Epilogue

This concluding chapter examines the ways in which the Gulag was able to hide its true nature from the public eye. For most of its existence, the Gulag had operated under a heavy veil of secrecy. Routine silences and distortions made it possible for the violent exploitation to persist for decades. The chapter looks at the Gulag's methods of concealing information outright, as well as the manipulation of facts which did enter the public eye. Some of these methods are efficient enough to make present-day investigations into the Gulag rather challenging. In addition, the chapter also briefly discusses the gradual dismantling of Stalin's labor camp system, which began with the large-scale release of the Gulag's majority prisoner population.