Joseph Djugasvilli, better known as Joseph Stalin, is a man who will never be forgotten. Leader of the communist superpower, the USSR, from 1929 until his death in 1953, Stalin became known throughout the world for many things, both good and bad. While Stalin administered major changes during his reign and industrialized Russia at a pace never seen before in history, they came at the cost of millions of lives. Born on December 21, 1879 in the small village of Gori, Georgia, to a shoemaker father and a clothes-washing mother, Joseph was the only surviving child of four. Health problems kept Stalin at home most of the time, and his mother kept a close eye on him. At a young age, Joseph contracted smallpox. The disease left him with a disfigured arm and pock marks all over his face, hence his cruel childhood nickname of "Pocky". Djugasvilli's mother worked hard to get him into a local church school, where he excelled in every subject. Although he himself was extremely intelligent, Joseph found it difficult to trust educated people and always felt inferior and threatened by others, no one is sure why. After completing school, Stalin obtained a scholarship to a seminary in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and studied to become a priest. There, Djugasvilli got to know the great cities and the ideas of revolution that lived within them. Soon Joseph became so involved in revolutionary clubs and groups that his grades began to slip. Djugasvilli was expelled from school in May 1899 for challenging authority, spreading Marxism, and distributing unauthorized reading material. After his expulsion, Djugasvilli spent several months looking for work. He ended up teaching lessons to middle class children at school...... middle of paper ......цсвязи. Style - Information systems. Stel. Network. May 29, 2011. "Stalin." Thinkquest. Thinkquest. Network. 18 May 2011. "BBC - History - Joseph Stalin." BBC - Home page. BBC. Network. May 20, 2011. "Man of Steel". Decline of the Age of Enlightenment. Network. May 16, 2011. "Joseph Stalin Biography - Childhood, Life and Chronology of Joseph Stalin." Famous People: Famous People in History, List of Famous People and Biography. Famous people. Network. May 26, 2011. ..http://www.world-war-2-diaries.com/joseph-stalin-biography.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/biography/stalin/context.html