In 1922, the Soviet Union was born — a new nation that would change the course of world history.
It rose from the ashes of the fallen Russian Empire after a long and brutal civil war.
But this crimson state would be remembered, above all because of one man.
A man whose shadow stretched across continents.
And his name… was Stalin.
.....….
[Cut to historian interview — Giles Milton]
Giles Milton (Historian and Author):
"Joseph Stalin was, at his core, a Georgian revolutionary.But he would go on to become the leader of the Soviet Union —one of the most powerful and feared figures of the 20th century."
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Stalin's rise to power began not on the battlefield… but within himself.
A boy forged in hardship, sharpened by ambition and cunning.
———— ———
[Cut to Guy Walters]
Guy Walters (Historian and Philanthropist):
"Stalin was a thin, wiry young boy with an incredibly sharp mind.Even early on, you could see it — he was ambitious to the point of obsession.He remembered every slight, every betrayal.
He bore grudges.He was devious, manipulative — but also brilliant .And those traits… would one day carry him to absolute power."
——-——-
[Cut to Dr. Lisa Pine]
Dr. Lisa Pine (Historian and Author):
"Stalin was actually a rather sickly child.He suffered from smallpox, which left scars he despised.Then, at twelve, he nearly died from pneumonia.Doctors believed it caused his lifelong disorder of anemia. These illnesses, these scars — they left him determined to overcompensate.That drive, that need to prove himself, shaped the way he thought and eventually ruled later in life."
—————-
From weakness came willpower. From poverty, ambition. And from pain — the seeds of control.
—————-
[Cut to Richard Molark]
Richard Molark (Historian):
"Stalin came from humble beginnings. His mother was a washerwoman; his father, a shoemaker. For a while, things went well — but when the workshop failed, poverty struck hard. His father turned to drinking and violence. He beat his wife, he beat his son.Yet those beatings hardened Stalin. He grew to hate his father — but learned to hide that hatred behind calm composure. His mother, though… she was different. He loved her deeply. She believed education could lift him out of misery, and he did too.
Stalin was a gifted student — a prodigy, even — in the Orthodox seminary system. But while studying there, he found something forbidden: banned books. Political writings. Revolutionary ideas. Machiavelli. Rousseau. Engels. Marx. These authors shaped the man he would become."
———————-
Marxism gave Stalin a framework — but not a limit.He read, analyzed, and interpreted the works of these great thinkers for himself.
He believed Marx was brilliant… but flawed. To Stalin, human nature itself was the problem.
————————————
[Cut to Richard Molark continues]
Richard Molark:
"He believed that people, by nature, always wanted more —to compete, to covet, to dominate. And Without a firm, incorruptible hand to restrain them, any ideal system would collapse.
And in his eyes, the Tsar's empire was proof of that failure. The poor suffered, the rich lived in comfort.To Stalin, socialism could work —but only with the right kind of control."
——————
Control — that word would define his life. As Russia crumbled under the weight of corruption,a young Stalin found his calling: revolution.
——————
[Cut to Dr. Andy Willimot]
Dr. Andy Willimot (Historian and Author):
"By the early 1900s, the Tsarist system was riddled with corruption. Everything ran on patronage — on who you knew. The economy suffered, and the public knew it."
"And Stalin himself knew of this inevitability.Coming from poverty himself, he was drawn to the Russian Social Democratic movement just as a many were. Because revolution was the only path to change for to the dream equality, and its promise salvation and so at that time stalin joined the Russian Social Democratic Party at just eighteen years old,eager to help reshape the world."
———— ————
But even revolutionaries could not agree on how to build a new world.
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[Cut to Dr. Andy Willimot continues]
Dr. Andy Willimot:
"In 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Party split —
into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. One side believed revolution should come from the workers themselves , through education and agitation.But Lenin… Lenin disagreed.He believed ordinary workers couldn't lead the revolution —
they'd be bought off too easily.So he called for a professional class of revolutionaries , men devoted entirely to the cause. And among those listening… was Joseph Stalin a distant party member that agreed with Lenin's suggestion."
And so it went a sickly boy from Georgia.A survivor of violence and poverty.A self proclaimed scholar turned revolutionary.He was about to step onto the stage of history —and the world would never be the same again.
...….
Russian Empire, Moscow
April 16, 1907
I would be a liar if I said I wasn't scared. Whilst sitting in this dreary bland storeroom I called a office. I continue to ponder on this choice of mine. To monarchy and its serfs we were upstarts and criminals wanting to create chaos. Though I wouldn't outright deny being a criminal of course cause we had did a many immoral deeds. A many done in the name of the party and a few personal matters for myself. Racketeering, blackmail, bribery, fraud , assault, arson , theft and even murder. The weight of my conscience still torments me but I had a mission and it would be realized. No longer was a I a mere cog within the larger clock giving out pamphlets and participating in rallies, I was something more. Through years of work, organized rallies, demonstrations, and "persuasion". I had gained the post and leadership of a local regional marxist now bolshevik movement, The now renamed Social Reform Party which I had now aligned to Lenin's own party to which bolstered our standing and also placed me along the lines of highlight."
I delivered my fiery speeches, some say I rivaled Lenin himself when it came to my dramatic rhetorics. As they should, I spent hours practicing in the mirror with my hand gestures facial expressions and vocal aptitude and They loved it….. The people loved it. The people loved me.