Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; ..(Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili {Joseph V. Douglas?} ) (December 18 1878 – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (... Iosif Stalin; stalin meaning "made of steel".
Josef was born to influential Catholic parents Vissarion "Beso" Dzhugashvili and Ekaterina "Keke" Geladze. His father Beso was a successful and relatively wealthy local businessman. However, in later biographies, he is variously described as poor, dirt poor and a violent alcoholic.
Whatever the real truth, Josef was accepted into the Catholic Cappuchin run school at Gori. He graduated in 1892 first in his class and at the age of 14 he was accepted to enter the "Orthodox" Seminary of Tiflis (Tbilisi, Georgia), a Jesuit institution to be trained as a Jesuit priest.
In spite of contrary history written about the Jesuit run Seminary, the Jesuits remained in Russian territory after the order was banned by Alexander I in 1820, maintaining control of several institutions, including the Seminary of Tiflis.
Stalin himself openly admitted the Jesuit control of the institution in his famous interview with Jewish Journalist Emil Ludwig (Cohen):
Ludwig: What impelled you to become an oppositionist? Was it, perhaps, bad treatment by your parents? Stalin: No. My parents were uneducated, but they did not treat me badly by any means. But it was a different matter at the Orthodox theological seminary which I was then attending. In protest against the outrageous regime and the Jesuitical methods prevalent at the seminary, I was ready to become, and actually did become, a revolutionary, a believer in Marxism as a really revolutionary teaching. Ludwig: But do you not admit that the Jesuits have good points? Stalin: Yes, they are systematic and persevering in working to achieve sordid ends. Hut their principal method is spying, prying, worming their way into people's souls and outraging their feelings. What good can there be in that? For instance, the spying in the hostel. At nine o'clock the bell rings for morning tea, we go to the dining-room, and when we return to our rooms we find that meantime a search has been made and all our chests have been ransacked.... What good point can there be in that?
While accounts of his time at Tiflis have been changed many times, it is universally accepted that Stalin was the star pupils of the Seminary. As a result, the events of 1899 remain shrouded in mystery.
In the final week of his studies, having completed seven (7) years as the star pupil of the Jesuits, Stalin is variously claimed to have quit or been expelled. Neither account, adequately explains how a seminary student of seven years, suddenly appeared influential and active in coordinating the Georgian Social-Democratic movement less than 12 months later - an achievement that could not possibly have happened without substantial support. [
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