J. V. Stalin

Volume 2

Biographical Chronicle

(1907 to March 1917)

Source: Works, Vol. 2, 1907 - 1913
Publisher:Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1954
Transcription/Markup: Salil Sen for MIA, 2008
Public Domain: Marxists Internet Archive (2008). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit "Marxists Internet Archive" as your source.


1 9 0 7

January 1
No. 1 of the newspaper Mnatobi (The Torch), directed by J. V. Stalin, appears.
No. 8 of the newspaper Akhali Droyeba (New Times) publishes the continuation of J. V. Stalin's work Anarchism or Socialism?

February 10
J. V. Stalin writes the preface to the Georgian edition of K. Kautsky's pamphlet The Driving Forces and Prospects of the Russian Reaolution.

February 18
No. 1 of the newspaper Chveni Tskhovreba (Our Life), directed by J. V. Stalin, appears, containing his article "The Election Campaign in St. Petersburg and the Mensheviks."

February 21-28
Nos. 3, 5, 8 and 9 of Chveni Tskhovreba publish the continuation of J. V. Stalin's work Anarchism or Socialism?

March 11
No. 1 of the newspaper Dro (Time), directed by J. V. Stalin, appears.

March 13
No. 2 of Dro publishes J. V. Stalin's article "The Autocracy of the Cadets or the Sovereignty of the People?"

March 17
No. 6 of Dro publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "The Proletariat Is Fighting, the Bourgeoisie Is Concluding an Alliance With the Government."

March 22
No. 10 of Dro publishes J. V. Stalin's article "Comrade G. Telia. In Memoriam."

March 28 and 30
Dro publishes the decisions of the worker Bolsheviks in Tiflis to elect J. V. Stalin as a delegate to the Fifth Congress of the R.S.D.L.P.

April 4-6 and 10
Nos. 21-23 and 26 of Dro publish the continuation of J. V. Stalin's work Anarchism or Socialism?

April 8
No. 25 of Dro publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "The Advanced Proletariat and the Fifth Party Congress."

April 10
No. 26 of Dro publishes J. V. Stalin's article "Muddle. . ."

April 13
No. 29 of Dro publishes J. V. Stalin's article "Our Caucasian Clowns."

April 30-May 19
J . V. Stalin takes part in the proceedings of the Fifth ("London") Congress of the R.S.D.L.P. as the delegate of the Tiflis organisation.

First half of June
On returning from the Fifth ("London") Congress of the R.S.D.L.P. , J . V. Stalin visits Baku and Tiflis and delivers reports on the congress at meetings of the Social-Democratic organisations of Baku, Tiflis and a number of districts in Western Georgia. J. V. Stalin leads the struggle of the Bolsheviks against the Mensheviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries and others.

June 20
No. 1 of the underground Bolshevik newspaper Bakinsky Proletary (The Baku Proletarian) edited by J . V. Stalin, appears, containing the leading article written by him : "The Dispersion of the Duma and the Tasks of the Proletariat," and also his article "The London Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (Notes of a Delegate)."

Summer-Autumn
J. V. Stalin speaks at discussion meetings organised in the districts of Baku in which he exposes the policy of the Mensheviks and the Socialist-Revolutionaries.

J . V. Stalin directs the campaign to boycott the conference with the oil owners.

July 10
No. 2 of Bakinsky Proletary publishes the continuation of J . V. Stalin's article "The London Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (Notes of a Delegate)."

End of July
The Baku Bolsheviks, headed by J. V. Stalin, hold a Party conference of the oil districts, which declares in favour of organising a general strike.

August 12
Appearance of No. 1 of the newspaper Gudok — the legal Bolshevik organ of the Baku oil industry workers' union, formed on the initiative of J. V. Stalin.

August 24
At a delegate meeting of five district Social-Democratic organisations and of the Moslem Social-Democratic group "Gummet," J. V. Stalin is elected a member of the organising committee set up to convene a city Party conference.

September-October
J. V. Stalin directs the campaign during the Third State Duma elections.
The "Mandate" to the Social-Democratic deputies in the Third State Duma, written by J . V. Stalin, is adopted a t a meeting of delegates of the workers' curia in Baku held on September 22.

September 29
J. V. Stalin delivers a speech at the grave of Khanlar Safaraliyev, a working man Bolshevik who was killed by the hired agents of the capitalists.
No. 4 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's article "Boycott the Conference!"

