BB-039 / State Terror
Gulag System
The Act
The Soviet Gulag system imprisoned millions of people, many for political offenses, under conditions of extreme cold, starvation rations, and brutal forced labor. Mortality was high, especially during the wartime years. The system was both punitive and economic.
The Response
After Stalin’s death the camps were largely dismantled. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s writings and the opening of archives later documented the system. Memorial organizations have worked to identify victims and preserve the historical record.