Lies of Labor
Many people know about the concentration camps during Hitler’s Third Reich, but what many do not know about are the labor camps that were in the Soviet Union during the same time. While the labor camps, called Gulags, were not meant to exterminate a race of people, the camps did cause a significant number of deaths. While the death total of the Gulags was not as high as those of concentration camps, it is important to remember these camps as well. Gulags, just like concentration camps, used propaganda, killed millions, and were enforced because of a harsh dictator.
The propaganda used for the Gulags was very different from the propaganda used for the concentration camps. The propaganda for the Gulags usually depicted a picture of Stalin and slogans praising the labor that was going on in them (“Soviet Propaganda”). Due to Stalin’s communist beliefs, he praised this labor and shamed capitalism. Stalin was making an attempt to put his beliefs on others and create a perfect socialist system …show more content…
Laborers were kept in a prison-like state: surrounded by long fences, under constant watch, and slept in overcrowded barracks (“Living in the Gulag”). Just like in concentration camps, the inmates had to fight for life's necessities. Food was scarce among the camps, which often led to many prisoner fights and forms of violence. However, the prisoners were not in the camps for life. Unlike the concentration camps where the Jews were sent to be killed, prisoners were merely sent to Gulag to work and were released when deemed necessary. Meaning that more people survived Gulag rather than concentration camps. In fact, “the best estimates indicate that some eighteen million people passed through this massive system” (Applebaum). This is a higher number than the number of people sent to concentration camps. So Stalin was not necessarily lying about the labor, but he was covering up the nature of
Many people know about the concentration camps during Hitler’s Third Reich, but what many do not know about are the labor camps that were in the Soviet Union during the same time. While the labor camps, called Gulags, were not meant to exterminate a race of people, the camps did cause a significant number of deaths. While the death total of the Gulags was not as high as those of concentration camps, it is important to remember these camps as well. Gulags, just like concentration camps, used propaganda, killed millions, and were enforced because of a harsh dictator.
The propaganda used for the Gulags was very different from the propaganda used for the concentration camps. The propaganda for the Gulags usually depicted a picture of Stalin and slogans praising the labor that was going on in them (“Soviet Propaganda”). Due to Stalin’s communist beliefs, he praised this labor and shamed capitalism. Stalin was making an attempt to put his beliefs on others and create a perfect socialist system …show more content…
Laborers were kept in a prison-like state: surrounded by long fences, under constant watch, and slept in overcrowded barracks (“Living in the Gulag”). Just like in concentration camps, the inmates had to fight for life's necessities. Food was scarce among the camps, which often led to many prisoner fights and forms of violence. However, the prisoners were not in the camps for life. Unlike the concentration camps where the Jews were sent to be killed, prisoners were merely sent to Gulag to work and were released when deemed necessary. Meaning that more people survived Gulag rather than concentration camps. In fact, “the best estimates indicate that some eighteen million people passed through this massive system” (Applebaum). This is a higher number than the number of people sent to concentration camps. So Stalin was not necessarily lying about the labor, but he was covering up the nature of