The Gulag at War : Stalin's Forced Labour System in the Light of the Archives

The Gulag at War reveals for the first time official documents kept in the archives of the Soviet forced labour system. An assessment of previous western and Russian studies of the Gulag is followed by a description of its origins. The bulk of the book then concentrates on the labour camps during the Second World War years. New information is revealed regarding prisoner numbers, living conditions, the organisation of forced labour, economic production, and rebellion in the camps. Annotation 'Edwin Bacon's first hand access to the archives has enabled him nor only to unravel many of the mysteries of population figures but also conditions in the camps and the contribution of the labour camp system to the Soviet war economy ... a work of singular importance and harrowing illumination..' John Erikson The Times Higher Education Supplement Revealing for the first time official documents, held in the Moscow archives of the Soviet forced labour system, this book assesses previous western and Russian studies of the Gulag and describes its origins. The bulk of the book concentrates on the labour camps during World War II.