What is shown on this map of the Soviet Union in 1923-1961?

These depictions of concentration camps bring back a lot of painful memories of my relatives incarceration in those camps. My first wife’s father and mother survived in during World War II in Siberian gulags. They were Polish Catholics who survived and after Molotov convinced Stalin to release them hoping they would fight for Soviet Russia. Instead of going back to Poland they joined up with the Polish free forces and that’s where my father-in-law met my mother-in-law on a trek from Siberia to Ramallah Palestine. Even though my father-in-law’s foot was shorter than the other one he went to fight with the Polish Free Forces at the battle of Monte Cassino and didn’t see his daughter until she was six months old. He called his handicap a gift from Stalin for sleeping on concrete floors for almost 3 years and had to put extra heels to match up his other shoe. I treasure his memory and even though I was Greek American he treated me as his own son. We must enjoy and cherish what we have in the USA and never forget that freedom is not free and be eternally vigilant to protect our freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.

This is a reminder for everyone seeking an ideal 'fair' society.

Larone 0, the point was that these people were held in these camps under suspicion of espionage or alleged crimes with no profof of wrong soing. guilty until proven innocent

Very horrible

RebelElderberry4616, and for those who committed No Crime and were still imprisoned? Doesn't matter to you? Most were political prisoners who only objected to the heavy handed and Unjust rule of law

Wonder if there will be a question with a map of US current prisons around the world.

This must never happen again.

I somehow managed to plow through the incredibly dense book gulag when I was in high school. One of the weirdest things that they did the people to break them with this... Tell them they were taking the person into another room for interrogation. It would bring them in the room and then after a few minutes they would say well it's been hours now we're taking you back to your room for some sleep. tell the person you can sleep for a few hours now but of course it would wake them up after just a few minutes. The cycle will continue sometimes for days or weeks or months.

DilligentToad45522, how true. the current "dont offend anyone"

The first movie my ex-wife and I saw on our first date was "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich". I picked it. My idea of a fun date. Marriage lasted 27 years. The poor woman put up with a lot.

torture and starvation and mass killings thrown into open graves, is happening yet again in Ukraine 🇺🇦 all because Putin wants power and destroying innocent people who didn't ask for this war. the world is not helping.

you check in, but you don't check out.

THE TRUTH IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE GULAGS WERE INNOCENT . HOW COULD THE RUSSIANS PUT THEM AWAY IN SIBERIA WITHOUT A TRIAL?STALIN WAS PARANOID AND EVEN HIS DAUGHTER LEFT RUSSIA TO GET AWy.

Gary_Melbourne, absolutely - I had very depressing reading this morning about Ivan the Terrible. He set the scene for entrenched national horror that just continues.

As told by my mother....My grandfather (a farmer in a small village) was taken by Russians before 1918, when part of Poland was under Russian rule. He was taken to be a laborer. A friend told him pretend to be deaf, if you are healthy they will send you to gulag and you may not survive hard labor and living conditions. That is what he did, pretend. He was sent to Moscow, worked in a shoe factory a block from red Square. Was well liked, made a god living for himself. He missed his mother. Returned to Poland to find out she died. He stayed, got married, had 5 children. I live in Las Vegas.

Marco the good boy, when you point a finger, there are 3 pointing back to you 😉

Lola Lo, We hear you. The CCP is hideous & western world is well aware of them sliming/bribing their way into other governments / universities over the decades. They Disgust all they cannot bribe or threaten.

Valen, that is not socialism. that is communism...

Player #5621402, already is, in China

Jimbo*21 Would be interested in knowing the rest of their Heroic yet tragic story. Delighted to see recognition of Palestinian and its welcome to many at that time...pre '47 ??

something to think about when people in free countries wish they had socialism

Rexme79, seems like we are repeating this history now in 2020 ,2021

Jimbo*21, that is an incredible story. is it archived or written down anywhere?

They should put up a map of Chinese "re education" camps. Normal for Socialist and Communist countries. Hopefully. America will stay free.

EliteLawyercat57024, I wouldn’t call that ‘blooming’

Player #5621402, it already is under Putin.

it's never anything good, shown in these...

" Gulag archipelago "

Jimbo*21, yes so true though you will not see this comment reply, I say thank you for your story.

winged3961, It's still happening.

They take me to gulag in Tunguska.. stave me. "more bread!" I ask. They beat me until I am sick..then they infect me with the black oil.. Now...I am the most complete fighter in the world

DilligentToad45522, what's an authoritarian regime got to do with the search for a fairer society then?

a great movie to watch is called "The Way Back" it's about a group of soldiers in a Soviet prison camp who escape and walk all the way to their freedom in India. it actually happened to. true story

DilligentToad45522, you trained slave, you. 😃 Capitalism caused much more hunger, death, suffering etc.

I wasn't sure it would work with the Russian characters, as I've found many extended characters aren't: “opening & closing double and‘single’ quotes”, degree° sign (I've included those symbols to see if that's changed). If you don't see them, then not.

Gulag (Гулаг) is an acronym: (Г)лавное (У)правление (Лаг)ерей, (G)lavnoye (U)pravleniye (Lag)erey. It means Main Admiration of Camps.

HunkyChief10342, our justice system today is now also guilty until proven innocent unfortunately.

Tinker20665, hurray trump... 🙄