October 25
At a Baku city conference of Bolsheviks, J. V. Stalin is elected a member of the Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P.

First half of November
A meeting of the Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. , which J . V. Stalin attended, is held in the premises of the Sabunchi Hospital.

November 22
The Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. , directed by J. V. Stalin, conducts a one-day strike to protest against the prosecution of the Social-Democratic group in the Second State Duma.

End of November
J. V. Stalin arrives in Tiflis on Party business.

November 1907-March 1908
J. V. Stalin directs the campaign for the participation of the Baku workers in a conference with the oil owners on the condition that the rights of the workers are guaranteed.

1 9 0 8

January 13
No. 14 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "Before the Elections."

January-February
The Baku Bolsheviks, directed by J. V. Stalin, organise a series of big strikes.

February 3
No. 17 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "More About a Conference With Guarantees."

February
The Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P., directed by J. V. Stalin, organises a "Self-Defence Staff" in connection with the growing frequency of assaults by Black Hundreds.

March 2
No. 21 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's article "What Do Our Recent Strikes Tell Us?"

March 9
No. 22 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "The Change in the Oil Owners' Tactics."

March 16
No. 23 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "We Must Prepare!"

March 25
J. V. Stalin, under the alias Gaioz Nizha-radze, is arrested and confined in the Bailov prison in Baku.

March 25-November 9
While in prison J. V. Stalin establishes and maintains contact with the Baku Bolshevik organisation, directs the Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. and writes articles for the Bakinsky Proletary and Gudok. He also conducts propaganda among the political prisoners, holds debates with the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks and organises the study of Marxist literature by the political prisoners.

March 30
No. 25 of Gudok publishes J. V. Stalin's leading article "Economic Terrorism and the Labour Movement."

April 21 - May 18
Nos. 28, 30 and 32 of Gudok publish J. V. Stalin's article "The Oil Owners on Economic Terrorism."

July 20
No. 5 of Bakinsky Proletary publishes J. V. Stalin's articles "Flunkey 'Socialists'' and "Hypocritical Zubatovites."

The same issue of the newspaper publishes as a supplement J. V. Stalin's article "The Conference and the Workers."

November 9
J. V. Stalin is deported to the Vologda Gubernia for two years to remain under open police surveillance.

1 9 0 9

January
J. V. Stalin arrives in Vologda under escort and is confined in the Vologda prison.

January 27
J. V. Stalin's place of exile is decided : Solvychegodsk, Vologda Gubernia.

February 8
On the way to his place of exile under escort J. V. Stalin falls sick with relapsing fever and is taken from the Vyatka prison to the Vyatka Gubernia Zemstvo Hospital.

February 20
J. V. Stalin is transferred from the hospital to the Vyatka prison.

February 27
J. V. Stalin arrives in Solvychegodsk.

June 24
J. V. Stalin escapes from Solvychegodsk.

Beginning of July
While on his way J. V. Stalin stays several days in St. Petersburg.

First half of July
J. V. Stalin secretly arrives in Baku and directs the work of restoring and consolidating the Bolshevik organisations in Baku and Transcaucasia.

August
After a year's suspension, Bakinsky Proletary resumes publication with No. 6, which contains J. V. Stalin's leading article "The Party Crisis and Our Tasks."

August 2
The Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P., directed by J. V. Stalin, adopts a resolution on the state of affairs on the editorial board of Proletary supporting "the stand taken by the majority of the editorial board represented by Comrade Lenin."

August 27
No. 7 of Bakinsky Proletary publishes the conclusion of J. V. Stalin's article "The Party Crisis and Our Tasks," and also the article "The Forthcoming General Strike."

First half of September
J. V. Stalin leaves Baku for Tiflis, where he organises and directs the struggle of the Tiflis Bolshevik organisation against the Menshevik Liquidators.

End of September
J. V. Stalin takes measures to re-establish the underground printing plant of the Baku Committee.

October 19- beginning of November
J. V. Stalin arrives in Tiflis and makes preparations for the convocation of the Tiflis City Party Conference and for the publication of the Bolshevik newspaper Tiflissky Proletary.

Not later than November 12
J. V. Stalin returns to Baku from Tiflis.

December 13
The Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. issues a leaflet written by J. . Stalin, "The December Strike and the December greement" (on the occasion of the fifth nniversary of the aku strike of 1904).

