Stalin, Joseph Vissarionovich
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2007
STALIN, JOSEPH VISSARIONOVICH sta lin, Rus. vis ryo n vich sta lyin, 1879 1953, Soviet...was Dzhugashvili (also spelled Dzugashvili or Djugashvili); he adopted the name Stalin ("man of steel") about 1913. Early Career The son of a shoemaker, Stalin studied (1894 99) for the priesthood at the theological seminary at Tiflis, but...