The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956 | Teaching Setting, Symbolism and Objects

Object Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major objects in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Objects

Article 58 - This deals with crimes against public order and organized gangsterism in 14 sections.

Butyrki Prison - This is located in a grim red brick fortress.

Cheka - This is also known by the acronyms GPU, OGPU, NKVD, NKBG, MGB, MVD, and KGB.

Decembrists - This is a group of Russian officers who lead an unsuccessful uprising against Tsar Nicholas I in 1825.

Gulag - This is the Soviet penal system under Stalin.

Kolyma - This is the region of northeast Siberia where Stalin's labor camps are concentrated.

Krasnaya Presnya -...
(read more)