Joseph Stalin

Children's Literature

Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili was born in 1879 to a poor and illiterate family in Gori, Georgia, a province of the Russian empire. He grew up learning violence—his older brother and father were killed in drunken brawls, his father participated in the peasant revolution and was thrown in prison, and his parents had violent fights where they often turned their rage on the young Iosif. As Stalin was growing up, the revolution against the monarchy was gaining strength. In 1901 Stalin devoted his life to the revolution. In 1902 he served 18 months in jail where he defended himself with his fists and became the leader of the prisoners. He was exiled to Siberia, but escaped three months later and joined Lenin in Finland. After Lenin came to power, Stalin showed his uncompromising brutality by confiscating grain from peasants and killing thousands who refused. The book moves quickly and explains Stalin's steady rise in power and a century of Russian history from 1860-1960. To help students in research and organizing their notes, a chronology of important events, a glossary, source notes, Web sites, and an index are included. The book is one of the "History's Villains" series. 2002, Blackbirch Press, Rose