The Gulag, a term derived from the Russian acronym for “Main Camp Administration,” became synonymous with the vast network of forced labor camps that permeated the Soviet Union. Its evolution was marked by the systemic repression and dehumanization of millions. Initially conceived in the wake of the Russian Revolution, the Gulag was ostensibly aimed at “re-educating” political dissidents, criminals, and other segments of the population considered detrimental to the burgeoning Soviet socialist project. However, under Stalin’s rule, it expanded exponentially into a sprawling archipelago of camps stretching from the fringes of Eastern Europe to the desolate Siberian tundra.

The historical significance of the Gulag extends beyond its role as a mechanism of political repression: It was integral to the Soviet economy. Prisoners, stripped of their rights, were forced into labor that was both arduous and dangerous, contributing significantly to the Soviet Union’s industrialization efforts. The construction of major infrastructural projects, such as the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the Moscow-Volga Canal, were undertaken with the blood and sweat of camp inmates.

The Great Terror of the late 1930s, World War II, and the post-war era saw fluctuations in the camp populations, with waves of arrests followed by occasional amnesties.