Soviet industrialization and the GULAG Berdinskikh, V. A. & V. I. Men'kovskiy (2017), the GULAG: ideology and economy of forced labour in the 20th century, institute of language, literature and history, Komi Science Centre, Ural branch, RAS, Syktyvkar, Russia, - 132 p

The paper presents the author's reflections on the book "The Gulag: Ideology and economy of forced labour in the 20th century" written by V. Berdinskikh and V. Menkovskiy. The Gulag system is seen in the research as a key element of the economic system of Stalinism, in which repressions and forced labour were an integral part. It is evaluated as a tool for the rapid formation of the Soviet military industrial complex. The authors outline the role of the Gulag in the Soviet system of national economy, describe its relationship with the agencies under the system the Supreme Economic Council, estimate the reasons for the demand for manual forced labor, and reveal the key role of the Gulag in producing strategic resources, developing territories and, in particular, in implementing research, development and engineering for the defense industry. In addition to the Gulag, a brief description is given to two other state "mega-organizations" that provided industrial, transport, energy and urban development of the territories. They were the NKVD and the Supreme Council of National Economy. The genesis of the idea of forced labour is traced back to the period of war communism, when labour armies were formed throughout the country.