Death is the solution to all problems. No person - no problem. © Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin is known as a tyrant and became famous throughout the world for his tough character. Comrade Stalin had...
Death is the solution to all problems. No person - no problem.
©Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin is known as a tyrant and became famous throughout the world for his tough character. Comrade Stalin had a specific sense of humor, specific, but very witty. Sometimes he voiced his decisions and conclusions with humor, but those to whom he said this were far from laughing.
We present to you several witty jokes by Joseph Stalin that influenced the history of an entire country:
* * *
When developing the Pobeda car, it was planned that the name of the car would be “Motherland”. Having learned about this, Stalin ironically asked: “Well, how much will we have a Motherland?” The name of the car was immediately changed.
* * *
From the memoirs of one of Stalin’s guards, A. Rybin. On his trips, Stalin was often accompanied by his bodyguard Tukov. He sat in the front seat next to the driver and had a habit of falling asleep on the way. One of the Politburo members, riding with Stalin in the back seat, remarked:
- Comrade Stalin, I don’t understand which of you is protecting whom?
“What is that,” answered Joseph Vissarionovich, “he also put his pistol in my raincoat - take it, just in case!”
* * *
One day Stalin was informed that Marshal Rokossovsky had a mistress and this was the famous beautiful actress Valentina Serova. And, they say, what are we going to do with them now? Stalin took the pipe out of his mouth, thought a little and said:
What will we, what will we... we will envy!
* * *
Stalin walked with the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Georgia A.I. Mgeladze along the alleys of the Kuntsevo dacha and treated him to lemons, which he grew himself in his lemon garden:
– Try it, you grew up here, near Moscow! And so several times, between conversations on other topics:
– Try them, good lemons! Finally it dawned on the interlocutor:
– Comrade Stalin, I promise you that in seven years Georgia will provide the country with lemons, and we will not import them from abroad.
- Thank God, I guessed it! - said Stalin.
* * *
The designer of artillery systems V. G. Grabin told me how on the eve of 1942 Stalin invited him and said:
– Your gun saved Russia. What do you want - Hero Socialist Labor or Stalin Prize?
– I don’t care, Comrade Stalin.
They gave both.
* * *
During the war, troops under the command of Bagramyan were the first to reach the Baltic. To make this event more pathetic, the Armenian general personally poured water from Baltic Sea and ordered his adjutant to fly with this bottle to Moscow to see Stalin. He flew away. But while he was flying, the Germans counterattacked and drove Bagramyan off the Baltic coast. By the time the adjutant arrived in Moscow, they were already aware of this, but the adjutant himself did not know - there was no radio on the plane. And so the proud adjutant enters Stalin’s office and pathetically proclaims: “Comrade Stalin, General Bagramyan is sending you Baltic water!” Stalin takes the bottle, twirls it in his hands for a few seconds, after which he gives it back to the adjutant and says: “Give it back to Bagramyan, tell him to pour it out where he took it.”
* * *
Different people who had the opportunity to watch films with Stalin, told me many episodes on this topic. Here's one of them.
In 1939 we watched “The Train Goes East.” The film is not so hot: a train rides, stops...
– What station is this? – asked Stalin.
- Demyanovka.
“This is where I’ll get off,” said Stalin and left the hall.
* * *
A candidacy for the post of Minister of Coal Industry was discussed.
They suggested the director of one of the Zasyadko mines. Someone objected:
- Everything is fine, but he abuses alcohol!
“Invite him to me,” said Stalin. Zasyadko came. Stalin began to talk to him and offered him a drink.
“With pleasure,” said Zasyadko, poured a glass of vodka: “To your health, Comrade Stalin!” – he drank and continued the conversation.
Stalin took a sip and, watching carefully, offered a second drink. Zasyadko - drink a second glass, and not in either eye. Stalin suggested a third, but his interlocutor pushed his glass aside and said:
- Zasyadko knows when to stop.
We talked. At a meeting of the Politburo, when the question of the candidacy of the minister again arose, and again it was announced that the proposed candidate was abusing alcohol, Stalin, walking with a pipe, said:
- Zasyadko knows when to stop!
And for many years Zasyadko headed our coal industry...
* * *
One colonel general reported to Stalin about the state of affairs. Supreme Commander looked very pleased and nodded twice in approval. Having finished his report, the military commander hesitated. Stalin asked: “Do you want to say anything else?”
