Created in 1918 following the russian revolution, the gulag was the vast and brutal system of soviet concentration camps through which some 18 million prisoners passed until the camps ultimate collapse in the glasnost era of the mid1980s. Doubleday published this anne applebaums book in 2003 and a year later won the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction as well as the duff cooper prize. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. The gulag archipelago is a book by aleksandr solzhenitsyn about the soviet forced labor camp system. It was written by american author anne applebaum and published in 2003 by doubleday. A history of the soviet camps, is a nonfiction book covering the history of the soviet gulag system. In 1973, the gulag archipelago was published in the west by russian historian and gulag survivor aleksandr solzhenitsyn though only a few underground copies were available in the soviet union at. The gulag a vast array of soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisonerswas a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying the worst tendencies of soviet communism. Based on archives, interviews, new research and recently published memoirs, the book explains the role that the camps played in the soviet political and economic system. Applebaum intimately recreates what life was like in the camps and links them to the larger history of the. A history of the soviet camps anne applebaum 610pp, allen lane. Drawing from both survivor testimonies and access to longsealed soviet archives, gulag.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. A history will immediately be recognized as a landmark work of historical scholarship and an indelible contribution to the complex, ongoing, necessary quest for truth. A book with a history all it a history of the gulag system in soviet russia. About the author anne applebaum is a columnist and member of the editorial board of the washington post. At the end of 1941 time magazine made joseph stalin its man of the year. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Apr 09, 2004 immediately recognized as a landmark and longoverdue work of scholarship, gulag is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand the history of the twentieth century.
Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. The gulaga vast array of soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisonerswas a system of repression and punishment that. But it wasnt until stalins rule that the prison population reached significant numbers. This prison network what alexander solzhenitsyn famously termed the gulag archipelago is the subject of gulag. The gulag was first established in 1919, and by 1921 the gulag system had 84 camps. The books examination of the soviet gulag is divided into three parts. Anne applebaums book is a detailed history of the soviet gulag system. A history, by anne applebaum doubleday the pulitzer. The gulag archipelago by aleksandr solzhenitsyn 1 of 7. Since the collapse of the soviet union, dozens of memoirs and new studies covering aspects of that system have been published in russia and the west. John julius norwich the popes a history part 01 audiobook duration. The threevolume book is a narrative relying on eyewitness testimony and primary research material, as well as the authors own experiences as a prisoner in a gulag labor camp. Mar 12, 2020 immediately recognized as a landmark and longoverdue work of scholarship, gulag is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand the history of the twentieth century.
Applebaum makes extensive use of recently opened gulag archives, memoirs, interviews, and other official documents to narrate this history. Death and redemption offers a fundamental reinterpretation of the role of the gulagthe soviet unions vast system of forcedlabor camps, internal exile, and prisonsin soviet society. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It also fulfills the moral imperative to expose, document, and record in service to the collective memory the fate of so many millions of human beings torn from their families who suffered and died in hostile places far from their homes. Showing the history of the gulag system from the bolsheviks appropriation of the existing camps under the tsarist system to. Applebaum, of course, had access to historic records of the xssr while solzhenitsyn had to depend on his own and other inmates memories. Aleksandr solzhenitsyn and others after him have written movingly about the gulag, yet never has there been a thorough historical study of this unique and tragic episode in soviet history. My wife and i have been surveying russian history, and we came across this excellent, deep, thoughtful, and comprehensive book.
The gulag archipelago, history and memoir of life in the soviet unions prison camp system by russian novelist aleksandr solzhenitsyn, first published in paris as arkhipelag gulag in three volumes 197375. Apr 29, 2003 anne applebaum first lays out the chronological history of the camps and the logic behind their creation, enlargement, and maintenance. A history is the first volume that attempts to give a detailed and fairly comprehensive narrative of the origin, purpose, workings, and reality of the system based both on the memoirs of those who lived through and survived the camps and on the nowavailable archive documents in russia. It was first published in 1973, followed by an english translation the following year. The gulag archipelago work by solzhenitsyn britannica. At the end of 1941 time magazine made joseph stalin its man. A history, published by doubleday nearly 30 million prisoners passed through the soviet unions labor camps in. Pdf gulag a history download full pdf book download. Millions of men, women and children disappeared from the districts of russia to end up in siberia. Gulag a history is the first comprehensive study of the camps to be written in the west. The gulag entered the worlds historical consciousness in 1972 with the publication of alexander solzhenitsyns epic oral history of the soviet camps, the gulag archipelago.