November-December
J. V. Stalin writes "Letters From the Caucasus" for the Central Organ of the Party.

1 9 1 0

Beginning with 1910, J. V. Stalin is a representative of the Central Committee of the Party ("agent of the C.C.").

———

January 5
No. 1. of the newspaper Tiflissky Proletary, founded with the direct participation of J. V. Stalin, appears.

January 22
The Baku Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. adopts a resolution drafted by J. V. Stalin urging the necessity of convening a general Party conference, of transferring the practical centre for directing the activities of the Party to Russia and of publishing an all-Russian leading newspaper.

March 23
J. V. Stalin is arrested under the alias Zakhar Grigoryan Melikyants.
J V. Stalin's leaflet "August Bebel, Leader of the German Workers," appears.

March 26
J. V. Stalin is confined in the Bailov Prison in Baku.

September 7
While in prison J. V. Stalin receives the order of the Viceroy of the Caucasus dated August 27 prohibiting him from residing in the Caucasus for five years.

September 23
J. V. Stalin is taken under escort to Solvychegodsk.

October 29
J. V. Stalin arrives in Solvychegodsk.

November 1910-June 1911
J. V. Stalin establishes contact with V. I. Lenin. He organises meetings of exiles at which papers are read and current political questions are discussed.

December 31
J. V. Stalin writes a letter to the Central Committee of the Party ("A Letter to the Central Committee of the Party From Exile in Solvychegodsk").

1 9 1 1

March-June
The police make repeated searches in J. V. Stalin's lodgings (at the house of M. P. Kuzakova) in Solvychegodsk.

June 1
At a conference of members of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P., held in Paris, J. V. Stalin is appointed in his absence an alternate member of the Organising Committee for convening the Party conference.

June 23-26
J. V. Stalin in Solvychegodsk is kept under close arrest for three days for organising a meeting of exiled Social-Democrats.

June 27
J. V. Stalin is released from open police surveillance in view of the expiration of his period of exile. Being prohibited from residing in the Caucasus, in the capitals and industrial centres, he chooses Vologda as his place of residence as it is on the way to St. Petersburg.

July 6
J. V. Stalin, furnished with a transit permit, leaves Solvychegodsk for Vologda.

July 16
J. V. Stalin arrives in Vologda.

July-September
In Vologda J. V. Stalin is kept under secret police surveillance.

July
J. V. Stalin writes a letter to the editorial board of Rabochaya Gazeta (Workers' Newspaper), directed by Lenin, informing it of his intention to work in St. Petersburg or in Moscow.

September 6
J. V. Stalin secretly leaves Vologda for St. Petersburg.

September 7
J. V. Stalin arrives in St. Petersburg and registers with the passport of P. A. Chizhikov.

September 7-9
J. V. Stalin meets the Bolsheviks S. Todria and S. Alliluyev and establishes contact with the St. Petersburg Party organisation.

September 9
J. V. Stalin is arrested and confined in the St. Petersburg House of Preliminary Detention.

December 14
J. V. Stalin is deported to Vologda for three years, to remain under open police surveillance.

December 25
J. V. Stalin arrives in Vologda.

1 9 1 2

Between January 5(18) and 17(30)
At the Sixth ("Prague") General Party Conference, J. V. Stalin is in his absence elected a member of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party.
The conference sets up a practical centre known as the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee to direct revolutionary activities in Russia and places J. V. Stalin in charge of this centre.

Middle of February
On the instructions of V. I. Lenin, G. K. Ordjonikidze, a member of the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee, goes to see J. V. Stalin in Vologda to inform him of the decisions of the Prague Conference.

February 29
J. V. Stalin escapes from exile in Vologda.

Beginning of March
J. V. Stalin writes the leaflet "For the Party!" which is published in the name of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. and is widely distributed in Russia.

First half of March
J. V. Stalin visits Baku and Tiflis to organise the work of the Transcaucasian Bolshevik organisations in carrying out the decisions of the Prague Conference. He writes Circular Letter No. 1 of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. to the Party organisations announcing the definite formation of the Central Committee.

March 29
J. V. Stalin conducts a conference of the Party workers of the Bolshevik district organisations in Baku. The conference endorses the decisions of the Prague Conference.

March 30
J. V. Stalin writes a report on the conference in Baku for the Sotsial-Demokrat.

