Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the Gulag Experience Émilie Vézina and Tamara Belley

What do you know about Gulags already?

Did you know that Gulag is an acronym? Any ideas?

Overview Gulags Prisoners Secret Police Jospeh Stalin Nikita Khrushchev Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Paintings of the Gulags

What is a Gulag? Forced labour camp that imprisoned millions of people during the reign of Stalin Kept the Soviet Union in constant fear and contributed to the economy Took over all penitentiary institutions Created by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky in 1917 Called Kontslagers in the beginning Expanded and built in remote places when Stalin rose to power in 1929 Operated from 1919 to 1960

What is a Gulag? Existed various types of Gulags - Labour camps - Punishment and criminal camps Imprisoned felons - Robbers - Murderers Imprisoned enemies of the state - Political enemies - Minor crimes

Prisoner Work Worked 14-15 hours per day Tasked with: -Manual harsh labour -Cutting trees -Mining Fed poorly and did not receive proper work uniforms (often went with only rags on their feet) Constructed the White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal -100000 prisoners participated from 1931-1933 -Used minimal tools -Many died

Video - GULAG Perm 36 Soviet Prison Camp

Joseph Stalin – Ruthless Dictator Born in 1878 Won over the Communist Party after the death of Vladimir Lenin Became dictator in the 1929 Ruled a totalitarian state Got rid of anyone that opposed him Was ruthless and spread fear Died in 1953 “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic” – Joseph Stalin

Secret Police Established the NKVD and the KGB Arrested anyone they believed was guilty of a crime Interrogated the guilty party for a short time Enforced control in the Gulags and were responsible for administration Tasked with torturing, beating, murdering and disposing of millions of people

The Khrushchev Thaw Nikita Khrushchev took power after the death of Stalin The period of destalinization occurred from 1953-1964 There was a slight positive change The Secret Speech was delivered in 1956 There was a reduction in the size of the Gulags One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was allowed to be published -Written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -The life in a Gulag is shown

Anatomy of a Gulag

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Born on December 11th, 1918 in Kislovodsk Lived in Rostov on the Don during his childhood Studied mathematics at Rostov University during the late 1930’s Attempted to publish manuscripts in the 1930’s Studied at the Institute of History, Philosophy and Literature in Moscow from 1939-1941 Became in charge of an artillery-position-finding company from 1942-1945 Worked in the front line until his arrest in 1945 Died on August 3rd, 2008 in Troitse-Lykovo

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Survivor Arrested in 1945 on the East Prussian front by the Soviet spy agency Had written letters to a friend that criticised Stalin Sentenced to eight years in labour camps, never stayed very long in each camp Moved timber, dug clay and suffered moral and spiritual breakdowns Spent three years, starting in 1946, in Special Prison No. 16, in Moscow Experienced hardship in a desolate penal camp in Kazakhstan in 1950 Exiled from 1953-1956 after he served his term

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Author Gained government publishing privileges from Khrushchev Published One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich In 1964, cultural activities were restricted after the fall of Khrushchev Forced to publish by underground means Released Cancer Ward and The First Circle in 1968 Published The Gulag Archipelago in 1973

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – Nobel Prize Winner Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970 Did not attend the ceremony in Stockholm - Feared that he would not be readmitted to the Soviet Union when he returned - People, in the Soviet Union believed that he received the award for anti-Soviet writings Planned to be given the Prize at the Swedish embassy Attempted to have a ceremony at his apartment Stig Fredrikson eventually became his secret courier - Helped to smuggle his Nobel Prize from the USSR “For the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature".

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – The Gulag Archipelago Published in 1973 Drew from his own experience and those of other prisoners and archives Written in three volumes Became a threatening piece of literature to some European countries - Jean-Paul Sartre describes it as a “dangerous element” Arrested and deported into exile in 1974 - KGB found manuscripts - Was stripped of his citizenship

Nikolai Getman – Paintings of the Gulag Escape Eternal Memory in the Permafrost

Nikolai Getman – Paintings of the Gulag Waiting to be Shot Punishment by Mosquitoes

Interesting Facts Many prisoners were released during World War II because they needed them to fight on the frontlines In the 1930s, it was common for prisoners to graduate to a position of camp guard Each camp featured Soviet propaganda, including images of the omnipresent Stalin Once released, prisoners were often restricted to residency in the camp complex and were forced to work as free laborers on the same work as prisoners still serving By the end of the 1930s, a Gulag could be found in each of Russia’s twelve time zones Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn outlived the Soviet Union by 17 years

Conclusion