Part 3, Chapter 26: The Era of the Dissidents—Summary

Although the death of Stalin signaled a change, the camps evolved rather than disappear. The nature of political prisoners had also shifted since the 1920's. By the 1950's, the people that the KGB arrested generally expected their arrests because they had participated in some anti-Soviet activity. Fewer political prisoners were arrested, and the ones that were imprisoned consisted of new types of politicals, such as the first group of Soviet Baptists. The sons and daughters of former political prisoners also were often arrested, as many of them had become dissidents themselves. The judicial system had also changed, limiting the power of the KGB (who handled the political investigations) and MVD (who now controlled the prisoner system).

By 1966, neo-Stalinists had regained control over Soviet Russia and established a collective leadership. The...