Joseph Stalin

Joseph Dzhugashvili Stalin was the Russian dictator of the Soviet Union from 1929-1953. It is believed that about 20 million people died "as a direct result of his policies"¹.

Stalin's childhood and early life are difficult to retell accurately. This is because Stalin went back and attempted to rewrite his own past. He was born in Georgia in 1879. It is known that his father was an abusive alcoholic. Stalin's mother had wanted him to be a priest but instead of introducing him to God, the seminary introduced him to Marxism¹.*

Stalin grew to be barely five feet tall. His face was scarred (he had contracted smallpox at 7) and one of his arms was disabled to the point of preventing him from the army. Those who knew him described him as ill-mannered and rough¹. Hence the change in his last name from his biological surname, Dzhugashvili, to his nickname, Stalin, which means "steel."

He joined the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party in 1901, where he used robbery and counterfeiting to gain revenue. Only 2 years later, he was caught and sent to Siberia, but he escaped. He went on to be arrested 5 more times.

Stalin's registration card with the St. Petersburg Police Department²

Stalin was freed from his last conviction during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. He became editor of Pravda ("Truth"), the Labor Party's newspaper. This was his first position of true power. In 1923, he became secretary general of the Communist Party¹. He devoted his life to his occupation and increasing his ranks and he fought ruthlessly against opponents.

Using Lenin's work as "rough draft," Stalin refined his bureaucratic system, secret police, and slave labor camps. However, unlike his predecessor, he had capitalism completely banned. He demanded complete focus on industry as well as "collectivization of agriculture," the latter of which would kill roughly 15 million people¹. (For more on how Stalin starved the very people making the Soviet Union's food supply, stay tuned for the article on the Holodomor.)

Stalin also initiated his infamous Great Purges, in which he removed all potential threats by sentencing them to public "show trials" and then condemning them to execution or lengthy sentences in harsh labor camps (gulags). Disturbingly suspicious of Western influence, nearly anyone who had been to the West - voluntarily or otherwise - was looked upon as an enemy.¹ In a later event known as the Great Comb-Out, 8 million people "simply disappeared" without any sort of a trial. 7 million were sentenced to gulag camps. The other 1 million were killed.³

Joseph Stalin, 1942.

Stalin used heavy propaganda to promote strong nationalism and in hopes of getting the public to hold his same anti-Western ideology. He was also responsible for the launching of the Cold War, and he tried to develop an atomic bomb. He agreed with North Korea's invasion of South Korea, hoping the peninsula would fall completely to communist control. He also attempted to have 9 doctors convicted of assassinations. 6 of them were Jewish, and this was partially an act of anti-Semitism.¹

However, these allegations, that became known as "The Doctor's Plot," were never carried out, as Stalin died on 5 March 1953.

Stalin died in 1953 after a paralytic stroke.

Works Cited and Recommended Further Information

• ¹ Tucker, Spencer C. "Joseph Stalin." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.  
• ² "A short history of mugshots." Slate. 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.slate.com/id/2270770/> 
• ³ Frame, Arthur T. "Soviet Great Purges: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.
• ⁴ "Joseph Stalin." Image. Library of Congress. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. 
• "Revelations from the Russian Archives." Library of Congress, 1992. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.
• Simkin, John. "Joseph Stalin: Biography." Spartacus Educational. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSstalin.htm>
• Service, Robert. Stalin: A Biography. Pan, 2010. Print.
• Shalamov, Varlam, and John Glad. Kolyma Tales. Penguin, 1994. Print.

* - I feel it necessary to mention that true Marxism does not equate to the communism Stalin imposed on Russia or many modern ideas of what communism is today. To fully understand what Marx really argued, read his Communist Manifesto.

The Salem Witch Trials

   The Salem witchcraft trials can all be traced back to two young girls, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris. The girls went to a slave woman named Tituba and asked to have their fortunes read. Later, the girls began to exhibit strange behaviour, such as temporary blindness or deafness or periods of uncontrollable screaming.³ The Puritan town of Salem in which the girls lived decided this was the work of Satan. The girls pointed the blame at Tituba, as well as two other women, Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good. Despite Good's insistence that she "was falsely accused," all three were imprisoned.⁴ The two young girls began to blame more and more people as their odd symptoms continued.