I started gulag once, got so depressed that i set it aside, and then picked it up and read it through again. Edition the gulag archipelago 19181956 iii history. In this magisterial and acclaimed history, anne applebaum offers the first fully documented portrait of the gulag, from its origins in the. Stalin in particular used gulag s as a form of slave labour which covered most areas of the economy ranging from logging to coal mining and everything in between. A history of the soviet camps, is a book based on real life events and covers the account of the soviet gulag system. This is an excellent book to read before reading solzhenitsyns gulag archipelago, because applebaum presents the history of the gulag s development and implementation in a way that amplifies solzhenitsyn. The gulag archipelago part 17 aleksandr solzhenitsyn. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. This landmark book uncovers for the first time in detail one of the greatest horrors of the twentieth century. The gulaga vast array of soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisonerswas a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying the worst tendencies of soviet communism.
Gulag is a russian acronym for the soviet government agency that supervised the vast network of labour camps. About the author anne applebaum was born in washington, d. A history is an account of the soviet russian gulag labor camps during the twentieth century and discusses what life was like within the camps for prisoners. From ancient civilizations to modern times world history, history books, people history history in 50 events series book 1 history.
This was prevalent as punishment throughout russia at the time as punishment and terrorism. In this magisterial and acclaimed history, anne applebaum offers the first fully documented portrait of the gulag, from its origins in the russian revolution. A history, anne applebaums excellent pulitzer prize winning book. Immediately recognized as a landmark and longoverdue work of scholarship, gulag is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand the history of the. Stalin in particular used gulags as a form of slave labour which covered most areas of the economy ranging from logging to coal mining and everything in between. It is an impressive compendium of firsthand accounts taken from countless memoirs, archives, and oral histories conducted by both applebaum and the. Anne applebaum first lays out the chronological history of the camps and the logic behind their creation, enlargement, and maintenance. Anne applebaums work is more of a straightforward history that solzhenitsyns personal memoir the gulag archipelago. Gulag, acronym of glavnoye upravleniye ispravitelnotrudovykh lagerey, russian.
A great complement to the books the gulag archipelago and nothing to envy. Many days, many lives, which immerses viewers in the history of the soviet unions vast system of forced labor camps millions of prisoners suffered the brutal assault on human dignity that was the gulag. A history is a narrative account of the origins and development of the soviet concentration camps, from lenin to gorbachev. The threevolume book is a narrative relying on eyewitness testimony and primary research material, as well as the authors own experiences as a. The gulag entered the worlds historical consciousness in 1972, with the publication of alexander solzhenitsyns epic oral history of the soviet camps, the gulag archipelago. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read gulag. This book could also be used for undergraduate classes, helping students to produce studies on the economy, politics, and rhetoric of the soviet state in the prewar period. The history of the gulag is aimed at graduate students and professional historians. A history and millions of other books are available for instant access. Gulag won the 2004 pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and the 2004 duff cooper prize.
Gulag is the only major history in any language to draw together the mass of memoirs and writings on the soviet camps that have been published in russia and the west. Ordinary lives in north korea, this book provides the bigger picture as well as the individual level of the evil that was the soviet gulag. Aug 02, 2012 this landmark book uncovers for the first time in detail one of the greatest horrors of the twentieth century. The importance of applebaums book was immediately recognized by historians and it won the 2004 pulitzer prize for nonfiction. Applebaum intimately recreates what life was like in the camps and links them to the larger history of the soviet union. The human cost of the gulag, the soviet labor camp system in which millions of people were imprisoned between 1920 and 1956, was staggering. A history is the first comprehensive scholarly examination of daytoday life in the labor.