“Yes, I have a personal question. In Germany, I selected some things that interested me, but they were detained at the checkpoint. If possible, I would ask you to return them to me.”
"It's possible. Write a report, I will impose a resolution.”
The Colonel General pulled out a prepared report from his pocket. Stalin imposed the resolution. The petitioner began to thank him warmly.
“No need for gratitude,” remarked Stalin.
After reading the resolution written on the report: “Return his junk to the colonel. I. Stalin,” the general turned to the Supreme Commander: “There is a typo here, Comrade Stalin. I’m not a colonel, but a colonel general.”
“No, everything is correct here, Comrade Colonel,” Stalin replied.
Joseph Stalin is known as a tyrant and became famous throughout the world for his tough character. Comrade Stalin had a specific, but very witty sense of humor. Sometimes he voiced his decisions and conclusions with humor, but those to whom he said this were far from laughing. 
1. On Stalin’s trips, he was often accompanied by his guard Tukov. He sat in the front seat next to the driver and had a habit of falling asleep on the way. One of the members of the Politburo, riding with Stalin in the back seat, asked:
- Comrade Stalin, I don’t understand which of you is protecting whom?
“What is that,” answered Joseph Vissarionovich, “he also put his pistol in my raincoat - take it, just in case!” 
2. One day Stalin was informed that Marshal Rokossovsky had a mistress - the famous beautiful actress Valentina Serova. What are we going to do with them now? Stalin took the pipe out of his mouth, thought a little and said:
- What will we, what will we... we will envy! 
3. Stalin went with the first secretary of the Georgian Central Committee A.I. Mgeladze along the alleys of the Kuntsevo dacha and treated him to lemons, which he grew himself in his lemon garden:
- Try it, you grew up here, near Moscow!
And so several times, between conversations on other topics:
- Try them, good lemons!
Finally it dawned on the interlocutor:
- Comrade Stalin, I promise you that in seven years Georgia will provide the country with lemons, and we will not import them from abroad.
- Thank God, I guessed it! - said Stalin. 
4. During the negotiations there were disputes about post-war borders, and Churchill said:
- But Lviv has never been a Russian city!
“But there was Warsaw,” Stalin objected. 
5. During the war, troops under the command of Bagramyan were the first to reach the Baltic. The general personally poured water from the Baltic Sea into a bottle and ordered his adjutant to fly with it to Moscow to see Stalin. But while he was flying, the Germans counterattacked and drove Bagramyan off the Baltic coast. By the time the adjutant arrived in Moscow, they were already aware of this, but the adjutant himself did not know: there was no radio on the plane. And so the proud adjutant entered Stalin’s office and proudly reported:
- Comrade Stalin, General Bagramyan is sending you Baltic water!
Stalin took the bottle, turned it over in his hands for a few seconds, then gave it back to the adjutant and replied:
- Give it back to Bagramyan, tell him to pour it out where he took it. 
6. Various people who happened to watch films with Stalin told me many episodes on this topic. Here's one of them.
In 1939 we watched “The Train Goes East.” The film is not so hot: a train rides, stops...
- What station is this? - asked Stalin.
- Demyanovka.
“This is where I’ll get off,” said Stalin and left the hall. 
7.
8. When developing the Pobeda car, it was planned that the car would be called Rodina. Having learned about this, Stalin ironically asked: “Well, how much will we have a Motherland?” The name of the car was immediately changed. 
9. The director of one of the Zasyadko mines was proposed for the post of Minister of the Coal Industry. Someone objected: “Everything is fine, but he abuses alcohol!” Stalin ordered to invite Zasyadko to his place.
Stalin began to talk to him and offered him a drink.
“With pleasure,” said Zasyadko, poured a glass of vodka: “To your health, Comrade Stalin!” - He drank and continued the conversation.
Stalin took a sip and, watching carefully, offered a second drink. Zasyadko drank a second glass - and not in either eye. Stalin suggested a third, but Zasyadko pushed his glass aside and said:
- Zasyadko knows when to stop.
At a meeting of the Politburo, when the question of the candidacy of the minister again arose and the proposed candidate’s alcohol abuse was again announced, Stalin, walking around with a pipe, said:
- Zasyadko knows when to stop!
For many years Zasyadko headed our coal industry. 
10. One day, a colonel general turned to Stalin with a personal request.
- Yes, I have a personal question. In Germany, I selected some things that interested me, but they were detained at the checkpoint. If possible, I would ask them to be returned to me,” he said.
