Gulag: A History Study Guide

The introduction gives a brief history and account of the Gulag system and situates it within the larger context of concentration camps globally. The acronym GULAG stands for Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei, which translates to "Main Camp Administration." Generally, however, this acronym came to stand for not only the administration of the Russian camps but also the entire system of Soviet slave labor from the 1910's through the 1980's. Even more broadly, it represented the entire repressive Soviet system and its arrests, forced labor, exiles, and deaths. (read more)