Children of the Gulag
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Date
2008-03
Authors
Switzer, W. Alayne, 1960-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Early Bolsheviks seeking to redefine the family launched"cultural
campaigns" to throw off the vestiges of the tsarist regime and create new societal
roles. Laws were enacted to protect children and provide them with rights. "Thank
you Comrade Stalin, for our Happy Childhood" was a popular slogan. Posters
portraying Stalin as the benevolent father and protector of children hung in every
schoolroom. Yet contrary to official propaganda millions of children were left
abandoned, orphaned or separated from their families. Many of these unfortunate
children found themselves victims of the Gulag.
This thesis illustrates how war, famine, collectivization, political purges and
capital punishment left countless children at the mercy of the state. Thousands of children were arrested or born in the camps to pregnant women or women who
became pregnant through rape or camp relationships. Many perished and those
who survived carried forever the scars of their "happy" childhoods.
Description
xi, 95 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.