Joseph Stalin was born as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili on December 21, 1879 in the province of Georgia. He was the only child of three to survive past two years of age. Stalin grew up poor and abused by his father who eventually left for a factory job. His mother, Yekaterina, and he were left to make it on their own. They eventually started living with a priest until he was an adult. Yekaterina made sure Stalin was educated and he began speaking Russian when his was only nine years old. Christianity was a major influence in his early life. His mother was well associated with the church and he went to a very religious school. He graduated school at the top of the class even after taking breaks for smallpox that left him with deep facial