Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin became preeminent Soviet leader when Vladimir I. Lenin died in 1924. Joseph was born in 1879, on December 21,in the town of Gori in Georgian hill. Joseph's father was an unsuccessful shoemaker. He was an alcoholic who beat Joseph. Joseph's mother was Ekaterina a washerwoman who had hoped for her son would be a priest. Ekaterina encouraged her son toward self-idealization. In 1902-1913 Joseph got arrested many times. Though he escaped repeatedly just to continue working as one of the Boshevik organizer. He also had many obtained funds just for the Bolsheviks(Grolier). In 1901 Joseph joined th