes.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=282|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=146 |3a1=Service|3y=2004|3pp=435, 438, 574|4a1=Kotkin|4y=2017|4p=1}} Publicly, he lived relatively plainly, with simple and inexpensive clothing and furniture.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=311 |2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=102|3a1=Montefiore|3y=2003|3pp=36–37|4a1=Service|4y=2004|4pp=497–498}} As leader, Stalin rarely left Moscow unless for holiday;{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=331}} he disliked travel,{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|pp=102, 227}} and refused to travel by plane.{{Sfnm|1a1=Khlevniuk|1y=2015|1p=195|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2017|2p=3}} In 1934, his [[Kuntsevo Dacha]] was built {{Convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the Kremlin and became his primary residence.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=215|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2003|2p=103|3a1=Service|3y=2004|3p=295}} He holidayed in the south USSR every year from 1925 to 1936 and 1945 to 1951,{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=191}} often in [[Abkhazia]], being a friend of its leader, [[Nestor Lakoba]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Montefiore|1y=2003|1pp=66–67|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2p=296}}

===Personality===
[[File:Stalin Full Image.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Stalin in 1937]]
Trotsky and several other Soviet figures promoted the idea that Stalin was a mediocrity,{{sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=xvi|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=xxiii|3a1=Service|3y=2004|3p=4|4a1=Montefiore|4y=2007|4p=xxiv}} a characterisation which gained widespread acceptance outside of the Soviet Union during his lifetime.{{sfn|Montefiore|2007|p=xxiv}} However, historians note that he possessed a complex mind,{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=343}} remarkable self-control,{{Sfnm|1a1=Volkogonov|1y=1991|1p=8|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2p=337}} and excellent memory.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1pp=193, 274|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=63|3a1=Service|3y=2004|3p=115|4a1=Kotkin|4y=2014|4p=425|5a1=Khlevniuk|5y=2015|5p=148}} Stalin was a diligent worker{{Sfnm|1a1=Service|1y=2004|1p=42|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2007|2p=353|3a1=Kotkin|3y=2014|3pp=424, 465, 597}} and an effective and strategic organiser,{{Sfnm|1a1=Montefiore|1y=2003|1p=42|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2014|2p=424}} with a keen interest in learning.{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=115}} As a leader, he meticulously scrutinised details, from film scripts to military plans,{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|pp=4–5}} and judged others by their inner strength and cleverness.{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=342}} He was skilled at playing different roles depending on the audience,{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=317|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=xxvi|3a1=McDermott|3y=2006|3p=13}} as well as in deception.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=xvi|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2p=18|3a1=McDermott|3y=2006|3p=13}} Although he could be rude,{{Sfnm|1a1=Volkogonov|1y=1991|1p=120|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2014|2p=648}} Stalin rarely raised his voice;{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=337}} however, as his health deteriorated, he became unpredictable and bad-tempered.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=145}} He could be charming and enjoyed cracking jokes when relaxed.{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=115}} At social events, Stalin encouraged singing and drinking, hoping others would drunkenly reveal secrets to him.{{Sfnm|1a1=McCauley|1y=2003|1p=90|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2pp=437, 522–523|3a1=Khlevniuk|3y=2015|3p=5}}

Stalin lacked compassion,{{Sfnm|1a1=Volkogonov|1y=1991|1p=4|2a1=Khlevniuk|2y=2015|2p=7}} possibly exacerbated by his repeated imprisonments and exiles,{{Sfn|Volkogonov|1991|p=8}} though he occasionally showed kindness to strangers, even during the Great Purge.{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=334}} He could be self-righteous,{{Sfnm|1a1=Service|1y=2004|1p=258|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2007|2p=285}} resentful,{{Sfn|Service|2004|pp=4, 344}} and vindictive,{{Sfnm|1a1=Kotkin|1y=2014|1p=597|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2017|2p=6}} often holding grudges for years.{{Sfnm|1a1=Service|1y=2004|1pp=10, 344|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2017|2p=5}} By the 1920s, he had become suspicious and conspiratorial, prone to believing in plots against him and international conspiracies.{{Sfnm|1a1=Service|1y=2004|1p=336|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2014|2p=736}} While he never attended torture sessions or executions,{{Sfn|Montefiore|2003|p=175}} Stalin took pleasure in degrading and humiliating people and kept even close associates in a state of "unrelieved fear".{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=5}} Service suggested he had tendencies toward a paranoid and sociopathic personality disorder.{{sfn|Service|2004|p=343}} Historian E.A. Rees believed it was psychopathy that bred Stalin's tyranny, citing a 1927 diagnosis by neuropathologist [[Vladimir Bekhterev]] that described him as a "typical case of severe paranoia".{{Sfn|Rees|2013|p=219}} Others have linked Stalin's brutality to his commitment to the survival of the Soviet Union and Marxist–Leninist ideology.{{Sfn|McDermott|2006|p=12}}
[[File:Stalin 1920-2 1920.07.03.jpg|thumb|Stalin reading a newspaper, 1920]]
Stalin had a keen interest in the arts.{{Sfn|Kotkin|2014|p=620}} He protected certain Soviet writers, such as [[Mikhail Bulgakov]], even when their work was criticised as harmful to his regime.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=96}} Stalin enjoyed classical music,{{Sfnm|1a1=Montefiore|1y=2003|1p=73|2a1=Khlevniuk|2y=2015|2p=6}} owned around 2,700 records,{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=6}} and often attended the [[Bolshoi Theatre]] in the 1930s and 40s.{{Sfn|Volkogonov|1991|pp=127, 148}} His taste was conservative, favouring classical drama, opera, and ballet over what he dismissed as experimental "[[Formalism (art)|formalism]]",{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=97}} and disliked [[avant-garde]] in the visual arts.{{Sfn|Volkogonov|1991|p=131}} An [[autodidact]],{{Sfnm|1a1=Montefiore|1y=2003|1p=86|2a1=Kotkin|2y=2014|2pp=117, 676}} Stalin was a voracious reader who kept over 20,000 books,{{Sfnm|1a1=Montefiore|1y=2003|1p=86|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2p=9|3a1=McDermott|3y=2006|3p=19|4a1=Kotkin|4y=2017|4pp=1–2, 5}} with little fiction.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=93}} His favourite subject was history, and he was especially interested in the reigns of Russian leaders [[Ivan the Terrible]], [[Peter the Great]], and [[Catherine the Great]].{{Sfn|Roberts|2022|p=2}} Lenin was his favourite author, but he read and appreciated works by Trotsky and other adversaries.{{Sfn|Roberts|2022|p=2}}

