Abstract
This introductory chapter argues that violent human exploitation constituted the essential purpose of Stalin's Gulag. Over the course of the Stalin years, this system of exploitation was unrelenting, punitive, and increasingly brutal. Camp prisoners had to be maximally “utilized” and worked to the point of utter depletion. Stalin's Gulag was, in many ways, less a concentration camp than a forced labor camp and less a prison system than a system of slavery. The official language of the camps, as revealed by recently declassified Gulag archival sources, illustrates the degree to which prisoners were constituted, exploited, and discarded as “human raw material.”
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
