Gulag: A History

Chapter 7 explores the convoluted logic—or lack thereof—behind the arrests during the Soviet era, capturing the essence of a society entrenched in fear, where the question “What was he arrested for?” became almost rhetorical. Applebaum unravels the intricacies of the legal system, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of arrests that could befall anyone from diplomats and foreign communists to ordinary Soviet citizens, often for reasons as trivial as possessing a foreign connection or simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The chapter illustrates how the regime’s paranoia led to a widespread culture of surveillance, where being different or having external ties made one a target, reinforcing the regime’s xenophobia. Through personal stories and historical accounts, Applebaum paints a chilling picture of the arbitrariness of the Soviet repressive machinery, where arrests were often based on nonsensical reasons, fostering a pervasive atmosphere of despair and resignation among the populace.

Applebaum illustrates this “culture of surveillance” through a variety of examples. One instance involves the foreign connections of Soviet citizens, where even stamp collectors were targeted under suspicion of espionage. Furthermore, the experiences of “American Finns,” lured by promises of a better life only to find themselves ensnared in the Gulag system for expressing discontent, encapsulate the arbitrary and broad criteria for surveillance and repression.