Joseph Stalin
Stalin
Joseph Stalin was born on December 18, 1878 and was named Josef Vissarionovich
Djugashvili in Georgia, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time. It was not until he became an adult that he changed his name to Stalin, which means “man of steel.” Growing up, Stalin’s family was very poor, and is father was an alcoholic who often was abusive towards Joseph. Stalin was also burdened with health issues, such as smallpox and adjoined toes. When Stalin was sixteen he earned a scholarship to the Georgian Orthodox Tiflis
Spiritual Seminary, which trained him to be a priest. While he was there, he secretly became infatuated with reading the work of Karl Marx, “Communist Manifesto.” Josef’s interest steadily increased, and in 1899 he claimed he was expelled from the Seminary for Marxist
Propaganda.
After Stalin left the school, he joined the militant Bolshevik wing of the Marxist Social
Democratic movement, which was led by Vladimir Lenin. Stalin became an underground political revolutionary who took part in strikes, propaganda distribution, bank heists, and ordered assassinations. He was arrested multiple times and was ultimately exiled to, and imprisoned in, Siberia. He escaped often times, and was moved up in the ranks of the
Bolsheviks.
Josef married his first wife, Ekaterina Svanidze, in 1906. She died of typhus in 1907,
shortly after their son, Yakov, was born. Yakov died in 1943 as a prisoner of Germany in
World War II. Stalin’s second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva, was a daughter of another Russian
Revolutionary with whom he had several children. This marriage did not last long though, ad
Nadezhda committed suicide a few years later.
In 1912 Vladimir Lenin, who was exiled in Switzerland, appointed Stalin to serve on
the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. The Bolsheviks seized Russia in 1917 and was made the Soviet Union in 1922. Lenin was the first leader of the Soviets, and by this point
Stalin
Joseph Stalin was born on December 18, 1878 and was named Josef Vissarionovich
Djugashvili in Georgia, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time. It was not until he became an adult that he changed his name to Stalin, which means “man of steel.” Growing up, Stalin’s family was very poor, and is father was an alcoholic who often was abusive towards Joseph. Stalin was also burdened with health issues, such as smallpox and adjoined toes. When Stalin was sixteen he earned a scholarship to the Georgian Orthodox Tiflis
Spiritual Seminary, which trained him to be a priest. While he was there, he secretly became infatuated with reading the work of Karl Marx, “Communist Manifesto.” Josef’s interest steadily increased, and in 1899 he claimed he was expelled from the Seminary for Marxist
Propaganda.
After Stalin left the school, he joined the militant Bolshevik wing of the Marxist Social
Democratic movement, which was led by Vladimir Lenin. Stalin became an underground political revolutionary who took part in strikes, propaganda distribution, bank heists, and ordered assassinations. He was arrested multiple times and was ultimately exiled to, and imprisoned in, Siberia. He escaped often times, and was moved up in the ranks of the
Bolsheviks.
Josef married his first wife, Ekaterina Svanidze, in 1906. She died of typhus in 1907,
shortly after their son, Yakov, was born. Yakov died in 1943 as a prisoner of Germany in
World War II. Stalin’s second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva, was a daughter of another Russian
Revolutionary with whom he had several children. This marriage did not last long though, ad
Nadezhda committed suicide a few years later.
In 1912 Vladimir Lenin, who was exiled in Switzerland, appointed Stalin to serve on
the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. The Bolsheviks seized Russia in 1917 and was made the Soviet Union in 1922. Lenin was the first leader of the Soviets, and by this point
Stalin