Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast, Episode 163,

Stalin, Family Man.

Last time, Juggashvili had been re-admitted to the local socialist party, but was then banished

to the backwater area of Chiaratura in Western Georgia, which should have been Stalin's

time out so he could learn his place, instead became the central area that represented the

workers' plight and the owner's cruel exploitation.

The miners undertook the backbreaking work of bringing out the vital manganese for the

making of steel, the owners enjoyed huge profits.

However, just before Kobach got there, the workers decided they had had enough.

Work was stopped, resistance was offered.

The Zara's police were called in and the tension mounted.

It was then that Kobach came in and failed himself with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Here was a battle, here were fists and weapons being used, instead of proclamations or declarations.

The power hungry, insensitive young Stalin was in his element.

But as successful as he was with helping organize the locals, he found out that there were

battles both external and internal.

The resisting workers voted instead of Stalin as a leader, one no Ramashvili, a Menshevik

from another group of the workers' party, which had their own struggles against the Bolsheviks,

of which Stalin belonged to.

For this other battle, Stalin needed help, he needed guidance, but his mentor Lado was

now dead.

So instead Stalin wrote to the head of the Bolshevik faction, Vladimir Lenin.

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