HOW DID THE GULAG GET STARTED?
GULAG was an acronym which was short for the "Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps and Labor Settlements of the Soviet Secret Police" or the "Main Camp Administration" existing in the Soviet Union (USSR) mainly during the Stalin era. Though there were a few camps right after the 1917 Revolution when Lenin was still in power, the number of them rose to incredible proportions during Joseph Stalin's rule in World War II. His goal was to transform the peasant society of the USSR into a modern industrial and military superpower. He ruled by terror, took control of farms, gave the secret police unlimited power, and put into place the gulag penal system with forced labor camps.
GULAG was an acronym which was short for the "Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps and Labor Settlements of the Soviet Secret Police" or the "Main Camp Administration" existing in the Soviet Union (USSR) mainly during the Stalin era. Though there were a few camps right after the 1917 Revolution when Lenin was still in power, the number of them rose to incredible proportions during Joseph Stalin's rule in World War II. His goal was to transform the peasant society of the USSR into a modern industrial and military superpower. He ruled by terror, took control of farms, gave the secret police unlimited power, and put into place the gulag penal system with forced labor camps.
WHAT IS A GULAG CAMP?
During World War II, the Soviet Union created over 50 forced labor camps that held around 20 million prisoners from 1929 to 1953. The camps were located in remote places all over the Soviet Union. In particular, remote monasteries were frequently reused as sites for new camps. Additionally, there were 423 other labor colonies in the USSR. Though none of these camps were "death camps" (designed for mass slaughter), millions of people died in them. It is unknown exactly how high the death toll was, but estimates range from two million all the way to ten million.
During World War II, the Soviet Union created over 50 forced labor camps that held around 20 million prisoners from 1929 to 1953. The camps were located in remote places all over the Soviet Union. In particular, remote monasteries were frequently reused as sites for new camps. Additionally, there were 423 other labor colonies in the USSR. Though none of these camps were "death camps" (designed for mass slaughter), millions of people died in them. It is unknown exactly how high the death toll was, but estimates range from two million all the way to ten million.
WHAT WAS A GULAG CAMP LIKE?
The gulag prison system practiced forced labor, and resulted in the enormous industrialization and economic growth in the Soviet Union. The people enslaved in these camps varied from dangerous criminals to merely innocent citizens. The majority of the people were either completely innocent or accused of petty crimes that they did not receive a trial for. There were camps not only for murderers, rapists, and thieves, but also for ordinary men, women, children, politics, and other people that "posed as a potential threat" to Stalin's plan. People were arrested late at night and crammed into the sidings of trains out of public view. They were permitted to wear only what they had on when they were seized, no matter how harsh the weather conditions. Life in a camp zone was incredibly brutal and violent. The conditions were terrible - it was overcrowded, unsanitary, stinky, poorly-heated, and absolutely miserable. In the winter, the temperature became as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit. Some camps were located in some of the coldest parts of the world. Despite this, the prisoners were still forced to perform 11+ hours of excruciating work a day. They served as a source of free labor for the many great economic projects. Prisoners were responsible for constructing numerous canals, railroad lines, hydroelectric stations, roads, and even additional gulag camps. The inmates were all extremely malnourished, exhausted, and inadequately clothed. They were barely fed enough to sustain such difficult labor. When somebody was either suffering from an incurable disease or on the verge of death, they would be released. Those who died of hunger, cold, disease, or hard labor were simply replaced by new prisoners. In the eyes of the authorities, the prisoners had almost no value. I know a lot about this because this happened directly to my grandma and her family. When Poland was invaded, she and her family (mom and sister) were taken to a concentration camp in Siberia. The conditions were so cold that sometimes their hair would get frozen to the wall while they would sleep. After the Soviets switched sides to the Allies people thought it would get better. But it only got worse. The prisoners were free but they had nowhere to go. They weren't allowed to use the trains as the Soviet government denied them for anyone but their soldiers. So the Poles found other means of travel to scatter to countries. They couldn't go back to Poland as the Nazis had taken over. My grandma and her family along with many others went to Iran. The journey was near impossible and many died of different reasons. Their mother died of starvation in Uzbekistan. She and her sister stayed there for college until the war ended. Her sister moved to England and she went to the states. You can hear the full interview in the Interview section. |
HOW DID THE GULAG SYSTEM END?
When Stalin died in 1953, the proportions of the gulag camps down-sized significantly. There were a few strikes in the camps from prisoners in the following months, and many of those participants were executed by guards. However, as things began to calm down, the population of prisoners in the camps started to rapidly decrease as the gulag system was slowly discontinued. Nikita Khruschev came to power and eventually became responsible for the condemning of Stalin and the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. By the late 1950s, the number of people imprisoned in gulags dropped down to close to what it was in the 1920s before Stalin came to power. Finally, in 1960, the gulag system was officially shut down.
When Stalin died in 1953, the proportions of the gulag camps down-sized significantly. There were a few strikes in the camps from prisoners in the following months, and many of those participants were executed by guards. However, as things began to calm down, the population of prisoners in the camps started to rapidly decrease as the gulag system was slowly discontinued. Nikita Khruschev came to power and eventually became responsible for the condemning of Stalin and the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. By the late 1950s, the number of people imprisoned in gulags dropped down to close to what it was in the 1920s before Stalin came to power. Finally, in 1960, the gulag system was officially shut down.
HOW DOES THIS INFORMATION RELATE TO TODAY'S WORLD?
Believe it or not, instances similar to the gulag camps that existed decades ago still occur in today's world (perhaps at a lesser degree). For example, there are all kinds of camps across third world countries that people hardly know about because society keeps hushed about such issues. Another example would be the US-owned detention center on the Guantanamo Bay. Like the political prisoners that were secretively enslaved in gulag camps, the people held at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center are also being held rather secretively and for unjustified reasons. Not to mention the discrimination/ inequality that the majority of people have faced for one reason or another due to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, income, education, etc. Just like in the Japanese internment camps and in the gulags, we continue to "confine people in boxes" based on some trait about them - it is still a problem.
Aside from these cases, there are tons more illustrations of horrors that relate to the Gulag going on at this moment in the world. Whether it's the government being furtive, or the public being ignorant, everyone needs to recognize that this aren't only historical events, but also current events. The survivors that lived to tell their stories are the evidence of the sad reality that this an actual portion of our history, and the news reports that no one bothers to publish are the evidence that this sad reality is still happening. Hopefully, we will be able to make a change so it will not be our future as well.
Believe it or not, instances similar to the gulag camps that existed decades ago still occur in today's world (perhaps at a lesser degree). For example, there are all kinds of camps across third world countries that people hardly know about because society keeps hushed about such issues. Another example would be the US-owned detention center on the Guantanamo Bay. Like the political prisoners that were secretively enslaved in gulag camps, the people held at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center are also being held rather secretively and for unjustified reasons. Not to mention the discrimination/ inequality that the majority of people have faced for one reason or another due to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, income, education, etc. Just like in the Japanese internment camps and in the gulags, we continue to "confine people in boxes" based on some trait about them - it is still a problem.
Aside from these cases, there are tons more illustrations of horrors that relate to the Gulag going on at this moment in the world. Whether it's the government being furtive, or the public being ignorant, everyone needs to recognize that this aren't only historical events, but also current events. The survivors that lived to tell their stories are the evidence of the sad reality that this an actual portion of our history, and the news reports that no one bothers to publish are the evidence that this sad reality is still happening. Hopefully, we will be able to make a change so it will not be our future as well.