   "Twenty-seven individuals were tried for witchcraft between June 2 and September 17, 1692; the 19 who refused to confess were executed."¹ By the end of the hysteria, almost 150 people had been jailed and accused of witchcraft. To be found innocent was nearly impossible. In fact, at one trial in which the jury came back with an innocent verdict, the judge demanded they "deliberate further." They came back quickly with a guilty verdict, and the woman accused, Rebecca Nurse, was executed.³

A woman is accused of witchcraft in 1692.²

   Punishments were severe, despite the fact that many of the convicted were actually devoutly religious people. One man was pressed to death. Another recited the Lord's Prayer while being executed, which was thought impossible under Satanic possession.¹ Some of the victims were burned. However, most of those killed were women, and most of them were hanged.

A woman found guilty of witchcraft is publicly hanged.

   By 1710, most of the names of witch trial victims had been cleared and their families compensated. No one is really sure what caused the bout of hysteria in the Salem area of Massachusetts. Some attribute it to the misogynistic attitudes of Puritanism. About 85% of the accused were women, most of whom did not fit the traditional roles of the society.³ Others attribute it to PTSD due to recent wars or even simple human emotions such as jealousy. But no theory is definite, and it will most likely remain a mystery as to how an entire region went into such panic, costing 20 people their lives.

   Disturbingly, witchhunts are not a thing of the past. In northern Ghana in and around 2005, local women were blamed for many of life's day to day problems, accused of being witches, and killed. You can read more about the issue in Ghana here.



Works Cited

• ¹ "Salem witchcraft trials." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
• ² "Salem witchcraft trials." Image. North Wind Picture Archives. American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
• ³ Loiselle, Brett. "Salem Witch Trials." EBSCOhost. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
• ⁴ "Salem Witch Trials." The Religion Book: Places, Prophets, Saints, and Seers. p.415-418. ESBCOhost. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

Albert Fish

   Born in 1870 and orphaned at 5, Hamilton Howard Fish - better known as Albert Fish - is considered one of the most disturbing serial killers of all time. Most notorious for his 1928 slaughter of 10-year-old Grace Budd, Fish was thought to have preyed on roughly 100 children, killing an estimated 15. Fish blamed his disturbing fascination with pain and torture on his upbringing in St. John's Orphanage¹. However, most would argue that no excuse in existence could make up for the crimes Fish committed.

Albert Fish, after he was taken into custody

   4-year-old Billy Gaffney was Fish's first victim. The murder was horrific. Gaffney was beaten; his mouth was slit into a Glasgow smile; and his eyes, ears, and nose were removed. Once Gaffney was dead, Fish drank the boy's blood and ate his body. After his arrest, which would not occur until about a decade later, Fish described his cannibalism in graphic detail, explaining thoroughly to investigators how he devoured Gaffney (you've been warned):

I had the front of his body I liked best. His monkey and pee wees and a nice little fat behind to roast in the oven and eat. I made a stew out of his ears -- nose -- pieces of his face and belly. I put onions, carrots, turnips, celery, salt and pepper. It was good... I put strips of bacon on each cheek of his behind and put them in the oven. Then I picked 4 onions and when the meat had roasted about 1/4 hour, I poured about a pint of water over it for gravy and put in the onions. At frequent intervals I basted his behind with a wooden spoon. So the meat would be nice and juicy. In about 2 hours, it was nice and brown, cooked through. I never ate any roast turkey that tasted half as good as his sweet fat little behind did. I ate every bit of the meat in about four days.

A year later, Fish set his sights on Edward Budd. However, after encountering Edward's younger sister, Grace, Fish changed plans. He told the Budd parents that he was taking Grace to another child's birthday party. In reality, he took the girl to an abandoned New York cottage where he killed her, dismembered her, and proceeded to eat her remains.

Grace Budd, victim of Albert Fish³

Later, Fish sent the following letter to Grace's mother (the letter has been broken into paragraphs to make it easier to read, but all original grammatical errors have been left in):

Dear Mrs. Budd.

In 1894 a friend of mine shipped as a deck hand on the Steamer Tacoma, Capt. John Davis. They sailed from San Francisco for Hong Kong, China. On arriving there he and two others went ashore and got drunk. When they returned the boat was gone. At that time there was famine in China. Meat of any kind was from $1-3 per pound. So great was the suffering among the very poor that all children under 12 were sold for food in order to keep others from starving. A boy or girl under 14 was not safe in the street. You could go in any shop and ask for steak-chops-or stew meat. Part of the naked body of a boy or girl would be brought out and just what you wanted cut from it. A boy or girl's behind which is the sweetest part of the body and sold as veal cutlet brought the highest price. John staid there so long he acquired a taste for human flesh.

