Young Stalin Read Free Page A

Social-Democracy
    THE BOLSHEVIKS
    Vladimir Illich Ulyanov, “Lenin,” or “Illich” to his intimates, Russian SD leader and founder of Bolsheviks
    Nadezhda Krupskaya, his wife and assistant
    Grigory Radomyslsky, “Zinoviev,” Jewish milkman’s son, Lenin’s sidekick in Cracow, then ally of Kamenev
    Roman Malinovsky, burglar, rapist and Okhrana spy, Bolshevik leader in the Imperial Duma
    Yakov Sverdlov, Jewish Bolshevik leader and Stalin’s roommate in exile
    Lev Bronstein, “Trotsky,” leader, orator and writer, independent Marxist, Menshevik Chairman of the Petersburg Soviet in 1905, joined Bolsheviks in 1917
    Felix Dzerzhinsky, Polish nobleman, veteran revolutionary, joined Bolsheviks in 1917
    Elena Stasova, “Absolute” and “Zelma,” noblewoman and Bolshevik activist
    Klimenti Voroshilov, Lugansk lathe-turner, Bolshevik friend of Stalin, roommate in Stockholm
    Vyacheslav Scriabin, “Molotov,” young Bolshevik and founder with Stalin of Pravda
    THE MENSHEVIKS
    Yuli Tsederbaum, “Martov,” Lenin’s friend then bitter enemy, founder of Mensheviks
    Noe Jordania, founder of Georgian Social-Democracy and leader of Georgian Mensheviks
    Nikolai “Karlo” Chkheidze, moderate Menshevik in Batumi and later in St. Petersburg
    Isidore Ramishvili, Menshevik enemy of Stalin
    Said Devdariani, Seminary friend then political enemy and Menshevik
    Noe Ramishvili, tough Menshevik enemy of Stalin
    Minadora Ordzhonikidze Toroshelidze, Menshevik friend of Stalin and wife of Bolshevik ally Malakia Toroshelidze
    David Sagirashvili, Georgian Menshevik and memoirist
    Grigol Uratadze, Georgian Menshevik and memoirist
    Razhden Arsenidze, Georgian Menshevik and memoirist
    Khariton Chavichvili, Menshevik memoirist

Note
    STALIN
    Stalin did not start to use his renowned name until 1912: it only became his surname after October 1917. His real name was Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili. His mother, friends and comrades called him “Soso” even after 1917. He published poems as “Soselo.” He increasingly called himself “Koba,” but he used many names in the course of his secret life.
    For the sake of clarity, “Stalin” and “Soso” are used throughout the book.
    NAMES AND TRANSLITERATIONS
    I have followed the same principles as I did in my other books on Russia. Wherever possible, I have tried to use the most recognizable, best-known and most easily transliterated versions of the Georgian and Russian names. Of course, this leads to many inconsistencies—for example, I call the Georgian Menshevik leader Noe Jordania, not Zhordania, and use Jibladze, not Djibladze, yet I feel I must spell Stalin’s real name Djugashvili because it is so well known by that spelling. I use the French spellings of Davrichewy and Chavichvili (instead of Davrishashvili and Shavishvili) because their memoirs are published under these names. I apologize to the many linguists who may be appalled by this.
    DATES
    Dates are given in the Old Style Julian Calendar, used in Russia, which ran thirteen days behind the New Style Gregorian Calendar used in theWest. When describing events in the West, both dates are given. The Soviet government switched to the New Style Calendar at midnight on 31 January 1918 with the next day declared 14 February.
    MONEY
    In early-twentieth-century rates, 10 roubles = £1. The simplest way to convert this into today’s money is to multiply by five to get pounds sterling and by ten to get U.S. dollars. A couple of examples: as a labourer in the Rothschild refineries in Batumi, young Stalin received 1.70 roubles per day, or 620 per annum ($6,000 or £3,000 per annum today). Tsar Nicholas II paid himself a personal allowance of 250,000 roubles a year while the bodyguard of the Tsarevich Alexei was paid a salary of 120 roubles a year ($1,200 or £600 per annum today). Yet these numbers are meaningless: the figures give little idea of real buying power and value. For example, Nicholas II was probably the richest man in the