Introduction
What was the scale of the Stalin’s purges? Basically all publications about the number of repressed divide on two categories. The first category consists from denunciators of the co-called «Totalitarian regime» citing enormously large multimillion numbers of executed and imprisoned. At the same time all these «truth-seekers» stubbornly try to omit the archive data, particularly publicized material which can be found in free access in the internet. Instead of referring to some real archives they either refer to each other or just restrain themselves with phrases like «it is estimated» or «according to the studies» and so on.
However, every conscientious and honest researcher who studies this issue rather quickly finds out that apart from «recollections of eye-witnesses» there is a plethora of documental sources: In the funds of Russian Central State Archive and highest state governing institutes were found a couple of thousands documents referring to the GULAG's activities. It should be noted that GULAG essentially was a Soviet name of the prisons, prisons which every country has in nowadays and always had before, the only difference being that GULAGs had labour activity. For some people it may sound as a discover but every prison has recording and every prisoner has his personal dossier this dossiers are regularly count and all prison documentation always contains full data about its current and former prisoners and their numbers. Consequently in order to determine the real numbers, a researcher should not «estimate» and pluck the numbers out of the air, he should check the documents and collect the archival data.
After examination the archives, such a researcher to his amazement realizes that the scales of repressions about which many people «know» from media and books of some Western propagandists or pseudo-historians are not just beyond the reality, but largely exaggerated. A researcher faces a serious dilemma: professional etiquette tells that obtained material should be published; on the other hand fear of being labeled as a «Stalin’s defender» also prevails. The result of such «tough choice» is usually a «compromised» publication containing a standard bunch of anti-Stalins epithets and the real numbers which are unlike derived out of the thin air numbers confirmed by the reliable archival documents.
The number of repressed
The most famous among the published documents which includes the summary information about repressions is a memorandum addressed to Khrushchev:
1st of February 1954
To the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union N.S. Khrushchev
With reference of received information from the members of the Central Committee concerning illegally convicted for counterrevolution activity in past years by Special Council of NKVD, NKVD Troika, Military Collegiums, trial courts and military tribunals, and in accordance with your order to reconsider the dossiers of convicted we report:
Since 1921 until present it was convicted 3.777.380 people. Among them:
The 25 years maximum terms of imprisonment – 2.369.220
Exilement and deportation – 762.180
Death penalty – 642.930
From the total amount of convicted, approximately 2.900.000 people were convicted by Special Council of NKVD, NKDV Troika and 877.000 people by trial courts, military tribunals, special collegiums and military collegiums.
|
From the presented document it is clear that since 1921 until the beginning of 1954 it was executed 642.980 people with the political allegations, imprisoned - 2.369.220, exiled – 765.180. It should be noted that not all death sentences were carried into effect. For example in 1934 there were 3849 inmates in prisons whose death sentences were subsequently commuted to 10-15 years, in 1935 – 5671, in 1936 – 7303, in 1937 – 6239, in 1938 – 5926, in 1939 – 3425, in 1940 – 4037.
The number of prisoners
"Are you sure the information from this memorandum quadrates to facts?", - exclaims skeptically feeling reader who after years of self-brainwash surely ‘’knows’’ about millions of executed and tens of millions sent to the camps. Well, let’s refer to the more detailed statistic. Contrary to the «strugglers with totalitarism» claims, such statistic can be found not only in the archives, but was also published and currently is in free access.
Let’s begin from the number of prisoners in GULAGs. I’d like to remind that all convicted for 3 years and higher usually were in Correctional Labour camps (ITL, Russian: Исправительно Трудовые Лагеря, Ispravitelno Trudovie Lagerya), and convicted for lower than 3 years terms in Correctional Labour Colonies (ITK, Russian: Исправительно Трудовые Колонии, Ispravitelno Trudovie Colonii).
Population in Labour Camps on 1st of January
Year
|
Inmates
|
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
|
179.000
212.000
268.700
334.300
510.307
725.483
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
|
839.406
820.881
996.367
1.317.195
1.344.408
1.500.524
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
|
1.415.596
983.974
663.594
715.505
746.871
808.839
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
|
1.108.057
1.216.361
1.416.300
1.533.767
1.711.202
1.727.970
|
|
However those who got used to take Solzhenitsyn’s opuses as Holy Bible don’t want to believe even direct references on the documents.
‘’These documents are NKVD documents, and consequently they are falsified’’ – they say –
‘’Where these numbers have been taken from?'’