===Relationships and family===
[[File:Joseph Stalin with daughter Svetlana, 1935.jpg|thumb|Stalin carrying his daughter [[Svetlana Alliluyeva|Svetlana]] in 1935|left]]
Stalin married his first wife, [[Ekaterina Svanidze]], in 1906. Volkogonov suggested that she was "probably the one human being he had really loved".{{Sfn|Volkogonov|1991|p=4}} When she died, Stalin allegedly said: "This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity."{{Sfn|Montefiore|2007|p=202}} They had a son, [[Yakov Dzhugashvili|Yakov]], who frequently frustrated and annoyed Stalin.{{Sfnm|1a1=Volkogonov|1y=1991|1p=149|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2p=64|3a1=Montefiore|3y=2007|3p=167|4a1=Khlevniuk|4y=2015|4p=25}} After Yakov was captured by the German Army during World War II, Stalin refused to agree to a prisoner exchange between him and German field marshal [[Friedrich Paulus]], and Yakov died at a Nazi concentration camp in 1943.{{Sfnm|1a1=Volkogonov|1y=1991|1pp=150–151|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2007|2p=364}}

In exile in [[Solvychegodsk]] in 1910, Stalin had an affair with his landlady, Maria Kuzakova, who in 1911 gave birth to his alleged second son, [[Konstantin Kuzakov]],{{sfnm|1a1=Service|1y=2004|1p=79|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2007|2pp=227, 229, 230–231|3a1=Kotkin|3y=2014|3p=121}} who later taught philosophy at the [[Baltic State Technical University|Leningrad Military Mechanical Institute]], but never met Stalin.{{Sfn|Montefiore|2007|pp=365–366}} In 1914 in [[Kureika (village)|Kureika]], Stalin, aged 35, had a relationship with Lidia Pereprygina, aged 14 (considered a minor at the time), who allegedly became pregnant with Stalin's child.{{Sfnm|1a1=Suny|1y=2020|1p=559|2a1=Khlevniuk|2y=2015|2p=30}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Гамов |first=Александр |date=8 November 2018 |title=Stalin promised the gendarmes that he would marry his 14-year-old mistress as soon as she became an adult |url=https://www.kp.ru/daily/26905.4/3949946/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713032535/https://www.kp.ru/daily/26905.4/3949946/ |archive-date=13 July 2023 |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=Kp.ru -}}</ref> In December 1914, Pereprygina gave birth to the child, although the infant died soon after.{{Sfn|Montefiore|2007|pp=292–293}} In 1916, Pereprygina was pregnant again. She gave birth to their alleged son, [[Alexander Davydov (soldier)|Alexander Davydov]], in around April 1917. He was raised as the son of a peasant fisherman;{{Sfn|Montefiore|2007|p=366}} Stalin later came to know of the child's existence but showed no interest in him.{{Sfn|Montefiore|2007|pp=298, 300}}

Stalin's second wife was [[Nadezhda Alliluyeva]], whom he married in 1919; theirs was not an easy relationship, they often fought.{{Sfn|Montefiore|2003|p=8}} They had two biological children—a son, [[Vasily Dzhugashvili|Vasily]], and daughter, [[Svetlana Alliluyeva|Svetlana]]—and adopted another son, [[Artyom Sergeev]], in 1921.{{Sfn|Montefiore|2003|p=9}} It is unclear if Stalin had a mistress during or after this marriage.{{Sfnm|1a1=Montefiore|1y=2003|1p=13|2a1=Khlevniuk|2y=2015|2p=255}} She suspected he was unfaithful,{{Sfn|Montefiore|2003|p=12}} and committed suicide in 1932.{{Sfnm|1a1=Volkogonov|1y=1991|1p=154|2a1=Montefiore|2y=2003|2p=16|3a1=Khlevniuk|3y=2015|3p=255}} Stalin regarded Vasily as spoilt and often chastised his behaviour; as Stalin's son, he was swiftly promoted through the Red Army and allowed a lavish lifestyle.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|pp=257, 259–260}} Conversely, Stalin had an affectionate relationship with Svetlana during her childhood,{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=215|2a1=Volkogonov|2y=1991|2p=153|3a1=Montefiore|3y=2003|3pp=9, 227|4a1=Khlevniuk|4y=2015|4p=256}} and was very fond of Artyom.{{Sfn|Montefiore|2003|p=9}} He disapproved of Svetlana's suitors and husbands, which put strain on their relationship.{{Sfnm|1a1=Conquest|1y=1991|1p=260|2a1=Service|2y=2004|2p=521}} After World War II, he made little time for his children, and his family played a diminishing role in his life.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|pp=250, 259}} After Stalin's death, Svetlana changed her surname to Alliluyeva,{{Sfn|Service|2004|p=593}} and defected to the U.S.{{Sfn|Khlevniuk|2015|p=260}}