Young Stalin -Simon Sebag Montefiore

What makes a Stalin? Was he illegitimate?

Was Stalin a Tsarist agent or Lenin's chief gangster? Was he to blame for his wife's death? And when did the killing start?

Born in poverty, scarred by his upbringing, exceptional in his studies, this charismatic but dangerous boy was hailed as a romantic poet and trained as a priest but found his mission as a fanatical revolutionary. He became the mastermind of bank robberies, protection rackets, arson and murder.

Surprisingly, he is also revealed as a scandalously prolific lover, leaving a trail of mistresses and illegitimate children. This is the story of how Stalin became Stalin.