Well, specifically for such dogged freaks, I’d like to show some examples where such numbers were derived from.
NKVD camps, their labour specialization and number of prisoners on the 11th of January 1935
Camp
|
Activity specialization
|
Inmates
|
Dmitrovlag
|
Building of the canal "Moscow-Volga"
|
192.649
|
Bamlag
|
Building of the Trans-Zabaikal and Trans-Ussuriysk railways and Baikal-Amur mainline
|
153.547
|
Belomoro-Baltiyskiy combinat
|
Infrastructure development of Belomor-Baltic canal
|
66.444
|
Siblag
|
Building of Gorno-Shoisk railway; coal mining in Kuzbass; building of Chuisk and Ussuriysk tracks; providing of the labour force to Kuzneck metallurgy facility, Novsibles, etc.
|
61.251
|
Dallag (later Vladivostoklag)
|
Building of "Volochaevka-Komsomolsk" railway; coal mining in the mines "Artyom" and "Raychiha"; building of Sedansk water pipes and oil storage in "Benzostroy"; building works in "Dalpromstroy", "Reserve committe", aviamanufactore №126; fish industry
|
60.417
|
Svirlag
|
Lumber production and storage for Leningrad
|
40.032
|
Sevvostlag
|
Work on "Dalnostroy", and work in Kolyma
|
36.010
|
Temlag
|
Lumber production and storage for Moscow
|
33.048
|
Sredneasiatsk camp (Sazlag)
|
Provision of the labour force to Tekstilstroy, Chirkstroy, Shahrstroy, Hazarbahstroy, state farm ‘’Pahta-Aral’’; cotton farms
|
26.829
|
Karandinsk camp (Karlag)
|
State farms
|
25.109
|
Uhtopechlag
|
Works on Uhto-Pechorinsk: coal mining, oil mining, asphalt producing, radium mining, etc.
|
20.656
|
Provlag (later Astrahanlag)
|
Fish industry
|
10.583
|
Sarovsk camp
|
Timber stockpile and sawmilling
|
3.337
|
Vaigach
|
Zinc, lead and platinum spat mining
|
1.209
|
Ohunlag
|
Road building
|
722
|
On passage to the camps
|
|
9.756
|
Total
|
|
741.599
|
Four years later:
Population in the NKVD camps on the 1st of January 1939
Camp
|
Inmates
|
Bamlag (BAM highway)
|
262.194
|
Sevvostlag (Magadan)
|
138.170
|
Belbaltlag (Karelia)
|
86.567
|
Volgolag (Uglich-Rybinsk)
|
74.576
|
Dallag (Primorskiy Krai)
|
64.249
|
Siblag (Novosibirsk region)
|
46.382
|
Ushosdorlag (Far East)
|
36.948
|
Samarlag (Kuibyshev region)
|
36.761
|
Karlag (Karaganda region)
|
35.072
|
Sazlag (Uzbek SSR)
|
34.240
|
Usolalag (Molotov region)
|
32.714
|
Kargonpollag (Arkhangelsk region)
|
30.069
|
Sevzheldorlag (Komi Republic and Arkhangelsk Oblast.)
|
29.405
|
Yagrinlag (Arkhangelsk region).
|
27.680
|
Vyazemlag (Smolensk region).
|
27.470
|
Uhtimlag (Komi ASSR)
|
27.006
|
Sevurallag (Sverdlovsk region)
|
26.963
|
Lokchimlag (Komi ASSR)
|
26.242
|
Temlag (Mordovia ASSR)
|
22.821
|
Ivdellag (Sverdlovsk region).
|
20.162
|
Vorkutlag (Komi ASSR)
|
17.923
|
Soroklag (Arkhangelsk region)
|
17.458
|
Vyatlag (Kirov region)
|
16.854
|
Oneglag (Arkhangelsk region)
|
16.733
|
Unzhlag (Gorky region)
|
16.469
|
Kraslag (Krasnoyarsk Territory)
|
15.233
|
Taishetlag (Irkutsk region)
|
14.365
|
Ustvymlag (Komi ASSR)
|
11.974
|
Tomasinlag (Novosibirsk region)
|
11.890
|
Gorno-Shor ITL (Altai Territory)
|
11.670
|
Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory)
|
11.560
|
Kuloylag (Arkhangelsk region)
|
10.642
|
Raychihlag (Khabarovsk Territory)
|
8.711
|
Arhbumlag (Arkhangelsk region)
|
7.900
|
Luga camp (Leningrad region)
|
6.174
|
Bukachachlag (Chita region)
|
5.945
|
Prorvlag (Lower Volga)
|
4.877
|
Likovlag (Moscow region)
|
4.556
|
South Harbor (Moscow region)
|
4.376
|
Stalin's station (Moscow region)
|
2.727
|
Mehzavod Dmitrov (Moscow region).
