The Introduction outlines the history and scope of the Soviet Union’s vast network of labor camps, known collectively as the Gulag. Originating as an acronym for the Main Camp Administration (Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei), the term “Gulag” has come to represent not just the administration of these camps but the entire system of Soviet forced labor and political repression. These camps were scattered across the Soviet Union, from the White Sea to Central Asia, playing a central role in the Soviet economy by producing a significant portion of the country’s resources such as gold, coal, and timber.

Initially rooted in practices from Czarist Russia, the system expanded massively under Stalin, becoming an integral part of Soviet industrialization and terror against perceived opponents. Despite the belief that the Gulag was essential for economic growth, Stalin’s successors began dismantling it shortly after his death, although some camps persisted into the 1980s for political prisoners. Applebaum emphasizes that the history of the Gulag is not well-known, partly due to a lack of cultural and political acknowledgment in the West, a situation she aims to address by providing a comprehensive account of its development, operation, and legacy.