- It's possible. Write a report, I will impose a resolution,” Stalin replied.
The Colonel General pulled out a prepared report from his pocket. Stalin imposed the resolution. The petitioner began to thank him warmly.
“There is no need for gratitude,” Stalin remarked.
After reading the resolution written on the report: “Return his junk to the colonel. I. Stalin,” the general addressed the Supreme Commander:
- There is a typo here, Comrade Stalin. I'm not a colonel, but a colonel general.
“No, everything is correct here, Comrade Colonel,” Stalin answered. 
11. Admiral I. Isakov was deputy people's commissar since 1938 Navy. In 1946, Stalin called him and said that there was an opinion to appoint him head of the Main Naval Staff, which that year was renamed Main Headquarters Navy.
Isakov replied:
- Comrade Stalin, I must report to you that I have a serious disadvantage: one leg is amputated.
- Is this the only shortcoming that you consider necessary to report? - followed the question.
“Yes,” confirmed the admiral.
- We used to have a chief of staff without a head. Nothing, it worked. “You just don’t have a leg - it’s not scary,” Stalin concluded. 
12. First post-war year Finance Minister A. Zverev, concerned about the high fees of a number of major writers, prepared a corresponding memorandum and presented it to Stalin.
- So, it turns out that we have millionaire writers? Sounds terrible, Comrade Zverev? Millionaire writers! - Stalin asked Zverev, calling him to his place.
“Terrible, Comrade Stalin, terrible,” confirmed the minister.
Stalin handed the financier a folder with a note he had prepared: “It’s terrible, Comrade Zverev, that we have so few millionaire writers! Writers are the memory of the nation. What will they write if they live from hand to mouth?” 
13. In the fall of 1936, a rumor spread in the West that Joseph Stalin had died from a serious illness. Charles Nitter, correspondent news agency Associated Press, went to the Kremlin, where he handed over a letter to Stalin asking him to confirm or deny this rumor.
Stalin answered the journalist immediately: “Dear sir! As far as I know from messages foreign press, I have long since left this sinful world and moved to the next world. Since the reports of the foreign press cannot be ignored, if you do not want to be erased from the list of civilized people, then I ask you to believe these reports and not disturb my peace in the silence of the other world.
October 26, 1936. With respect, I. Stalin.” 
14. Once foreign correspondents asked Stalin:
- Why is Mount Ararat depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia, since it is not located on the territory of Armenia?
Stalin replied:
- The coat of arms of Turkey depicts a crescent, but it is also not located on Turkish territory. 
15. People's Commissar Agriculture Ukraine was summoned to the Politburo. He asked:
- How should I report: briefly or in detail?
“As you wish, you can briefly, you can detail, but the limit is three minutes,” Stalin answered. 
16.V Bolshoi Theater We were preparing a new production of Glinka's opera Ivan Susanin. The members of the commission, led by Chairman Bolshakov, listened and decided that it was necessary to film the finale “Hail, Russian people!”: churchism, patriarchalism...
They reported to Stalin.
“We’ll do it differently: we’ll leave the finale, but we’ll remove Bolshakov,” he replied. 
17. When they were deciding what to do with the German navy, Stalin proposed dividing it, and Churchill made a counter-proposal: “Sink.”
Stalin replied: “Here you are drowning your half.” 
18. Stalin came to the performance at the Art Theater. Stanislavsky met him and, holding out his hand, introduced himself: “Alekseev,” giving his real name.
“Dzhugashvili,” Stalin answered, shaking hands and walking to his chair. 
19. US Ambassador William Averell Harriman at the Potsdam Conference asked Stalin:
- After the Germans were 18 km from Moscow in 1941, you are probably now pleased to share defeated Berlin?
“Tsar Alexander reached Paris,” Stalin answered.
