The Gulag Archipelago: Part 1, Chapter 12: Tyurzak Summary & Analysis

Solzhenitsyn describes how in December of 1917, the Bolshevik regime solidified its reliance on prisons, recognizing the need to isolate those deemed incompatible with their vision of a new society. They inherited and fortified the Tsarist prison infrastructure, with places like the isolated Solovetsky Islands proving ideal for cutting prisoners off from the outside world. Solzhenitsyn describes the transformation of prison tactics over time, especially the evolution of hunger strikes. Initially, Tsarist authorities responded anxiously to hunger strikes, even releasing prisoners. However, by the 1930s, Soviet officials declared hunger strikes illegal, and they implemented practices of forced feeding, as well as a new rule that days spent on hunger strikes wouldn’t count toward interrogation timelines.

Solzhenitsyn also delves into the conditions of the Special Purpose Prisons (TON), which kept certain prisoners isolated, including famous foreigners and political dissidents. These prisons maintained especially oppressive environments, with restrictions on light, communication, and even the ability to look at the sky. Punishment cells, harsh searches, and arbitrary penalties became standard, breaking down prisoners’ spirits.