Joseph Stalin

"The Capitalists will sell us the rope we will hang them with!"

- Stalin

Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Джугашвили) better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Сталин), and translated from "Stalin" as "Man of Steel", is the main Soviet character and antagonist of Red Alert 1.

Background
He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee. Despite his formal position being originally without significant influence, and his office being nominally but one of several Central Committee Secretariats, Stalin's increasing control of the Party from 1928 onwards led to him becoming the de facto party leader and the dictator of his country.

Pre-war years
Stalin became General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922. Following the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, he prevailed in a power struggle over Leon Trotsky, who was expelled from the Communist Party and deported from the Soviet Union. In the 1930s Stalin initiated the Great Purge, a campaign of political repression, persecution and executions that reached its peak in 1937. Stalin placed the New Economic Policy (NEP) of the 1920s with Five-Year Plans in 1928 and collective farming at roughly the same time. The Soviet Union was transformed from a predominantly peasant society to a major world industrial power by the end of the 1930s.

Confiscations of grain and other food by the Soviet authorities under his orders contributed to a famine between 1932 and 1934, especially in the key agricultural regions of the Soviet Union, Ukraine (see Holodomor), Kazakhstan and North Caucasus that resulted in millions of deaths. Many peasants resisted collectivization and grain confiscations, but were repressed, most notably well-off peasants deemed "kulaks".

The new industrial power under Stalin's leadership continued to grow and expand. While much of the military high ranking staff was executed along with most of the lead researchers, the military power grew continuously, to match the expansionist politics of Stalin, to whom, in a series of dreams, came the vision of the Soviet Union stretching from coast to coast of Europe and Asia, eventually dominating the entire world.

Stalin was responsible for ordering the invasion of East Asia and appointing Gradenko as the field marshal of the Soviet Union. Gradenko's deeds have resulted in him becoming the leader of the Red Army and leading the invasion of Western Europe as well as the position of an advisor to the dictator, alongside Nadia, with whom Stalin allegedly had an affair.

Additionally, at an unspecified date, Stalin founded the Psychic Corps under Yuri.

Relationships
Stalin developed a camaraderie with Gradenko, whom he recognized as contributing to securing the Union's place in East Asia. He also developed an unprofessional relationship with Nadia, resulting in the two subordinates becoming rivals for Stalin's favor.

However, it all paled in comparison with Kane, who was his primary advisor and the man behind the throne of the USSR.

Allied campaign
Prior to the invasion of Germany, Stalin ordered the production of nerve gas and the liquidation of Toruń for harbouring resistance fighters. When the Soviet Union invaded Germany, the Allies were so surprised by the attack that the Soviets were able to overrun the country virtually unopposed. Stalin also ordered the invasion of Greece, and the country soon fell and its cities burning into ruins. But later the Allies managed to halt the Soviet offensive, with the help of mercenary Tanya Adams and Professor Albert Einstein.

As the began turning against the Soviet Union, Stalin became even more brutal to his subordinates and a terrifying purge of Soviet officers and officials was a result. In an attempt to win the war Stalin ordered the deployment of nuclear weapons against Europe. He announced this on freely on television. Only a hasty counterattack by Allied forces, led by Field Commander A9 and based on intelligence provided by the defector Major Vladimir Kosygin, stopped the impending catastrophe.

The Allied armies eventually laid siege to Moscow itself. Stalin was still in the city as Allied stormed it and was buried under rubble. He was discovered by a group of Allied soldiers who made to capture him. However, General Nikos Stavros intervened and ordered the soldiers away. The general then gagged and reburied the dictator and left Stalin to die.

Soviet campaign
Prior to the invasion of Germany, Stalin ordered the production of nerve gas and the liquidation of Toruń for harbouring resistance fighters.

Stalin personally briefed a field commander, and after bestowing a promotion to field captain, ordered the capture of Khalkis Island. Stalin claimed the island's ores were needed for special projects.

Allied resistance proved stronger than anticipated and the offensive's slow pace displeased Stalin. Stalin called upon the field captain to escort a truck convoy carrying nuclear weapon components from Gorzów Airbase.

Berlin fell in time for Stalin's birthday but private celebrations with Nadia were cut short by the discovery of a new Allied weapon on Elba Island, later revealed to be the Chronosphere. Acquiring the Chronosphere became an obsession for the dictator.

On the domestic front many generals became critical of Stalin's war strategy. Gradenko was convinced by Stalin to authorize those generals' liquidation in the dictator's name. At the time Gradenko had recently allowed components of the Iron Curtain to be captured by the Allies. Although loyal Gradenko was soon liquidated himself for continued incompetence by Nadia.

The effort to capture the Chronosphere soon returned to the fore. He called upon the trusted field commander, newly promoted to general, to capture the device at an Allied base in northern Switzerland. The Chronosphere was captured though it turned out to be booby-trapped, and Albert Einstein escaped.

Using a tracking device hidden in Einstein's watch the Soviets discovered the new location of the Chronosphere when the Allies used it to rescue their scientist. Once more Stalin ordered the field general to capture it but this time the Chronosphere was destroyed. Stalin was thrown into a rage and snapped Georgi Kukov's neck for his part in the failure. The field general was spared but sent to attack the Allied headquarters in eastern England and bring an end to the war.

The Allies were defeated and Stalin moved to celebrate in London, England. While in Buckingham Palace he was poisoned and killed by Nadia, secretly a member of the Brotherhood of Nod. His place as Soviet leader was taken by the field general he had personally promoted.

Trivia

 * Joseph Stalin was portrayed by Gene Dynarski (credited as Eugene Dynarski), who also had roles in Star Trek, Seinfeld, Starsky and Hutch, The A-Team and others. He passed away on 27 February 2020 at the age of 86.