|
2.273
|
Construction № 211 (Ukrainian SSR)
|
1.911
|
Transit prisoners
|
9.283
|
Total
|
1.317.195
|
However as I mentioned before, apart from the ITL camps there were also ITK camps. Before the autumn 1938, ITKs along with the prisons were under the Prison Administration of NKVD. Therefore presented statistic below is shared with prisons:
Population in ITK (Colonies) and Prisons
Year
|
Inmates
|
1935
1936
1937
1938
|
240.259
457.088
375.488
885.203
|
Since 1939 ITK were under GULAG Administration, and prisons under the Main Prison Administration (GTU) NKVD.
Population in ITKs on 1st of January
Year
|
Inmates
|
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
|
335.243
315.584
429.205
361.447
500.208
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
|
516.225
745.171
956.224
912.704
1.091.478
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
|
1.140.324
1.145.051
994.379
793.312
740.554
|
|
Population in prisons
Year
|
1st of January
|
January
|
March
|
May
|
July
|
September
|
December
|
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
|
352.508
186.278
470.693
268.532
237.534
151.296
275.510
245.146
293.135
280.374
|
350.538
190.266
487.739
277.992
235.313
155.213
279.969
261.500
306.163
275.850
|
281.891
195.582
437.492
298.081
237.246
177.657
272.113
278.666
323.492
256.771
|
225.242
196.028
332.936
262.464
248.778
191.309
269.526
268.117
326.369
239.612
|
185.514
217.819
216.223
217.327
196.119
218.245
263.819
253.757
360.878
228.031
|
178.258
401.146
229.217
201.547
170.767
267.885
191.930
259.078
349.035
228.258
|
186.278
434.871
247.404
221.669
171.708
272.486
235.092
290.984
284.642
230.614
|
Now we can compose the table of population in Labour Camps, Colonies and Prisons in the USSR under Stalin by years:
Year
|
Inmates
|
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
|
965.742
1.296.494
1.196.369
1.881.570
2.004.946
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
|
1.846.270
2.400.422
2.045.575
1.721.716
1.331.115
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
|
1.736.186
1.948.241
2.014.678
2.479.909
2.587.732
|
|
Year
|
Inmates
|
1950
1951
1952
1953
|
2.760.095
2.692.825
2.657.128
2.620.814
|
|
V.Nekrasov in his book "Tridsat zheleznyh narkomov" says that the number of inmates in 1933 г. was
334 thousands, in 1934 -
510 thousands, in 1935 -
991 thousands, in 1936 -
1296 thousands, in 1944 –
1450 thousands; in 1953 –
2526 thousands.
From the western researches I’d recommend to read S. Wheatcroft (Australia), J. Getty (US), R. Davis (England), G. Rittersporn (France).
According to the data of A. Kokurin and N. Petrov (both are the members of Memorial organization*), on the first of July 1944 population of camps was 1.2 million inmates, on the 30th of December 1945 - 1.6 millions.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_(society))
And in additional here is the data on population in prisons which were under GULAG administration (the data also collected from Memorial organization):
January1935
January 1937
1.01.1939
1.01.1941
1.01.1945
1.01.1949
1.01.1953
|
307.093
375.376
381.581
434.624
745.171
1.139.874
741.643
|
In addition, I can recommend the fact book which was published by Memorial: The system of labor camps in the USSR, 1923-1960. Moscow, 1998, which confirms the above figures.
So let’s draw the conclusion –
during the Stalin’s run the number of inmates have never exceeded 2 million 760 thousands. Not to mention that the highest numbers were during and after the World War when apart from the Soviet citizens the camps consisted also from German, Italian, Finnish, Hungarian, Romanian and other Axis countries POWs and from deserters, traitors, members of Vlasov army etc.
Now let’s compare it with the citadel of democracy and the main fighter for the human rights and freedom the United States of America:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 2,292,133 adults were incarcerated in U.S. federal and state prisons, and county prisons at year-end 2009 — about 1% of adults in the U.S. resident population. Additionally, 4,933,667 adults at year-end 2009 were on probation or on parole. In total, 7,225,800 adults were under correctional supervision (probation, parole, jail, or prison)in 2009 — about 3.1% of adults in the U.S. resident population." In addition, there were 86,927 juveniles in juvenile detention in 2007.
