Margin notes 2

When Stalin was forced to leave the theological seminary in Tiflis in 1899, he received a certificate confirming that he had completed four years of instruction with excellent behavior (!) and was qualified to teach elementary school or work “in the area of religion.” He was 20 years old.

When Mussolini graduated from Collegio Giosuè Carducci in 1901 (with a high grade for “morale”), he also received a diploma that allowed him to teach elementary school. He was not yet 18.

The similarity stops here. Mussolini went on to teach, to write and edit newspapers. Stalin plunged into “revolutionary work,” first setting up strikes and rallies, later robbing banks and trains.

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