Tragic history makes interesting read

When the subject of concentration camps is discussed, it is usually in the context of the Nazi atrocities of World War II. The same applies for the mass persecution of ethnic groups, secret police terrorizing the population and senseless deaths of millions of people at the hands of the government. While the Third Reich was responsible for these atrocities, so too was the Soviet government. This oft-forgotten legacy of the U.S.S.R. has, for the first time by a Western writer, been explored in depth.\n"Gulag: A History," written by Anne Applebaum, delivers precisely what it promises: a detailed history of the rise, peak and fall of the Soviet Gulag system. She constructed from novels, records and testimony of survivors a picture of the living, breathing mess that was the Gulag system. Examined from the perspective of the camp prisoners, guards and administrators, it is breathtaking in its scope and thoroughness.\nThe camp and exile system run by the Soviets was not unique in Russian history. Exile to Siberia and other sparsely inhabited areas of Russia was a common punishment in tsarist Russia. However, it was a new creation of the Russian concentration camps.\nThese camps, scattered over the sparsely inhabited areas of the U.S.S.R., were envisioned by Lenin, and later Stalin, as a self-sufficient part of the planned Soviet economy. While, as revealed in "Gulag," the self-sufficient part never really materialized, they did use forced labor to produce everything from children's toys to massive infrastructure projects -- and it touched the lives of millions of people. It is estimated that anywhere from 10-20 million people passed through the gulags in one form or another from its birth in the 1920s to its collapse in the 1980s.\nOne aspect that distinguishes "Gulag" from other history books is the apt blend of both the facts, which have a tendency to make for dry reading, and the more interesting personal accounts of the history. Interspersed with the numbers and figures that accompany a historical description are the quotes of prisoners who lived through the madness of the gulags.\nMadness, indeed, is the most apt description of the entire system. People could be imprisoned for a decade for something as innocent as telling an unfortunate joke in the wrong company. Many of the prisoners of the gulag system were political prisoners of this nature. The remainder of the gulag population was criminals -- either professional thieves or otherwise law-abiding citizens who were unfortunate enough to be caught committing crimes, some of which were as minor as being late for work.\nWhile at times a bit too dry for the casual reader, "Gulag" is a very readable history of one of the 20th century's overlooked atrocities. At times incredibly moving, it does the millions of survivors a service by telling their stories. The book is not for everybody, but it does make for an interesting read if you have the time -- the paperback edition weighs in at 610 pages -- and the stomach for the often gruesome history of the gulags.\n"Gulag: A History" is published by Penguin Books and sells for $11.87 at www.amazon.com.