Strange figure isn’t it? The country which volunteered to be the main defender of the human rights and democracy has such amount of inmates in quite peaceful times (comparing to the WW and pre-WW periods). And it should be noted that totalitarian and communistic China who has constantly been accused by US in human rights violation has lower number of inmates: 1.5 millions in China against 2.3 millions in US (not to mention that the population of China is about 1.3 billion and the US population is approx. 300 millions).
And nobody cries on every corner that there are repressions in the USA. Nobody cries that all these 2.3 millions are innocent «victims of the regime», every American will tell you that they all are criminals who deserved to be imprisoned. And of course unlike in the USA, in the Stalin’s USSR all imprisoned were innocent; every democrat knows it for certain. The USSR in fact didn’t have any criminals and the prisons were empty, it was kind of a Disneyland, a land of peaceful hippies with flowers in their hairs and therefore bloody Stalin got bored and decided to fill up the prisons with the innocent citizens, since the criminals were absent.
How many «political» prisoners were among repressed?
It’s quite misleading to assume that the majority of convicted were «victims of political repressions»:
Number of prisoners convicted for counterrevolution activity and other dangerous crimes
Year
|
Death
penalty
|
ITL, ITK,
prisons
|
exilement and
deportation
|
other
measures
|
total
|
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
|
9701
1962
414
2550
2433
990
2363
869
2109
20201
10651
2728
2154
2056
1229
1118
353074
328618
2552
1649
8011
23278
3579
3029
4252
2896
1105
-
-
475
1609
1612
198
|
21724
2656
2336
4151
6851
7547
12267
16211
25853
114443
105683
73946
138903
59451
185846
219418
429311
205509
54666
65727
65000
88809
68887
73610
116681
117943
76581
72552
64509
54466
49142
25824
7894
|
1817
166
2044
5724
6274
8571
11235
15640
24517
58816
63269
36017
54262
5994
33601
23719
1366
16842
3783
2142
1200
7070
4787
649
1647
1498
666
419
10316
5225
3425
773
38
|
2587
1219
-
-
437
696
171
1037
3741
14609
1093
29228
44345
11498
46400
30415
6914
3289
2888
2288
1210
5249
1188
821
668
957
458
298
300
475
599
591
273
|
35829
6003
4794
12425
15995
17804
26036
33757
56220
208069
180696
141919
239664
78999
267076
274670
790665
554258
63889
71806
75411
124406
78441
75109
123248
123294
78810
73269
75125
60641
54775
28800
8403
|
Total
|
799455
|
2634397
|
413512
|
215942
|
4060306
|
The expression «other measures» basically implies compulsory treatment or deportation abroad.
From this table can be noticed that the number of «repressed» was higher than it was reported in the Kruscshev’s memorandum – 799.455 sentenced to death penalty instead of 642.980 and 2.634.397 sentenced to imprisonment instead of 2.369.220. However as we can see the gap isn’t that big, the numbers basically in the same scales and we still can’t find any «tens of millions killed» by Stalin.
Besides there is another moment, it is possible that presented table includes a lot of criminals. Because on the second scanned document we can see a rounded number 2.944.879 and a pencil note «among them 30% criminals (1062 thousands) ». In this case the number of «repressed» doesn’t exceed 3 million and the number of executed is also 30% lower than 799.455. But in order to clarify this question in details, further researches should be conducted. Plus each labour camp contained special trials which for prisoners who broke the camp rules, after such a trial in their dossiers it was put a mark that they were convicted for «counterrevolution activity». The thing is that breaking the camp rules was considered as a counterrevolution activity. Therefore among those 3 millions there are also many criminals who have been convicted for murders, robbery and so on.
