The Gulag already seems to be paradise: state propaganda glorified the Stalinist camps

The Russian state media, the country's largest news agency, RIA Novosti, published an astonishing piece by journalist Victoria Nikiforova, in fact glorifying the GULAG. As bloggers write: “RIA Novosti has groped for a new bottom...” In this article, formally dedicated to the recent proposal of the FSIN to use prison labor, the author explains in detail that the GULAG was not so terrible anymore - it was even useful for Soviet citizens.

Here are just a few quotes that demonstrate the level of the author's fall:

“The initiative of the Federal Penitentiary Service to use the labor of imprisoned citizens at construction sites has caused a predictable wave of hate on the part of the “democratic community”. This, they say, will be a new GULAG, or even worse.

Let's take a look at the notorious camp management first. The "archipelago" - contrary to the myths imposed on us - was vast and varied. There were camps with frankly lousy conditions, and there were, as they say, "exemplary content".

(...)

We must not forget the general standard of living in Soviet Russia after the Civil War. For intellectuals in the capital, for former merchants and kulaks, camp bunks were often a nightmare. But for the poor peasant, for the urban lumpen, for the street child - people who literally starved their whole lives - the labor camp provided food three times a day, warm housing and some kind of medical aid.

(...)

It was more or less normal life compared to the harsh conditions in which the poor of that time survived. Labor activity was an important part of it. At the construction sites of the century, the former criminal received a highly paid working profession, which was oh so in demand during the industrialization. Yes, for the elites the GULAG represented an unpleasant contrast with Astoria and Metropol, but for hundreds of thousands of ordinary people it became - as paradoxical as it may sound - a social lift.

(...)

It was the working profession that became the main means of successful socialization after serving the sentence. It was a real "start in life". It allowed the former criminal element to join the ranks of law-abiding citizens - let's not forget, by the way, that it was criminals, and by no means political prisoners, who made up the overwhelming majority of the Gulag contingent. The shortcomings and abuses in the labor camp system have been well documented, criticized and denounced. And rightly so - the country should take care of its citizens. In no case should one take an example from our American partners, whose private prison system has flourished in recent decades"...

Publicist Nikolay Podosokorsky writes about this:

“Recently, a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Maria Butina, compared the colony where political prisoner Alexei Navalny is sitting with a pioneer camp, noting the excellent conditions for keeping convicts.

In general, other "social elevators", except for the GULAG, this power has no for you and me. And it is noteworthy that such materials in the leading state media correct the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, who believes that his proposal to use forced labor of prisoners at the great construction sites of Putinism has nothing to do with the Soviet GULAG. Has, has - propagandists shout, describing the delights of camp life..."

Journalist Kirill Shulika is also not surprised by what he read:

“In principle, a long-awaited event - Russian propaganda began to declare that the Gulag was not so bad. This means that officials will soon start talking about the same thing..."

Scientist, teacher and public figure Vera Afanasyeva sarcastically remarks about the author's mention of the Astoria and Metropol restaurants:

“Here, while you were sleeping, a hymn to the glory of the Gulag arrived in time. The shooting, apparently, represented an unpleasant contrast with Astoria and Metropol, but for hundreds of thousands it became a social lift - from the USSR straight to heaven. No, it was not written in 1937 - in 2021. And this is not a yellow fascist leaflet - state-owned RIA Novosti.

The head of the Ministry of Justice also supported the idea of replacing labor migrants with prisoners.

Does anyone, after all this, doubt what awaits the country?"

In this article, the political scientist Abbas Gallyamov was struck by her lack of professionalism:

“That is, the idea there is understandable - to oppose the“ liberals ”to the“ deep people ”, but the execution ... Such a programmatic text should have been much deeper. And here - the author's thought jumps from subject to subject, not revealing any of them to the end, as if the material was written by Gazmanov. Of course, one can assume that normal journalists and editors no longer go to work in RIA and they recruit people from the street. But in the Kremlin itself, the professionals did not intertwine, they could have achieved the proper quality.

No, something is wrong here. The conspiracy theorist would have discerned in what was happening secret sabotage of the performers, or, at least, a terrible haste - when there was no time to think, but it was necessary to "hurry, hurry". I'm not a conspiracy theorist, so I'll put it more simply: this is another confirmation that the system is slowly degrading. Those who can do not want anything anymore, they do not like the general vector of events too much. In such situations, enthusiastic idiots usually grab the steering wheel. They provide the final collapse. After all, if you think about it, what message did the authors of this masterpiece send to the people yesterday? What's in the bottom line will settle in the heads? Here's what: “People, the GULAG is waiting for you, but don't worry; life in freedom will be such that the GULAG will seem like paradise to you”.

This is, of course, exactly what the Russian voter dreams of. What you need to inspire him on the eve of the elections..."