Stalin's early life was marked by poverty and abuse. Born in Georgia, his mother worked as a laundress, while his father, a shoemaker, struggled with alcoholism and often beat him. As a child, Stalin contracted smallpox and later suffered an injury from a horse-drawn carriage accident, which required surgery and left him with one arm shorter than the other, contributing to his insecurities. He faced bullying and abuse from classmates, and the mistreatment he experienced at home fostered a sense of vengeance. These formative experiences shaped him into a leader who was both blood-thirsty and vindictive, drawing significant influence from the ideas of Karl Marx.