On his return to N.Y. he stole two boys, one 7 and one 11. Took them to his home stripped them naked tied them in a closet. Then burned everything they had on. Several times every day and night he spanked them-tortured them-to make their meat good and tender. First he killed the 11 year old boy, because he had the fattest ass and of course the most meat on it. Every part of his body was cooked and eaten except the head-bones and guts. He was roasted in the oven (all of his ass), boiled, broiled, fried and stewed. The little boy was next, went the same way.

At that time, I was living at 409 E 100 St. near-right side. He told me so often how good human flesh was I made up my mind to taste it.

On Sunday June the 3, 1928 I called on you at 406 W 15 St. Brought you pot cheese-strawberries. We had lunch. Grace sat in my lap and kissed me. I made up my mind to eat her. On the pretense of taking her to a party. You said yes she could go.

I took her to an empty house in Westchester I had already picked out. When we got there, I told her to remain outside. She picked wildflowers. I went upstairs and stripped all my clothes off. I knew if I did not I would get her blood on them. When all was ready I went to the window and called her. Then I hid in a closet until she was in the room. When she saw me all naked she began to cry and tried to run down the stairs. I grabbed her and she said she would tell her mamma. First I stripped her naked. How she did kick-bite and scratch. I choked her to death, then cut her in small pieces so I could take my meat to my rooms. Cook and eat it. How sweet and tender her little ass was roasted in the oven. It took me 9 days to eat her entire body. I did not fuck her tho I could of had I wished. She died a virgin.²

  Fish told one psychologist: "I always seemed to enjoy everything that hurt."¹ There is definite truth to this statement. X-rays confirmed Fish's claim that he had inserted 29 large needles into his own pelvis. He said also enjoyed beating himself with a nail-studded paddle.

X-ray of Fish's pelvis

 Fish's love of pain was so great that he looked forward to his death sentence, calling the electric chair "the only [thrill] I haven't tried."¹ He was able to experience this final thrill in Sing Sing Prison on the 16th of January 1936; he was 65 years old.

Works Cited and Recommended Further Information

• ¹ Mayo, Mike. "Fish, Albert." American Murder. Canton, MI: Visible Ink, 2008. 112. Print.
• ² Bartholomew, Chris. "Albert Hamilton Fish." Serial Killer Calendar. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .
• ³ Bardsley, Marilyn. "Albert Fish." TruTV Crime Library. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .
• America's Serial Killers: Portraits in Evil. Mill Creek Entertainment, 2009. DVD.
• Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation. Dir. John Borowski. Facets Video, 2007. Film.

Jim Jones and the People's Temple

Some of the 913 dead bodies found in Jonestown, Guyana.

On 18 November 1978, 913 corpses were found in the jungle-secluded commune of Jonestown, Guyana. 276 were the bodies of children¹. The vast majority of the people, all members of a religious/cult movement known as The People's Temple, had died by willingly consuming cyanide-laced grape punch, making this the largest mass suicide in American history ².

Like most groups, The People’s Temple began with good intentions. James Warren Jones, known as Jim Jones, started the group initially as a small sect of Christianity that preached racial equality¹. Most joined the seemingly harmless movement because they disliked the judgments of traditional American society³. Jones, a former Methodist, originally preached social change and Christian beliefs. It wasn’t until later that he was recorded being worshipped as a father-figure god.

Jim Jones

Jones was born in Indiana in 1931, and at a surprisingly young age, he gained a reputation as a talented religious speaker. His first religious interest was in the Pentecostal church, but he also tried Methodism and frequently visited African American Baptist churches. In 1956, at only 25 years of age, Jim Jones began his own religious movement: The People’s Temple⁴.

The Temple society was meant to be a Marxist Utopia. It was not. Posthumous psychological evaluations found Jones to be highly insecure, and his hatred of criticism grew into a hysterical paranoia and obsessive need for control over people or what some psychologists describe as “mass hypnosis”.³ His suspicious distrust of United States officials grew so great that he moved his entire California congregation to the small South American country of Guyana in 1977. Most would expect few to follow, but in fact, over 1,000 did. They left behind their entire lives, including families, and did not say goodbye. ⁴

In the commune, Jones would conduct performances in which he publicly humiliated members of his congregation. “According to investigators, he would have certain members remove their clothes in front of the group and participate in bizarre boxing matches – often pitting an elderly person against a strong, young man”. Anyone who refused to participate or who broke any of the myriad Jonestown rules was beaten with a paddle. In order to seclude his disciples farther from reality, Jones would pump them full of various drugs, including Quaaludes, Valium, and Thorazine ³.