April 1
J. V. Stalin leaves Baku for St. Petersburg.

Beginning of April
On the way to St. Petersburg J. V. Stalin stops in Moscow and meets G. K. Ordjonikidze.
J. V. Stalin writes the leaflet "Long Live the First of May!"
J. V. Stalin sends to Tiflis a copy of the resolution adopted by a group of Moscow Party workers welcoming the decisions of the Prague Conference and the newly-formed Central Committee.
On behalf of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P., J. V. Stalin writes to Clara Zetkin requesting her to transfer the Party funds held by her to the Central Committee for the purpose of conducting the Fourth State Duma election campaign.

April 10
J. V. Stalin secretly arrives in St. Petersburg.

April 10-22
J. V. Stalin edits the Bolshevik workers newspaper Zvezda in which the following articles of his are published: "A New Period" (leading article), "Life Triumphs!", "They Are Working Well. . . .", "The Ice Has Broken! . . ." (leading article), "How They Are Preparing for the Elections", "Deductious" (leading article), and others.

Middle of April
J. V. Stalin makes arrangements with the members of the Social-Democratic group in the Third State Duma N. G. Poletyaev and I. P. Pokrovsky, as well as with the Bolshevik journalists M. S. Olminsky and N. N. Ba-turin, for the publication of the newspaper Pravda and for the drafting of its programme, and together with them makes up the first number of that newspaper.

April 22
No. 1 of the workers' daily newspaper Pravda appears containing J. V. Stalin's article "Our Aims."

J. V. Stalin is arrested and confined in the preliminary detention prison in St. Petersburg.

July 2
J. V. Stalin is deported under escort from St. Petersburg to the Narym territory, to be kept under open police surveillance for three years.

July 18
J. V. Stalin, accompanied by a prison warder, leaves Tomsk on the steamer Kolpashevets for his place of exile in Narym.

September 1
J. V. Stalin escapes from exile in Narym.

September 12
J. V. Stalin arrives in St. Petersburg.

September-October
J. V. Stalin directs the Fourth State Duma election campaign and organises the struggle against the Menshevik Liquidators.
J. V. Stalin edits Pravda.

October 4
A meeting of the Executive Commission of the St. Petersburg Committee is held under J. V. Stalin's direction at which a decision is adopted to call a one-day strike in protest against the annulment of the election of voters' delegates at the biggest plants in St. Petersburg (Putilov's and others).

Beginning of October
J. V. Stalin conducts a secret Party conference at which the tactics to be adopted in the struggle against the Liquidators is discussed and the workers' candidate for the Fourth State Duma is nominated.

J. V. Stalin writes "Mandate of the St. Petersburg Workers to Their Labour Deputy."

Middle of October
J. V. Stalin sends "Mandate of the St. Petersburg Workers" to V. I. Lenin on the editorial board of Sotsial-Demokrat, in which paper it was published in the issue No. 28-29 of November 5 (18), 1912.

October 17
The "Mandate" written by J. V. Stalin is adopted at the assembly of voters' delegates of the workers' curia in the St. Petersburg Gubernia.

October 19
No. 147 of Pravda publishes the leading article by J. V. Stalin "The Will of the Voters' Delegates."

October 21 (November 3)
On the instructions of V. I. Lenin, N. K. Krupskaya writes to Pravda and the members of the Social-Democratic group in the Duma stating that it is extremely important for J. V. Stalin to visit Cracow.

October 24
No. 151 of Pravda publishes J. V. Stalin's article "The Results of the Elections in the Workers' Curia of St. Petersburg."

October 25
No. 152 of Pravda publishes J. V. Stalin's article "Today Is Election Day."

End of October
J. V. Stalin visits Moscow for a short period and establishes contact with the newly-elected working men Bolshevik deputies of the Fourth State Duma.

October 29
J. V. Stalin returns to St. Petersburg from Moscow.

Before November 10
J. V. Stalin secretly arrives in Cracow to visit V. I. Lenin.

November 11(24)
V. I. Lenin sends the "Mandate" he had received from J. V. Stalin to Pravda with instructions to publish it "in a prominent place in large type."

First half of November
J. V. Stalin takes part in a meeting of the members of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. in Cracow.

End of November-beginning of December
Returning to St. Petersburg from Cracow, J. V. Stalin directs the activities of the Social-Democratic group in the Fourth State Duma.

