The Gulag was a system of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The term originally referred to the government agency that oversaw the camps.
Experiences of the Gulag
Nobel Prize winner and author Alexander Solzhenitsyn described the horrors of the Gulag in his collection of documents entitled The Gulag Archipelago. Solzhenitsyn experienced the savagery of the Gulag, and shocked the world with his writings that outlined his chronicles of the camps.Sky News: Russian Gulag Chronicler Dies (August 4, 2008)
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Fast Facts
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Mostly located in remote areas of Siberia and far North
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Grew under rule of Joseph Stalin
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Prisoners often not given enough food or clothing, sometimes physically abusedLibrary of Congress: The Gulag
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Camp gained significant population in 1930sLibrary of Congress: The Gulag
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Population reduced after Stalin's deathLibrary of Congress: The Gulag
