The Man of Steel

The Story of Josef Stalin
[Origin] [Education] [Rise to Power] [Leadership] [Role in WWII] [Death]

Origin:

Originally known as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, in Gori, which is now in the Republic of Georgia, in 1879, but in 1910 adopted the name Josef Stalin, Stalin meaning "a man of steel.." Both his parents were Georgian peasants neither of whom spoke Russian. Stalin however was required to learn the language of instruction during his school life at the Gori church school which he attended between 1888 until 1894.The best pupil in the school, "Soso" as his friends referred to him earned a full scholarship to the Tbilisi Theological Seminary and later became leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Between 1922 and 1953 he was the secretary general of Communist party.
He was the longtime dictator who more than any other individual molded the features that characterized the Soviet regime and shaped the direction of Europe following the end of World War II in 1945.

At one point he studied for priesthood, and during this time read forbidden literature, including the writings of German political philosopher Karl Marx, but prior to his graduation, he quit to become a full-time revolutionary. In 1899 he began a career in the Social-Democratic party (Marxist revolutionary group) as a propagandist among T'bilisi railroad workers.