Let's see now what percentage was «repressed» out of the total inmates of GULAGs:
Percentage of convicts for counterrevolution activity out of the total amount of inmates
Year
|
Number
|
% out of the total number
of prisoners
|
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
|
135.190
118.256
105.849
104.826
185.324
454.432
444.999
420.293
407.988
345.397
|
26.5
16.3
12.6
12.6
18.6
34.5
33.1
28.7
29.6
35.6
|
|
Year
|
Number
|
% from the total number
of prisoners
|
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
|
268.861
289.351
333.883
427.653
416.156
420.696
578.912
450.976
480.766
465.256
|
40.7
41.2
59.2
54.3
38.0
34.9
22.7
31.0
28.1
26.9
|
|
Now let’s proceed to the detailed crimes of GULAG inmates in some years
Population of ITL and alleged crimes of prisoners (On the 1st of April 1940)
Alleged crimes
|
Number
|
%
|
Counterrevolutionary crimes
among them:
Tortskists, Zinovievites, righties
Betrayal of the country
Terror
Diversion
Espionage
Sabotage
Rulers of the counterrevolution organizations
Anti-soviet agitation
Other counterrevolution crimes
Members of families of traitors
Without notes
|
417381
17621
1473
12710
5737
16440
25941
4493
178979
133423
13241
7323
|
32,87
1,39
0,12
1,00
0,45
1,29
2,04
0,35
14,10
10,51
1,04
0,58
|
Especially dangerous crimes
among them:
Gangsterism and robbery
Deserters
Other crimes
|
46374
29514
13924
2936
|
3,65
2,32
1,10
0,23
|
Other crimes
among them:
Vandalism
Abroachment
Breaking the passport laws
Other crimes
|
182421
90291
31652
19747
40731
|
14,37
7,11
2,50
1,55
3,21
|
Embezzlement of national wealth
Economic crimes and crimes of officials
Crimes against personality
Property crimes
Socially dangerous elements
Military crimes
Other crimes
Without notes
|
23549
96193
66708
152096
220835
11067
41706
11455
|
1,85
7,58
5,25
11,98
17,39
0,87
3,29
0,90
|
Total
|
1269785
|
100,00
|
The number of convicts for counterrevolutionary crimes and banditry, contained in the camps on the first of July 1946
Alleged crimes
|
In the ITL camps
|
%
|
In the ITK camps
|
%
|
Total
|
%
|
Total number of convicted
|
616.731
|
100
|
755.255
|
100
|
1.371.986
|
100
|
Counterrevolutionary crimes,
among them:
Betrayal of the country (ст. 58-1)
Espionage (58-6)
Terrorism
Diversion (58-7)
Sabotage (58-9)
Counterrevolution sabotage (58-14)
Membership in the anti-soviet conspiracy groups (58-2, 3, 4, 5, 11)
Anti-soviet agitation (58-10)
Political crimes (58-2, 5, 9)
Illegal crossing the border
Smuggling
Members of traitors families
Socially dangerous elements
|
354.568
137.463
12.405
7.391
3.781
2.509
26.411
26.099
85.652
5.937
2.655
3.722
1.012
6.382
|
57,5
22,3
2,0
1,2
0,6
0,4
4,3
4,2
13,9
1,0
0,4
0,6
0,1
1,9
|
162.024
66.144
3.094
2.038
770
610
4.533
10.833
56.396
2.835
1.080
259
457
1.323
|
21,4
8,7
0,4
0,3
0,1
0,1
0,6
1,4
7,5
0,4
0,1
-
0,1
0,2
|
516.592
203.607
15.499
9.429
4.551
3.119
30.944
36.932
142.048
8.772
3.735
4.031
1.469
7.705
|
37,6
14,8
1,1
0,7
0,3
0,2
2,3
2,7
10,4
0,6
0,3
0,3
0,1
0,6
|
Prisoners of GULAGs by the nature of crimes on the 1st January 1951
Crimes
|
Total
|
In the ITL camps
|
In the ITK camps
|
Counterrevolutionary crimes
Betrayal of the country (art.58-1а, б)
Espionage (art.58-1а, б, 6; art.193-24)
Terrorism (art.58-8)
Terroristic intentions
Diversion (art.58-9)
Sabotage (art.58-7)
Counterrevolution sabotage (apart from those who refused to work in camps and for escape) (art. 58-14)
Counterrevolution sabotage (for refusal of working in the camps) (art.58-14)
Counterrevolution sabotage (for escapes)
(art.58-14)
Membership in the anti-soviet conspiracy groups (art.58, пп. 2, 3, 4, 5, 11)
Anti-soviet agitation (art.58-10, 59-7)
Insurgency, political thuggery (art.58, п.2; 59, пп.2, 3, 3б)
Members of traitors families (art. 58-1в)
Socially dangerous elements
Other crimes
Total
|
334538
18337
7515
2329
