Stalin was born Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhuggashvili on December 21, 1879 in Gori, Georgia. He grew up in a very poor household. His father, Vissarion was a shoemaker, and a violent alcoholic, and he would beat Joseph and his wife constantly. Although neither of his parents spoke Russian Joseph was forced to learn it because it was the language spoke at the Gori church school that he attended from 1888-1894. He was known for his outstanding school work, and was later earned a full scholarship to the Tbilisi Theological Seminary.

While attending the Seminary he would read plenty of forbidden books. He would read literature written by Karl

In 1899 Stalin dropped out (other sources say he was expelled) of the Tbilisi Theological Seminary to become a full time revolutionary. His career in the Social Democratic party began as a propagandist among T’bilisi railroad workers. Stalin started to make a name for himself over the next few years. He would hold protests, and continue to network with other members of the revolution. Then in 1902, he was arrested and spent over a year in prison. He was later exiled to Siberia, but escaped in 1904. Stalin would continue a cycle of getting arrested and excelled to Siberia eight times between 1902 and 1917. He escaped six times. This is where he developed his new last name Stalin, or “man of steel”.

Besides an Industrial Revolution Stalin set out to fix the lagging agricultural production in his five year plans. Stalin expanded a small collectivization program into a nationwide offense against the peasantry. Many land owners where outraged by Stalin’s actions and they destroyed most of their crops and livestock, to spite Stalin. Joseph in return exiled them to Siberia or the Gulog (a work prison camp) or just had them killed on the spot. The destruction of so many crops caused famine in the farmlands of Russia, while the people who lived in the cities lived a more comfortable lifestyle. Stalin’s agricultural plan was failing, so to defend his actions Stalin blamed the famine on the farmers who destroyed their crops and; live stock, and labeled them traitors. Stalin walked away with a clean set of hands.

The most intense period of the Great Purge was from 1936 to 1938. During this time several show trials where held in Moscow. They where designed to convince domestic and foreign people of the existence of a vast anti- Soviet conspiracy, and to strike fear into any Soviet how tried to disagree with Stalin. Almost all of the original Bolsheviks who had played a role in the Revolution where either executed or sent to the Gulog.

Some topics in this essay:
Siberia Gulog, Nationality Affairs, Red Army, Soviet Union, Social Democratic, Yezhov Yezhov, Nicholas II, Joseph Stalin, Kamenev Zinivyev, Yekaterina Svanidze, soviet union, bolshevik party, five plans, tbilisi theological seminary, destroyed crops, fire people, own people, war stalin, leader soviet, leader soviet union, administrative tasks, stalin participated,