But these meetings and druggings were not enough. Jones needed to see that Temple members were willing to provide the ultimate sacrifice: their lives. Preoccupied with death, Jones would order what were called “white nights.” They were essentially suicide practices. Sirens were set off in the commune, and high-ranking members would go from cabin to cabin rousing other followers in the middle of the night, threatening the reluctant with rifles. One Temple member said:

We would be told that the jungle was swarming with mercenaries [who would torture us]…, that our situation had become hopeless and that the only course of action open to us was a mass suicide for the glory of socialism… Everyone, including the children, was told to line up. As we passed through the lines, we were given a small glass of red liquid to drink. We were told that liquid contained poison and that we would die within 45 minutes. We did as we were told.³

At one of the group meetings in 1978, Jones announced, “There is no way, no way we can survive… We are done in as far as any other alternative.” The small children were killed first⁴. One Temple leader inaccurately assured their parents: “They’re not crying from pain. It’s just a little bitter-tasting”⁵. In reality, death by cyanide is violent and painful: the throat closes as vital organs begin to shut down. In many cases, there is loss of vision, severe migraines, and extreme convulsions⁶.

While infants screamed in the background, Jones continued to preach into the last hours of his life. By the time United States officials arrived, the People’s Temple had murdered over 5 people (including a U.S. congressman) who had come to investigate them, Jim Jones had been shot in the head (whether by his own hand or someone else’s is not known), and 913 dead bodies were lying scattered on the South American soil. A handful of members had escaped into the jungle and survived, and some had not been at the commune that day. One of Jones's sons (pictured below) was off at a basketball game and thus survived.

Jones's son, Stephan, who was not at the commune the day of the suicides.

However, the severe brainwashing of the People’s Temple cult was not eradicated even after the suicides. One survivor said, “Had I been in Jonestown on November 18, 1978, I would have been the first in line to take the poison, had I been so honored” ³. Jones was a “master hypnotist” who controlled over 1,000 people by drugging them, weakening their families, and creating a no-escape society. He would frequently sleep with both men and women in the Jonestown community, and even forced one man, Larry Layton, to “submit to a homosexual act in the presence of a woman with whom Layton was involved.” Jones had no reaction to the man’s later mental deterioration, and this traumatizing event did not weaken anyone’s commitment. In fact, it was Larry Layton who was later charged with 5 murders that occurred in Guyana, including that of the U.S. Congressmen. Jones also told the black members of the congregation (who made up ¾ of it) that they would be captured and put in concentration camps if they left. White members were told “they were under CIA investigation and would be tracked down, tortured, imprisoned and killed if they did not go along with [Jones’s] dictates”³.

Jim Jones was able to create his warped paradise, at the expense of nearly 1,000 lives. The People’s Temple is one of the most notorious cults in the history of the world and serves as a warning sign for the negative effects of religious and/or political fervor. While such a community can provide support, guidance, and many other positive forms of help, as the People's Temple initially did, it can also deteriorate a person’s ability to be their own individual and cause them to actually believe someone like Jones who said on the last day of his life: “Without me, life has no meaning”⁵.

Works Cited and Recommended Further Information
(#5 is the actual recording of the last 45 minutes of Jonestown.)

• ¹ Encyclopaedia, Britannica. "Jones, Jim." Britannica Biographies (2010): 1. History Reference Center. v   EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2010.
• ² Allis, Sam. "Jonestown Vividly Recalls Horror of Mass Suicide." The Boston Globe 9 Apr. 2007. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. 
• ³ Greenberg, Joel. "Jim Jones: The Deadly Hypnotist." Science News 116.22 (1979): 378. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2010.
• ⁴ Petersen, Jennifer B. "Jim Jones." Jim Jones (2005): 1-2. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2010.
• ⁵ Internet Archive (FBI). The Jonestown Death Tape. Rec. 18 Nov. 1978. MP3. Web. < http://www.archive.org/details/ptc1978-11-18.flac16>
• ⁶ "Medicine: Death by Cyanide." TIME 28 Oct. 1946. Web.
• Metcalf, Bill. "Salvation and Suicide: Jim Jones, The Peoples Temple, and Jonestown." Utopian Studies 16.2 (2005): 335-338. World History Collection. EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2010.
• Jonestown: Paradise Lost. History Channel, 2007. DVD.
• Reiterman, Tim, and John Jacobs. Raven: the Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People. New York: J.P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008. Print.