3250
1165
4494
10160
22687
46582
99401
12947
3256
2846
10371
579918
|
285288
17786
7099
2135
3185
1074
3523
8724
19708
39266
61670
12515
2824
2756
8423
475976
|
49250
591
416
194
65
91
971
1436
2979
7316
37731
432
432
90
1948
103942
|
Felonies
Embezzlement of national wealth (Decree dated August 7, 1932)
By decree of June 4, 1947 "On strengthening the protection of personal property of citizens "
By decree of June 4, 1947 "Criminal Law
for the theft of state and public property "
Speculation
Banditry and armed robbery (Article 59-3, 167),
not committed in places of detention
Banditry and armed robbery (Article 59-3, 167),
committed while serving a sentence
Premeditated murder (Article 136, 137, 138) committed
not in custody
Premeditated murder (Article 136, 137, 138) committed
in prison
Illegally crossing the border (Article 59, 10, 84)
Smuggling activities (Article 59, 9, 83)
Abaction (Art.166)
Thieves recidivists (Art.162-in)
Property crimes (Art.162-178)
Vandalism (Article 74 and Decree of 10 August 1940)
Violation of the certification (Art.192)
For escape from the places of detention, exile and deportation (Art.82)
For unauthorized exit (escape) from the binding sites settlements (Decree of 26 November 1948)
Evicted for harboring fleeing from places compulsory settlement, or aiding and abetting
Socially dangerous elements
Desertion (Article 193-7)
Maiming (Article 193-12)
Looting (Article 193-27)
Other military crimes (Article 193, except pp.7, 12, 17, 24, 27)
Illegal possession of firearms (Art.182)
Officials and economic crimes (Article 59-3b, 109-121, 193 pp.17, 18)
By decree of June 26, 1940 (voluntary departure
with enterprises and institutions and of absenteeism)
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
(Other than those listed above)
Other crimes
Total
|
72293
394241
637055
73205
65816
12047
37808
3635
1920
368
15112
6911
61194
93477
40599
22074
3328
1021
416
39129
2131
512
19648
12932
128618
26485
35518
140665
1948228
|
42342
242688
371390
31916
53522
11026
22950
3041
1089
207
8438
3883
35464
32718
7484
12969
1504
989
343
29457
1527
429
13033
6221
47630
881
11921
62729
1057791
|
29951
151553
265665
41289
12294
1021
14858
594
901
161
6674
3028
25730
60759
33115
9105
1824
32
73
9672
604
83
6615
6711
80988
25604
23597
77936
890437
|
Total:
|
2528146
|
1533767
|
994379
|
Thus as we can see the number of «repressed» among prisoners was lower than 30%. Exception is 1944-1948 period when camps got an appending of vlasovtsy, polizai and other «strugglers with the communistic tyranny».
Mortality rate
The archive data allows answering this question.
Mortality rate of ITL camps
Year
|
Number of prisoners
|
Died
|
%
|
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1949
1950
1951
1952
|
240.350
301.500
422.304
617.895
782.445
830.144
908.624
1.156.781
1.330.802
1.422.466
1.458.060
1.199.785
823.784
689.550
658.202
704.868
958.448
1.316.331
1.475.034
1.622.485
1.719.586
|
7283
13267
67297
26295
28328
20595
25376
90546
50502
46665
100997
248877
166967
60948
43848
18154
35668
15739
14703
15587
13806
|
3,03
4,40
15,94
4,26
3,62
2,48
2,79
7,83
3,79
3,28
6,93
20,74
20,27
8,84
6,66
2,58
3,72
1,20
1,00
0,96
0,80
|
Unfortunately I didn’t find the data for 1948 year.
Mortality rate of prisons
Year
|
Number of prisoners
|
Died
|
%
|
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
|
269.393
328.486
369.613
253.033
194.415
213.403
260.328
269.141
286.755
255.711
214.896
181.712
158.647
|
7036
3277
7468
29788
20792
8252
6834
2271
4142
1442
982
668
424
|
2,61
1,00
2,02
11,77
10,69
3,87
2,63
0,84
1,44
0,56
0,46
0,37
0,27
|
The number of prisoners took as arithmetic middling among the numbers of prisoners between 1st of January and 31st of December.
Mortality on the eve of the war was lower than in the ITK camps. For instance in 1939 it was 2,30%.
