PART ONE:
The website http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/stalin/ I found was called "Spark Notes" It was found using search terms "analysis of Joseph Stalin". After pouring through dozens of websites, I decided on this particular site for its clarity and depth of information on Stalin. It provides personal and political insights, expanding on the terminology surrounding his reign. The format of this website is very user friendly. The information is presented in clear, concise text. I liked that it provided text as well as a timeline of his life and events surrounding his political regime. This style supports different types of learners. I checked a couple of the facts on the webpage with facts found in our own textbook, and it appears to be a legitimate factual website. The best of the site was its clarity, but a con was that the reader has to contend with visual ads on either sides of the text. I did not find a way to print out just the text (which was covered in several pages via a "next" button. This con made reading the material a little choppy. In the end I highlighted and copied the text into a single document so I could read through it without all the clutter. The level of information was definitely more than found on most other sites. It analyzed Stalin as a family man and as a politician. As such, it was easy for the reader to gleam many facts about Stalin that may have been unmentioned in a historical text. I will definitely refer to this site for future reference, and have bookmarked it under my favorites. The site presents the life of Joseph Stalin, intertwining facts on his life with historical contexts. Stalin was born in born in 1879 in Russia, attended a seminary early in life, almost fulfilling his mother's dream of him becoming a priest. Instead, he subsequently joined the political party Social Democrats, later joining the more radical group, the Bolsheviks. The latter party held power in Russia in