The Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin (Ioseb Dzhugashvili) was born in Gori, Georgia in a poor family. His mother was a devout Russian, Orthodox Christian, and wanted him to become a priest. He had a harsh childhood and tough life as a young man. At the age of 17, her mother sent him to Study into Fleece where he was attracted to radical movements and causes at a very young age. Stalin was deeply inspired by the writings of Karl Max and Vladimir Lenin.
In 1901, he officially joined the Social Democratic Labour Party. Stalin organized protests and strikes against Tsarism. He was imprisoned eight times in the nine years by the Russian secret police and he changed his name to Stalin “Man of Steel”. His rise to power started after the Russian revolution of 1917; after the Bolsheviks disposed of the Tsar and created a communist society. He was appointed as a secretary of the Communist Party in 1922 and became the Soviet leader. He had the ability to manipulate thousands, and unprecedented skills to govern the masses.
During World War II, when Adolf Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the Red Army suffered massive losses, but Stalin refused to leave Moscow. His ruthless policies and forced Labour camps turned the regional nation into a modernized industrialized country after the World War.
Here below are some rare historic photos of young Joseph Stalin from his early life.