Mortality rate of ITK
Year
|
Number of prisoners
|
Died
|
%
|
1949
1950
1951
1952
|
1.142.688
1.069.715
893.846
766.933
|
13966
9983
8079
7045
|
1,22
0,93
0,90
0,92
|
Thus the facts show that contrary to denunciators beliefs, mortality rate under Stalin was maintained on the low level. However we can see the drastic difference during the 1941-1945 period and obviously the conditions of prisoners were worse than before. Nutrition standards were diminished and that caused immediate increasing of lethal cases. By the end of 1944 nutrition standards were a little bit improved: in bread – on 12%, in grits – on 24%, in meat and fish on – 40%, in fats – 28% and in vegetables – on 22%, and the mortality subsequently started to downgrade. But even after that nutrition standards were lower than before the war on 30%.
Nevertheless even during the hardest years of war 1942 – 1943 mortality rate was about 20%, in prisons – 10% per year. Not 10% - 20% per month like Alexander Solzhenitsyn or other bunch of «historians» claimed. Up to the beginning of 50s, mortality rate downgraded to less than 1% and in prisons – less than 0.5%.
In conclusion I’d like to say about so-called Special Camps (Osoblags) which were established under the order of Ministry Council of the USSR №416-159 on 21st of February 1948. These camps contained spies, terrorists, saboteurs, trotskists, righties, mensheviks, esers, anarchists, nationalists, white movements, members of anti-soviet organizations and socially dangerous elements.
Population in special camps on January 1952
№
|
Name of the camp
|
spies
|
saboteurs
|
terrorists
|
trotskists
|
righties
|
mensheviks
|
esers
|
anarchists
|
nationalists
|
white movements
|
members of the anti-soviet organizations
|
socially dangerous elements
|
Total
|
1
|
Mineralniy
|
4012
|
284
|
1020
|
347
|
7
|
36
|
63
|
23
|
11688
|
46
|
4398
|
8367
|
30292
|
2
|
Gorniy
|
1884
|
237
|
606
|
84
|
6
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
9546
|
24
|
2542
|
5279
|
20218
|
3
|
Dubravniy
|
1088
|
397
|
699
|
278
|
5
|
51
|
70
|
16
|
7068
|
223
|
4708
|
9632
|
24235
|
4
|
Stepnoy
|
1460
|
229
|
714
|
62
|
-
|
16
|
4
|
3
|
10682
|
42
|
3067
|
6209
|
22488
|
5
|
Berogovoy
|
2954
|
559
|
1266
|
109
|
6
|
-
|
5
|
-
|
13574
|
11
|
3142
|
10363
|
31989
|
6
|
Rechnoy
|
2539
|
480
|
1429
|
164
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
14683
|
43
|
2292
|
13617
|
35459
|
7
|
Ozyorniy
|
2350
|
671
|
1527
|
198
|
12
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
7625
|
379
|
5105
|
14441
|
32342
|
8
|
Peschaniy
|
2008
|
688
|
1203
|
211
|
4
|
23
|
20
|
9
|
13987
|
116
|
8014
|
12571
|
38854
|
9
|
Lugovoy
|
174
|
118
|
471
|
57
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
3973
|
5
|
558
|
2890
|
8251
|
|
Mineralniy
|
18475
|
3663
|
8935
|
1510
|
41
|
140
|
190
|
69
|
93026
|
884
|
33826
|
83369
|
244128
|
Mortality rate can be derived from the table below:
Statistic of the special camps on the 1st of January 1951
№
|
Name of the camp
|
For CR crimes
|
Felonies
|
Total
|
Died
|
Freed
|
1
|
Mineralniy
|
30235
|
2678
|
32913
|
91
|
479
|
2
|
Gorniy
|
15072
|
10
|
15082
|
26
|
1
|
3
|
Dubravniy
|
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
Stepnoy
|
18056
|
516
|
18572
|
124
|
131
|
5
|
Berogovoy
|
24676
|
194
|
24870
|
нет
|
нет
|
6
|
Rechnoy
|
15653
|
301
|
15954
|
25
|
нет
|
7
|
Ozyorniy
|
27432
|
2961
|
30393
|
162
|
206
|
8
|
Peschaniy
|
20988
|
182
|
21170
|
24
|
21
|
9
|
Lugovoy
|
9611
|
429
|
10040
|
35
|
15
|
Contrary to popular beliefs that special camps were «death camps» for dissidents, we can see that in fact the mortality rate there was approx. 0,29% - 1,15%.
