Joseph Stalin Genocide

Joseph Stalin’s Genocide: 50 Million Deaths From 1919 to 1953 when Stalin died about 50 million lives were taken in the Gulags of Russia (“Videofact”).

In total there were 53 Gulags and 423 labor camps (“Gulag”). Stalin was considered one of the most feared dictators because of his secret police and the Gulags. During a series of interviews in 1996, a Soviet veteran who lived in Minsk claimed to have seen a U. S. POW in May or June 1953. The POW was a Korean War F-86D pilot whose plane had been forced to land, The pilot landed his plane undamaged, was then captured, and his aircraft was taken to Moscow.

According to the witness who served in An Dun, North Korea, from December 1952 through February 1954 the pilot was sent to Moscow the day after the forcedown, 'because Stalin wanted to speak with him. ' The witness said that the pilot was interrogated by his commander, Colonel Ivan Nikolayevich Kozhedub. Upon capture, he believed the U. S.

POW was not injured. The witness said that the late General Vasiliy Kuzmich Sidorenkov had a picture of the American POW which he had seen when Sidorenkov showed it to him years ago, declaring, "that's our American. The witness revealed that this pilot later became an instructor- and taught at the Monino Air Force Academy in ,Moscow from 1953-58. The U. S. POW did not speak Russian and had served at Monino under an assumed Russian name.

He did not know the name, and could not recall any other details about the U. S. POW. The U. S. POW primarily taught air battle techniques and tactics, and assisted the Soviets in figuring out a U.

S. radar sight (“Videofact”).The Gulags were every one's worst nightmare, someone could be sent there for years just for stealing a loaf of bread, when the first Gulag was made in 1919 to when Stalin died in 1953 there were 50 million people that died in the Gulags (“Videofact”), because of what happened this made Stalin one of the most feared dictators ever. The 53 Gulags were located mostly in Siberia, where the camps experienced consistent -10 to -30 Celsius and winters lasting up to 6 months (“Videofact”). Three of them located inside the Arctic Circle.

The gulags were placed here so no other country could give aid to the prisoners inside the prisons, or if a prisoner had escaped the would be several hundred miles away from civilization, thus dying of starvation or the temperature. The prisoners were also built were there was lots of coal and forest’s. The first gulag was built in 1919 and ran by the NKVD made to hold political opponents of Joseph Stalin and the “Kulaks” or enemies of the state. From start to end the gulags lasted until Joseph Stalin's death in 1953, claiming almost 50 million lives.

When WWII erupted there was an estimated 1. to 1. 5 million people in the gulag system. (“Gulag: Soviet Forced”) When Vladimir Lenin died Stalin was there to take the power and make himself ruler of Russia without anyone saying anything.

Stalin took power by using his secret police, the NKVD, and striking fear into his opponents and the people of Russia, and he continued to until the day he died. Joseph Stalin had started out as a Bolshevik but after Lenin told everyone that Stalin would have to much power and be very dangerous with it Stalin had a much more difficult time becoming the ruler.Once Stalin had made the NKVD it was easy for Stalin to take power. He started by liquidating the Bolshevik party, and then many leaders from the military, high government officials and military leaders. Stalin also attacked communists as he hated the communists dearly.

The number of Stalin’s political victims were totaled in the tens of millions (“NKVD”) The effect on Russia’s population was catastrophic claiming about 50 million total (“Gulag”). After Stalin had, died the gulags were then dismantled. NKVD fled from the camps leaving the prisoner to fend from themselves.In Vorkuta, the prisoners who were kept there are still living there today (“Gulag”). The reason being is that the people are so poor they can’t leave the region and most of them would if they could.

Stalin’s genocide covers 6 of the 8 stages of genocide. First is Classification. Stalin marked farmers and the rich with 25 acres or more as the “Kulaks” (“NKVD”). Second is Dehumanization. When the, prisoners were at the gulags they were worked like dogs. An average prisoner would work 12-14 hours a day in the freezing cold temperatures (“Hillinger”).

Third is Organization.Stalin made the NKVD to use to his advantage against anyone who opposed him (“NKVD”). Fourth is Polarization. Stalin ordered the NKVD to kill leaders of his past party the Bolsheviks (“NKVD”). He also ordered for the killing of military and industrial leaders. Fifth is Extermination.

The NKVD would go around just killing whoever they wanted to (“NKVD”). The secret police were strict; they would put someone in prison for 10 years just for stealing a loaf of bread (“NKVD”). If anyone were to talk against Stalin and the NKVD were to find out, you would be shot on the spot “NKVD”). Sixth is Denial.

When Stalin died the secret police fled from the gulags and camps (“Gulag”). The NKVD soon turned into another secret police organization and the gulags were forgotten. (“NKVD”). Throughout Stalin’s rule the people were always going against Stalin whether it was stealing or escaping prison like Stalin had before he came into power. My father was the son of Polish immigrants, born in Massachusetts in 1913. In 1926, after years of working in America, my grandfather purchased land in Eastern Poland and moved his family there.

Then 13 years later, in 1940, the entire family became victims of Communism. They were all deported to the Siberian Gulag on February 10, 1940. My grandparents died there from starvation and hypothermia but my father was granted "amnesty" in 1942 to join the Polish Army in Exile under General Anders, which was part of the British Army. To join he had to make his way to Persia by foot and hopping trains suffering from Typhus on the way. He was with Anders Army until 1943 when he was transferred to the First Polish Armoured Division located in Scotland.He fought in Normandy, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

After spending about three years in the resettlement corps in England, he decided to come back to America (“Gulag: Soviet Forced”). Many people ask why there wasn’t any aid to the prisoners in the gulags, because the gulags were so far away from and civilization is was impossible to reach them (“Gulag”). Stalin had also rejected all aid to the prisoners (“Gulag”). When this genocide was going on the United Nations had not yet been created. Once it was the genocide was almost over.The reason why the UN did not intervene was the UN did not want to start a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

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