Joseph Stalin's journey from Georgia to St. Petersburg
Georgia, Part 3
Stalin was born in Gori, now a city in present-day Georgia, and spent his childhood there before traveling to Tbilisi to attend school on a scholarship. He was, however, expelled from the Georgian Orthodox Tiflis Spiritual Seminary after poor performance on his exams, and it is thought that during this time he first joined the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, a Marxist group. His early political career was spent between Tbilisi, Baku, St. Petersburg, and several exiles in Siberia (where he often escaped) as he rose through the ranks of the party. Finally, returning from his final exile in a small northern fishing village near the Arctic Circle in 1917, he took part in the October Revolution that culminated in the creation and eventually his leadership of the USSR.
Group 5
"Stalin, Joseph." Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2001. (c) 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Ekaterina Shubnaya, "Joseph Stalin." <http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/leaders/joseph-stalin/>
“Statue of Limitations Runs Out for Keeping Stalin Off His Pedestal.” Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2013, sec. Page One. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304713704579091820237130970.
1905-1917
Rosenberg Trial and Execution
Russian America, Part 2
In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested for allegedly passing nuclear secrets to the soviets. The two were convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 and sentenced to death. Despite concerns over the quality of the convicting evidence and public opinion in favor of clemency, the Rosenbergs were executed by electric chair on June 19, 1953. The Rosenberg trial and execution took place during the heart of the “Red Scare,” a period of paranoia over communist activity in America that took place from 1947- 1954.
The Russian presence in America served as a source of tension in the aftermath of opposition between the countries and laid grounds for future disruptions in foreign relations.
Group 4
Casalaspi, David. "The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/TheRosenbergTrial.asp>.
"Julius and Ethel Rosenberg." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg>.
July 17, 1950-June 19, 1953