Epilogue
Following Stalin’s death, Khruscshev gave an order to re-consider the dossiers of «repressed». Many of them were freed. Consequently if Stalin imprisoned tens of millions like ‘’the greatest historians’’ claim the number of freed people would be also counted in millions. However the documents say different:
Since 1954 until 1956 year, 337.183 dossiers have been reconsidered. Out of them 153.502 people have been freed, and 183.681 remained in the prisons probably because they were too much innocent to be freed. I wonder where the millions of liberated are. Possibly they built a spacecraft during their living in GULAG and flew on Moon. If so, does that mean we have strong evidence that Americans were not the first who have conducted flight on Moon?
References:
1. Alexander Dugin. Stalinism: Legends and Facts / / Word. 1990, № 7. P.24.
2. Victor Zemskov. Gulag (historical-sociological aspect) / / Case Studies. 1991, № 6. P.15.
3. Victor Zemskov. Inmates in the 1930s: social and demographic issues / / National History. 1997, № 4. P.67.
4. Alexander Dugin. Stalinism: Legends and Facts / / Word. 1990, № 7. P.23; archival source: 1930-1934. - GARF, f.9414, op.1, d.1155, F. 1, 1935-1940. - Ibid, L.2.
5. GARF, f.5446, op.11, d.1310, l.13-14.
6. GARF, f.9414, op.1, d.1155, l.20-22.
7. Alexander Dugin. Stalinism: Legends and Facts / / Word. 1990, № 7. P.23.
8. Victor Zemskov. Gulag (historical-sociological aspect) / / Case Studies. 1991, № 6. C.11.
9. The evacuation of prisoners from the prison of the NKVD of the USSR in 1941-1942 / / Military-Historical Archive. 1997, issue 2. S.234.
10. Gulag during World War II / / Military-Historical Journal. 1991. № 1. P.19, P.23.
11. Nekrasov, VF Thirteen "iron" of People's Commissars. M.: "Milestones," 1995. P.172, P 234, P. 241
12. A. Kokurin, Petrov. NKVD-KGB, SMERSH-: structure, functions, and personnel. Article Four (1944-1945) / / Free Thought.1997, № 9. P.95, 96.
13. A. Kokurin, Petrov. MIA: structure, functions, and personnel. Article Sixth (1946-1953) / / Free Thought. 1997, № 12.P.103.
14. Population of the world / ed. B.Ts. Urlanis. MA: "Statistics", 1974. P.23.
15. Alexander Dugin. Stalinism: Legends and Facts / / Word. 1990, № 7. C.26.
16. GARF, f.9401, op.1, d.4157, l.201-205, VP Popov. State terror in Soviet Russia. 1923-1953 gg.: Sources and interpretations / / Domestic archives. 1992, № 2. P.28.
17. V.P. Popov. State terror in Soviet Russia. 1923-1953 gg.: Sources and interpretations / / Domestic archives. 1992, № 2.P.29.
18. Alexander Dugin. Stalinism: Legends and Facts / / Word. 1990, № 7. P.23, 1934-1939. - GARF, f.9414, op.1, d.1155, l.3-6.
19. GARF, f.9414, op.1, d.1155, l.26-27.
20. Alexander Dugin. Stalinism: Legends and Facts / / Word. 1990, № 7. P.25.
21. Victor Zemskov. Gulag (historical-sociological aspect) / / Case Studies. 1991, № 7. P.10-11.
22. Victor Zemskov. Gulag (historical-sociological aspect) / / Case Studies. 1991, № 6. P.14-15, 1931-1940. - GARF, f.9414, op.1, d.1155, L.2, d.2740, F. 1, 5, 8, 14, 26, 38, 42, 48, 58, 96-110, 1949-1952 gg. - AN Dugin Unknown Gulag: The documents and facts. Moscow: Nauka, 1999. P.41, 43, 45, 49.
23. Victor Zemskov. Gulag (historical-sociological aspect) / / Case Studies. 1991, № 7. C.7, AN Dugin Unknown Gulag: The documents and facts. Moscow: Nauka, 1999. P.31.
24. GARF, f.9414, op.1, 28, l.13.
25. Alexander Dugin Unknown Gulag: The documents and facts. Moscow: Nauka, 1999. P.41, 43, 45, 49.
26. Victor Zemskov. Gulag (historical-sociological aspect) / / Case Studies. 1991, № 6. P.21-22.
27. The system of labor camps in the USSR, 1923-1960: A Handbook. M., 1998. P.52.
28. Alexander Dugin Unknown Gulag: The documents and facts. Moscow: Nauka, 1999. P.43, 47.