November 23 (December 6)
V. I. Lenin writes to J. V. Stalin on preparations for the anniversary of January 9 and on the need for leaflets to be published in connection with it.

First half of December
On the instructions of V. I. Lenin, N. K. Krupskaya writes to J. V. Stalin urging him to come to Cracow for a meeting of the members of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. and the six Bolshevik deputies in the Fourth Duma.

End of December
J. V. Stalin secretly leaves for Cracow.

December 28, 1912 (January 10, 1913)-January 1(14), 1913
J. V. Stalin takes part in the "February" conference of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. with Party workers and the Bolshevik members of the Social-Democratic group in the Duma, held under the direction of V. I. Lenin. At this conference V. I. Lenin and J. V. Stalin propose measures for improving the work of the editorial board of Pravda.

End of December 1912-beginning of January 1913
The leaflet written by J. V. Stalin "To All the Working Men and Working Women of Russia!" is issued.

1 9 1 3

January 12
No. 30 of Sotsial-Demokrat publishes J. V. Stalin's articles "The Elections in St. Petersburg (A Letter From St. Petersburg)" and "On the Road to Nationalism (A Letter From the Caucasus)."

Latter half of January
J. V. Stalin arrives in Vienna from Cracow. In Vienna he arranges for the printing in Paris of the "Announcement" written by V. I. Lenin concerning the "February" conference and of the resolutions adopted by that conference.

January
J. V. Stalin writes the work The National Question and Social-Democracy which is published in Nos. 3-5 of the magazine Prosveshcheniye in March-May 1913.

January-February
J. V. Stalin writes the leaflet "The Anniversary of the Lena Massacre."

Middle of February
J. V. Stalin returns to St. Petersburg from abroad. Together with Y. M. Sverdlov he proceeds to reorganise the editorial board of Pravda in conformity with V. I. Lenin's instructions.

February 23
J. V. Stalin is arrested in the hall of the Kalashnikov Exchange at a concert arranged by the St. Petersburg Bolshevik organisation and is taken to prison.

February 26
No. 47 of Pravda publishes the article by J. V. Stalin "The Situation in the Social-Democratic Group in the Duma."

July 2
J. V. Stalin is deported under escort to the Turukhansk region to remain under open police surveillance for four years.

July 11
J. V. Stalin arrives in Krasnoyarsk.

July 15
J. V. Stalin leaves Krasnoyarsk for Turu-khansk.

August 10
J. V. Stalin arrives in Turukhansk and from there is sent to his place of exile, the hamlet of Kostino.

1 9 1 4

First half of March
J. V. Stalin is transferred to the hamlet of Kureika, north of the Arctic Circle, and is placed under closer police surveillance.

1 9 1 5

February 27
J. V. Stalin writes a letter to V. I. Lenin from the village of Monastyrskoye, where he had gone to visit a fellow-exile S. Spandaryan.
In this letter J. V. Stalin criticises the defencist line of Plekhanov and of international Social-Democracy, which had taken an opportunist stand.

Summer
J. V. Stalin takes part in a meeting held in the village of Monastyrskoye of the exiled members of the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee of the R.S.D.L.P. and of the Bolshevik group in the Fourth State Duma. At this meeting the question of the trial of the Bolshevik deputies is discussed.

November 10
J. V. Stalin writes to V. I. Lenin and N. K. Krupskaya from his place of exile in Turukhansk.

191 6

February 5
J. V. Stalin writes a letter to the Party Centre abroad concerning his work on articles on the nationalquestion.

February 25
In a letter to the Bolshevik centre abroad, sent through Inessa Armand, J. V. Stalin inquires about his article "Cultural-National Autonomy," which he had sent abroad.

March 12
J. V. Stalin, in conjunction with S. Spandaryan and other exiles, writes a letter to the journal Voprosy Strakhovaniya (Insurance Questions).

December 14
In connection with the drafting of summarily exiled persons into the army J. V. Stalin is sent under escort to Krasnoyarsk.

1 9 1 7

Beginning of February
The Drafting Commission in Krasnoyarsk exempts J. V. Stalin from military service.

February 20
J. V. Stalin leaves Krasnoyarsk for Achinsk, where he had received permission to reside until the expiration of his period of exile.

March 8
J. V. Stalin with a group of exiles leaves Achinsk for Petrograd.