Joseph Stalin remains one of the most ruthless dictators in recorded history. Initially, he rose from a poor village in Georgia to become the absolute ruler of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, his policies transformed a peasant society into an industrial superpower at a terrifying human cost. Consequently, his legacy invokes both horror and fascination across the globe. Explore these intriguing details about the Man of Steel.
Joseph Stalin
Originally, Joseph Stalin trained to become a priest. His mother deeply wanted him to join the clergy. Therefore, she enrolled him in the Tiflis Theological Seminary. However, he rebelled against the strict religious rules and eventually left.
Surprisingly, he wrote romantic poetry in his youth. Before he became a revolutionary, he published poems under the pen name “Soselo.” Impressively, these literary works appeared in newspapers and became part of the Georgian cultural canon.
He organized a massive bank robbery. In 1907, he helped plan the Tiflis bank heist to fund the Bolshevik cause. violentely, the attack killed forty people and stole the modern equivalent of millions of dollars.
Linguistically, his name means “Man of Steel.” He was born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili. Later, he adopted the name Stalin to sound more Russian and tough for his revolutionary image.
Joseph Stalin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice. Despite his brutal reputation, he received nominations in 1945 and 1948. Specifically, these nods recognized his role in ending World War II.
He stood much shorter than he appeared in photos. In reality, he measured only about 5 feet 5 inches tall. Consequently, he often wore shoes with hidden lifts to look more imposing next to other leaders.
Physically, he had a deformed left arm. A childhood accident involving a horse-drawn carriage damaged his limb permanently. Thus, he often hid his left hand in his coat pocket during public appearances.
He refused to save his own son from the Nazis. The Germans captured his son Yakov and offered to trade him for a German Field Marshal. Coldly, Stalin replied, “I will not trade a Marshal for a Lieutenant.”
He loved American cowboy movies. Although he hated capitalist ideology, he privately enjoyed Westerns starring John Wayne. Frequently, he hosted movie nights at the Kremlin for his terrified inner circle.
Joseph Stalin was not ethnically Russian. He was born in Georgia and spoke Russian with a thick accent throughout his life. Therefore, actors who play him often must learn to mimic this distinct way of speaking.
Editors routinely doctored his photographs. If a politician fell out of favor, censors airbrushed them out of pictures with Stalin. Eventually, this practice became known as the “vanishing commissar” phenomenon.
Tragically, his second wife killed herself. Nadezhda Alliluyeva shot herself after a public argument with him at a dinner party. Officially, the state media reported that she died from a sudden illness.
He drank specific Georgian wines. He preferred a semi-sweet red wine called Khvanchkara. Reportedly, he famously used alcohol to lower the inhibitions of his guests during late-night dinners.
Terrified guards ignored his death struggles. When he suffered a stroke, his guards heard noises but feared disturbing him without permission. As a result, he lay helpless on the floor for hours before anyone dared to enter.
Finally, his funeral led to a deadly stampede. Millions of mourners rushed to see his body in Moscow. Sadly, the chaotic crush of the crowd crushed and killed hundreds of people in the streets.