At one of the Kremlin receptions, Stalin became concerned about the tired appearance of Lyubov Orlova. - It’s all Grisha, he completely killed me on the set! - she answered jokingly, nodding at her husband. - Comrade Alexandrov, take care of Lyubov Petrovna. “Otherwise we will hang you,” Stalin joked in response. - For what?! - Alexandrov was scared. “By the neck,” answered the leader. Kremlin. Writer Alexei Tolstoy proposes a long, fluorescent toast in honor of the Generalissimo. A tired Stalin interrupts Tolstoy: “Stop fussing, Count.” Stalin joked in his own way. So Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya (Lenin’s wife), after the death of the leader of the world proletariat, Joseph Vissarionovich awarded the Order of... Lenin. When they were deciding what to do with the captured German navy, Stalin proposed dividing it up, and Churchill made a counter-proposal: “Sink.” Stalin replied: “Here you are drowning your half.” Before the war, Rokossovsky was arrested. In the fall of 1940 he was released and given a division. During the war, the division fought well, and Stalin decided to give the military leader a larger assignment. Rokossovsky was recalled from the front. - Are you familiar with German military doctrine? - Stalin asked him. - No, Comrade Stalin. - What about the structure and weapons of the German army? - No, Comrade Stalin, because I was sitting. - Found time to sit out! Stalin came to the performance at the Art Theater. Stanislavsky met him and, holding out his hand, said: “Alekseev,” calling his real name. “Dzhugashvili,” Stalin answered, shaking hands and walking to his chair. One colonel general turned to Stalin: - Comrade Stalin! In Germany, I selected some things that interested me, but they were detained at the checkpoint. If possible, I would ask you to return them to me. - It's possible. Write a report, I will impose a resolution. The Colonel General pulled out a prepared report from his pocket. Stalin imposed a resolution: “Return his junk to the colonel. I. Stalin." The general read it and said: “There is a typo here, Comrade Stalin.” I'm not a colonel, but a colonel general. “No, everything is correct here, Comrade Colonel,” Stalin answered. Immediately after the war, Rokossovsky built himself a huge dacha and invited the entire Politburo and the entire General Staff to wash it off... Stalin also came. We walked all night, sang songs, remembered the war. In the morning everyone says goodbye, then Stalin says: “Thank you very much, comrade.” Rokossovsky, you built a good children's holiday home. On the same day, the house was occupied by orphans. Rokossovsky himself had fun about this for a long time and washed the new, more modest house several times, but in a narrower circle. During the Battle of Moscow, Budyonny told Stalin that there were no new checkers and the cavalrymen were given old ones with the inscription “For the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland” - Are they cutting off German heads? - asked Stalin - They are chopping, Comrade Stalin. - So God grant these checkers for faith, the king and the fatherland! - said Stalin. One surgeon was seriously wounded in WWII. Realizing that he had almost no chance of survival, he made a vow that if he did not die, he would serve God. And he survived. And he kept his vow, becoming a village priest. During the Second World War, he joined the partisans and, as the most competent, became chief of staff partisan detachment, but since there were wounded and sick, he had to remember his first profession. And he saved many. At a reception in the Kremlin in honor of distinguished partisans, he was introduced to Stalin, who was told his story. Stalin asked what he would do after the war. He replied that he would return to his parish. Stalin apparently wanted to turn him to medical activities, and he said: “Oh, what a surgeon we have lost in your face!” - And what kind of shepherd has the church lost in your person, Joseph Vissarionovich! - the pop partisan surgeon answered fearlessly. After the war, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin carved up a devastated Europe. The question arose about the Black Sea region and Crimea. Churchill told Stalin, give us Crimea, and we will give you the same piece of land in Europe. Stalin showed his hand with straightened index, middle and thumb and answered: - Good. I will give you Crimea if you guess which of these fingers is the middle one. Churchill pointed to his index finger, Stalin replied “No.” Roosevelt pointed to the middle one, but Stalin again answered “No.” “Here’s Crimea for you,” said Stalin, showing his thumbs up.
Still from the film "The Death of Stalin". Dir. Armando Ianucci, 2017
Exactly 65 years ago one of the most joyful and bright events V national history: Stalin, also known as Us, Gutalin and Khabibullin, died.
On this holiday, pour yourself 100 grams of vodka (or strong tea, if your beliefs do not allow it) and remember those who were tortured by the tyrant. Remember your ancestors, who were shot, rotted in the Gulag system, thrown under German tanks, evicted thousands of kilometers from their homes. Those who died of hunger, died on hazardous production, was left without a home and relatives.
Finally, you can buy a chocolate bust of Stalin and bite off his head. First of all, it's nice. Secondly, there is deep symbolism in the fact that capitalists make money from the image of a “communist” leader.
And by tradition - a story from the memoirs of Vadim Tumanov:
One day the major passed by the courtyard in which I was walking.
- What, Tumanov, are you out for a walk?
