Gulags and the Purges

The Gulag System

1. What type of construction projects were built using the Gulag system?
The first major work project organized by the Gulag was a 500 kilometre canal from the White Sea to the Baltic Sea.

2. What were the conditions of the work camps?
The conditions of the work camps were brutal. The zeks had to work by hand and had no machinery. They were poorly paid and got in trouble if they were late to work. The living conditions were worse if you did not work as hard and food was also very limited to the workers.

3. Why do you think slave labor was used in the projects rather than paid laborers?
I believe that slave labor was used in the projects rather than paid laborers because they did not need to be paid well. Yes, they were paid but not as much as paid laborers would have to be paid. Slave labor was probably used more because they needed a job to feed their families and get money and a job that paid little would help them. It was a easy way out for the Gulag system and they took advantage of it.

Purges, Show Trails and Terror

4. What were the issues surrounding Kirov's murder? Why do you think he had been murdered?
The issues surrounding Kirov's murder was that it was very sudden and there was a lot of confusion right before he died. I believe that Stalin wanted him dead and asked Nikolayev to kill him because Kirov was just as popular as Stalin and he was actually Russian. He was being applauded just as much as Stalin and Stalin didn't want any opponents so he asked Nikolayev to kill Kirov.

5. What was the Great Purge? What specific group did it target?
The Great Purge was when the party expelled members who were unreliable. The specific group that the Great Purge targeted was the ones who once agreed with Trotsky or Zinovev.

6. What was the purpose of the Show Trials?
The purpose of the Show Trials were when the most important party members were arrested by the NKVD and were given public trials to which the press had been invited.

7. What was the Great Terror?
The great terror was when people were accused of spying and either shot or brough back to the show trials. People were ecouraged to tell on their bosses, parents, teachers etc. If anyone over heard anyone talking bad about stalin they were required to tell the secret police