Online biography of stalins daughter

Stalin is one of the biggest figures of the 20th century: politically, socially, culturally and economically, he transformed the landscape of Russia from a war-torn agricultural nation into a military machine run by an iron fist.

Stalin’s personal life, however, is rarely talked about.

It comes as a surprise to many that Stalin did marry – twice, in fact – and had two children with his second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva. Though relatively distant from his son, Stalin had an affectionate relationship with his daughter, Svetlana, throughout her childhood, but this became increasingly strained as she hit her teenage years.

To the shock of many, Svetlana defected to the United States in 1967, denouncing her father and his legacy and undermining the Soviet regime through her words and actions.

But what led to Stalin’s daughter renouncing the country and the legacy he had built?

Stalin’s children

Born on 28 February 1926, Svetlana and her brother Vasily were largely ra