- I’m walking, citizen boss.He looks at me, smiling slyly:
- He dropped his tail!“Us” is how Stalin was called in Kolyma. We also called him “beast”, “shoe polisher”, “Khabibullin”, although everyone knew that he was not a Tatar. Among criminals there was rarely a conversation about him, and I don’t remember a time when someone spoke sympathetically about Stalin. Usually the term “bitch” was added to his nickname. Bitch shoe polisher... Bitch Khabibullin... More often political people talked about him. I remember Mamedov’s story as at some meeting in the Kremlin, when they talked about the shortage work force- either on big construction site, or somewhere in the region, Stalin told the audience: “If you don’t find people, you’ll have to do it yourself!” Among the Kolyma residents there was a persistent hostility to this name. But so suddenly... I look at the major incredulously.
Are you serious, citizen chief? - I ask.
- Are people joking with such things? - answered the major.I turn away from him and run to prison. The guards don't understand why I walked so little. And I shout at all the tops of the iron doors:
- Stalin is dead! Stalin is dead!I still don’t understand how this could turn out for the country, for all of us, but some exciting feeling of approaching newness, expected changes, happy events overwhelms and requires release, at least in wild cries:
- Stalin is dead! Khabibullin is dead!About two hours later, Machabeli, now the head of the mine, appears in prison accompanied by guards. He is thoughtful, reserved, and taciturn. Enters the camera:
- No questions! - he says, lowering his head. - Today in the capital of our Motherland, dear... Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin died! - And wipes away the tears with a handkerchief.He stands with a sorrowful face. With all his appearance he calls on us to share the grief of the world proletariat. Several people shouted joyfully:
- That’s what he needs, bitch!Machabeli raises his piercing eyes:
- This already smells of politics! - And together with the guards he is in a hurry to leave the prisoners.Many years later, a book about the joint venture will fall into my hands. It will be very unpleasant for the Queen and for me to read that he believed in Stalin all his life and only the 20th Congress opened his eyes. I don't believe in this at all. Korolev was imprisoned in the Maldyak camp, created in 1937, where small valley there were six camp zones with two thousand prisoners each. He wasn't a fool. From camp old-timers convicted in the 30s, I more than once heard what I myself observed later, in the late 40s and early 50s: anyone in the camp who began to speak well about Stalin aroused ridicule and suspicion. They looked at him like he was a fool, or they could hit him in the face with a boot.
The revolutionary party members were still arguing about Lenin, about the fate of Bolshevism in Russia, but in no camp environment did I meet a person who was convinced of Stalin’s absolute innocence or of his complete ignorance of what was happening in the country. Therefore, it is completely incomprehensible when they write that Korolev always trusted Stalin. How could you trust the authorities, who ruined your life for no reason, moreover, being in Kolyma, surrounded by continuous camps, where the death of many thousands of people was the same everyday picture as the thwarted autumn wind withered leaves from the branches. Anyone who claims that he believed Stalin in those circumstances is either disingenuous or an idiot.
How did it happen that an ordinary teenager from the provincial Georgian village of Gori became the “head of the people”? We decided to look at what factors contributed to the fact that Koba, who lived in robbery, became Joseph Stalin.
Father factor
For a man to grow up big role provides paternal education. Joseph Dzhugashvili was actually deprived of it. Koba's official father, shoemaker Vissarion Dzhugashvili, drank a lot. Ekaterina Geladze divorced him when her son was 12 years old.
The paternity of Vissarion Dzhugashvili is still disputed by historians. Simon Montefiori, in his book “Young Stalin,” writes about three “contenders” for this role: wine merchant Yakov Ignatashvili, Gori police chief Damian Davrichui and priest Christopher Charkviani.
Childhood trauma
Stalin's character as a child was seriously affected by the trauma he received at the age of twelve: in a road accident Joseph injured left hand, over time it became shorter and weaker than the right one. Due to his withered hands, Koba could not fully participate in youthful fights; he could only win them with the help of cunning. A hand injury prevented Kobe from learning to swim. Joseph also suffered from smallpox at the age of five and barely survived, after which he developed his first “special feature”: “a pockmarked face with smallpox marks.”
The feeling of physical inferiority affected Stalin's character. Biographers note the vindictiveness of young Koba, his temper, secrecy and penchant for conspiracy.
Relationship with mother
Stalin's relationship with his mother was difficult. They wrote letters to each other, but met rarely. When the mother visited her son in last time, this happened a year before her death, in 1936, she expressed regret that he never became a priest. Stalin was only amused by this. When his mother died, Stalin did not go to the funeral, only sent a wreath with the inscription “To my dear and beloved mother from her son Joseph Dzhugashvili.”
