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Born on March 29, 1899, in Georgia, Beria came from a background that would shape his ruthless ambitions. His father was a landowning farmer, and his mother was a noblewoman. Beria’s journey into the political turmoil of Russia began during the February Revolution of 1917 when he joined the Bolshevik party as a student. Although he played a role in counterintelligence for a local nationalist group and faced a brush with execution, Beria managed to weave his way into the Bolshevik's ranks, ultimately becoming a part of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police established during the Red Terror.