Gulag cover art

Gulag

A History

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Gulag

By: Anne Applebaum
Narrated by: Laural Merlington
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $44.99

Buy Now for $44.99

About this listen

Pulitzer Prize, General Nonfiction, 2004

The Gulag - a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners - was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying the worst tendencies of Soviet communism. In this magisterial and acclaimed history, Anne Applebaum offers the first fully documented portrait of the Gulag, from its origins in the Russian Revolution, through its expansion under Stalin, to its collapse in the era of glasnost.

Applebaum intimately recreates what life was like in the camps and links them to the larger history of the Soviet Union. Immediately recognized as a landmark and long-overdue work of scholarship, Gulag is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand the history of the 20th century.

©2007 Anne Applebaum (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc. 20th Century Eastern Europe Modern Politics & Government Russia World Soviet Union Stalin Imperialism Socialism War Holocaust
All stars
Most relevant  
I’m almost lost for words when writing this.
The book is just so profound and raw.
An absolutely I credible piece of history literature, exploring not only the gulags and the Soviets, but humanity at its core.
I cannot recommend this book enough

Simply brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An excellent book with a lot of information. I did not rush through this as it is 1) very name heavy and 2) quite depressing. So many horrible things took place. However, this should be read by all so we can ensure that it is not repeated. Sadly, humans never learn and it will likely be.

Very well written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a gripping, immaculately researched and beautifully written book. Sadly, the narration is extremely flat and the narrator seems to pause before every Russian place and name, which is extremely disconcerting. I'm very glad I finished the book, but it was definitely a struggle to keep going at times simply because of the narration. My family would always complain when I put it on because it was so irritating to listen to.

Wonderful book, dreary narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
History must be freely and impartially debated. Today the West political class is attempting to proscribe the truth. Lindsey Graham saying"..Russians dying, is the best money spent.? The concept of two Russian classes as exampled by the 2 entrapenurs conversation is equivalenced in the West it is not unique to Russia. Perhaps the anslysis is as simple as, if you allow you democracy to be chipped away, as in America now, people, in their own self interest will attatch themselver to the powerbase which will be encouraged to take more power and keep it.

Captivating - a warning for Biden's America

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.