Part 3, Chapter 23: The Death of Stalin—Summary

Stalin died on March 5, 1953. Prisoners most often greeted news of his death with caution, as they were afraid that voicing relief or celebration would garner them greater sentences. Most, however, felt that things were about to change. Beria made many changes after Stalin's death. He reorganized the secret police, transferring many from the Gulag camps to other ministries. He ceased many of the large projects that Stalin had started, and announced amnesties for prisoners with sentences of five years or less, pregnant women or those with small children, and everyone under the age of eighteen. He issued orders that no physical torture would be used against those arrested, and openly discussed his plans of eradicating the slave labor system. These moves, however, unsettled further an already troubled country. Nikita Khrushchev organized dissention...