The Gulag System
1. What type of construction projects were built using the Gulag system?
The White Sea-Baltic Canal, Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, Moscow Metro system, and the Magnitogorsk
2. What were the conditions of the work camps?
- Very bad
- zeks were made to work hard by a system of rationing food
- Kolyma Camps: dark, temp can drop to about 60 degrees C, soil never thaws (even in summer)
3. Why do you think slave labor was used in the projects rather than paid laborers?
Slave laborers were cheaper and the secret police had control over them. Plus they knew that the prisoners didn't want to be there and wanted to be free, so telling them that they'll be free once the canal was finished made the slave laborers work faster.
Purges, Show Trails and Terror
4. What were the issues surrounding Kirov's murder? Why do you think he had been murdered?
The murderer, Nikolayev, was found a few days before with a revolver and a plan of Kirov's movements in his pockets, but the secret police let him go. Also, Kirov's bodyguard, Borisov, was nowhere to be found the day it happened and he always follows Kirov everywhere. But Borisov had died in a car crash the next day. I think that Stalin saw Kirov as a threat because Kirov was just like him, maybe even better.
5. What was the Great Purge? What specific group did it target?
When the members accused each other for being Trotskyites or Zinovievites therefore denunciating them from the party.
6. What was the purpose of the Show Trials?
To basically get rid of those who supported and worked with Trotsky
7. What was the Great Terror?
The great terror is when the great purge started to involve the people outside of the party and spread to the armed forces. Russia's most famous general and other red army generals were arrested and shot. And is you criticised Stalin, you were likely to be denounced to the NKVD as a Trotskyite
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