Such a cool relationship between Stalin and his mother can be explained by the fact that Ekaterina Georgievna was an independent person and was never shy in her assessments. For the sake of her son, when Joseph was neither Koba nor Stalin, she learned to cut and sew, mastered the profession of a milliner, but she did not have enough time to raise her son. Joseph grew up on the street.
Birth of Koba
The future Stalin had many party nicknames. They called him “Osip”, “Ivanovich”, “Vasiliev”, “Vasily”, but the most famous nickname of young Joseph Dzhugashvili was Koba. It is significant that Mikoyan and Molotov addressed Stalin this way even in the 1930s. Why Koba?
Literature influenced. One of the young revolutionary’s favorite books was the novel “The Patricide” by the Georgian writer Alexander Kazbegi. This is a book about the struggle of mountain peasants for their independence. One of the heroes of the novel - the intrepid Koba - became a hero for young Stalin, who, after reading the book, began to call himself Koba.
Women
In the book “Young Stalin” by British historian Simon Montefiore, the author claims that Koba was very loving in his youth. Montefiore, however, does not consider this to be anything special; this way of life, the historian writes, was characteristic of revolutionaries.
Montefiore claims that Koba’s mistresses included peasant women, noblewomen, and party comrades (Vera Schweitzer, Valentina Lobova, Lyudmila Stal).
The British historian also claims that two peasant women from Siberian villages (Maria Kuzakova, Lidiya Pereprygina), where Koba was serving his exile, gave birth to sons from him, whom Stalin never recognized.
Despite such turbulent relationships with women, Koba’s main business was, of course, the revolution. In his interview with Ogonyok magazine, Simon Montefiore commented on the information he obtained: “Only party comrades were considered worthy of respect. Love and family were expelled from life, which should have been devoted only to the revolution. What in their behavior seems immoral and criminal to us , it didn’t matter to them.”
"Exes"
Today it is already well known that Koba in his youth did not disdain illegal activities. Koba showed particular zeal during expropriations. At the Bolshevik congress in Stockholm in 1906, the so-called “exes” were banned; a year later, at the London congress, this decision was confirmed. It is significant that the congress in London ended on June 1, 1907, and the most sensational robbery of two State Bank carriages, organized by Koba Ivanovich, occurred later - on June 13. Koba did not comply with the demands of the congress for the reason that he considered them Menshevik; on the issue of “exes” he took the position of Lenin, who approved them.
During the mentioned robbery, Koba’s group managed to get 250 thousand rubles. 80 percent of this money was sent to Lenin, the rest went to the needs of the cell.
Stalin's not-so-clean reputation could become an obstacle to his advancement in the future. In 1918, the head of the Mensheviks, Yuli Martov, published an article in which he gave three examples of Koba’s illegal activities: the robbery of State Bank carriages in Tiflis, the murder of a worker in Baku, and the seizure of the steamship “Nicholas I” in Baku.
Moreover, Martov even wrote that Stalin had no right to hold government positions, since he was expelled from the party in 1907. Stalin was furious at this article; he claimed that this exclusion was illegal, since it was carried out by the Tiflis cell, controlled by the Mensheviks. That is, Stalin still did not deny the fact of his exclusion. But he threatened Martov with a revolutionary tribunal.
Why "Stalin"?
Throughout his life, Stalin had three dozen pseudonyms. At the same time, it is significant that Joseph Vissarionovich did not make a secret of his surname. Who now remembers Apfelbaum, Rosenfeld and Wallach (Zinoviev, Kamenev, Litvinov)? But Ulyanov-Lenin and Dzhugashvili-Stalin are well known. Stalin chose the pseudonym quite deliberately. According to William Pokhlebkin, who devoted work to this issue " Great nickname", when choosing a pseudonym, several factors coincided. Real source when choosing a pseudonym, the surname of a liberal journalist, first close to the populists, and then to the Socialist Revolutionaries, Yevgeny Stefanovich Stalinsky, one of the prominent Russian professional publishers of periodicals in the province and translator into Russian of Sh. Rustaveli’s poem “The Knight in the Skin of the Tiger”, became the name. Stalin loved this poem very much. There is also a version that Stalin took a pseudonym based on the name of one of his mistresses, party comrades Lyudmila Stal.