Joseph Stalin: The Man of Steel

Before he was the dictator of the Soviet Union, Stalin was a bank-robbing revolutionary constantly pursued by the Tsar’s secret police.

• Early Crime (1902-1913): Arrested seven times and exiled to Siberia six times for organizing strikes and funding the party through robberies.
• The 1911 Mugshot: This image was taken by the St. Petersburg secret police (Okhrana) during one of his many arrests before the 1917 Revolution.
• The Alias: Born Ioseb Jughashvili, he adopted the name ‘Stalin’ (Man of Steel) during these years of underground warfare.