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sound: American news report ~1940 (523k)-18 sec.

watching over the 'enemies of the people'

photo:  gulag guard tower (38K)

Image: An abandoned guard tower in one of hundreds of gulags (prison camps) across the Soviet Union, remains as a symbol of profound human suffering. First instituted by Lenin to imprison priests, political opponents, and common criminals, Stalin was then responsible for sending 12-15 million people to these camps. The prisoners were used as forced labor to work on massive industrial projects. As more laborers were needed for bigger projects and those falling behind schedule, Stalin justified the arrests of more people to be sent to the gulags. Millions were executed in these camps or perished as they labored on massive modernization schemes. It is said of the Siberian railroad project that the work was never done, nothing was achieved and it went nowhere. (credit: Jonathan Lewis)

Sound:
excerpt from an American film newsreel (`1940) extolling Stalin's great friendship with the people. At the time, Russia was an American ally against mounting Axis aggression. (credit: National Archives, USA)
--Load time: ~18 sec.
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(c) 1999 John Borneman & Linda Fisher, All Rights Reserved