Stalin's policy towards the "punished peoples" (1940s - 1950s): genocide, assimilation or a "population policy"?

The study is an attempt to comprehend the essence of Stalin's policy in respect of the «punished peoples». The study of historical research sources speaks for the diverse and often polar views concerning deportation and special settlements of those times. The author points out a number of activities arranged by the authorities suggesting that deportation was not a way of genocide or marginalization of the population. Such activities include allocating special food and manufactured goods; adopting a number of acts aimed at improving the financial state of the repressed population; reuniting the deported families with the approval of the NKVD; conducting ideological and cultural activities and events, school and industrial training; preserving pre-deportation status of Kalmyk communists and Komsomol members enabling them to join the Communist Party (before the 1950s) and the Komsomol (with limitations); providing jobs for skilled production workers and managers in relevant fields where their skills are required, including Communist Party organizations...