Facts and Images

(rus. ГУЛАГ; Главное управление исправительно—трудовых лагерей и колоний – the Chief Administration of Correctional-Labour Camps and Colonies) – On 25 April 1930 the Administration of Camps was founded (Управление лагерями ОГПУ). Starting with the November of 1930, the name of GULAG appeared (ГУЛАГ Главное управление лагерями – Chief Administration of Camps). The term GULAG became famous after Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has published the novel „the Gulag Archipelago“.

In the period between 1939 and 1953 the camp system was supervised and reports to Stalin were prepared by his compatriot and close associate Lavrentiy Beria.

In a way Gulag was a natural continuation of the practised in the imperial Russia policy of establishing labour camps in Siberia, where political activists, intellectuals, and common criminals were sent. Gulag is primarily associated with the greatest purges of 1930-ties, carried out by Stalin’s NKVD, when over 30 million people were imprisoned. Lithuania faced Gulag in 1940 – 1941 and in the post-war period. During the World War II there were around 10–12 million people in the camps, in other words, 5% of the entire population of the USSR.

The majority of the camps were located in remote areas: in the north east of the USSR (more famous – Bereglag in Kolyma and Gorlag near Norilsk) and in Kazakhstan (Luglag, Steplag, and Pechanlag). One of the biggest camps was in Vorkuta, famous for particularly harsh climate.

The camps were located throughout the entire territory of the USSR, some were even beyond its borders, but all were directly subjects to Gulag.

A big part of the prisoners were foreigners: prisoners of war, Poles, citizens of the Baltic States from occupied territories, Jews that escaped from Hitler, Germans from Volga region, Chechens, Crimean Tartars, Finns…

In the decrees the following categories of citizens are mentioned: persons frequently travelling abroad, persons holding correspondence with people living abroad, also esperantists, philatelists, Red Cross employees, refugees, contrabandists, priests and active members of religious communities, nobles, land owners, traders, bankers, industrialists, hotel and restaurant owners.

In 1952 the state granted to the camp system a financial support of 2.3 billion roubles – it’s more than 16 % of the whole USSR budget spending.

On 1 January 1953 there were 2 573 356 people imprisoned in camps and colonies of Gulag.

On 5 March 1953 Stalin died.

On 6 March 1953 the ‘right hand’ of Stalin - Beria declared a reform of the camp system.

On 27 March 1953 the amnesty began.

On 26 June 1953 Beria was arrested, on 23 December shot dead for ‘spying for Great Britain, attempts to dissolve the Soviet Order, and restoration of capitalism and domination of bourgeoisie’. The wife and children of Beria were deported.

Gulag was abolished on 25 January 1960 by a decree of the Minister of Internal Affairs.

During the entire existence time of the repressive system more than 25 million people endured a forced labour in labour camps and exile.