2 August 1933
Stalin Opens White Sea Canal
'The captain of the land of the Soviets leads us from victory to victory'
Cartoon from Izvestija, 5 augustus 1933
Artist: Boris Efimov
Microfilm 3978-3994
On 2 August 1933, the "White Sea Canal" or "Belomorkanal" was officially opened. It is a vital link between St. Petersburg (Leningrad) and the White Sea, constructed between 1930 and 1933, mostly by penal labourers. Working on project were about 150,000 convicts - "enemies of the people" (farmers, political prisoners, criminals). The hard labour was intended to "reform" them into good Soviet citizens. As tens of thousands died under the harsh conditions, the opening of the canal was accompanied by a huge propaganda campaign. Newspapers such as Pravda en Izvestija published articles, cartoons,and portraits of "reformed" workers.
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Today in the Biographies Dutch Labour Movement
Died on 2 August |