20 Mind-Blowing Facts About Joseph Stalin

19. His Nickname Was "Comrade Index Card"

Public Doman (Wikimedia Commons)

Stalin's had many (albeit unfavourable) nicknames in both life and death, but by far the strangest is the moniker given to him by former Communist Party rival Leon Trotsky - a man better known for founding the famous Red Army. The story goes that, when Stalin took his first major position in politics - General Secretary of the Communist Party, in case you're wondering - that he was serving as little more than a receptionist.

Principal amongst his duties was sorting and organising a great number of files. Thus the name "Comrade Index Card" was born. Whether this joke was of any comfort to Trotsky as Stalin had him killed isn't known. Probably not though.

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WhatCulture's Managing Editor and Chief Reporter | Previously seen in Vice, Esquire, FourFourTwo, Sabotage Times, Loaded, The Set Pieces, and Mundial Magazine