THE MAIN DIRECTORATE OF CAMPS (GULAG) OF THE NKVD IN 1939-1941: ECONOMIC MOBILIZATION AND EXTENSIVE GROWTH

This article analyzes the transformation of the Main Directorate of Labor Camps (GULAG) of the NKVD of the USSR in the pre-war period of 1939-1941. Drawing on archival documents and contemporary historiography, the author examines the system's reorientation from repressive functions to the implementation of large-scale national economic tasks in the context of accelerated industrialization and the growing threat of war. Key factors in the growth of the camp system are examined: the territorial expansion of the USSR, the tightening of criminal legislation, and the urgent need for labor to develop remote regions and implement gigantic construction projects (BAM, the Norilsk Combine, Dalstroy, etc.). Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the GULAG into a central link in the mobilization economy, its role in the extractive industries, transport, and hydraulic engineering. The article highlights the internal contradictions of the camp system associated with the low productivity of forced labor, its costly nature, the systemic depletion of human resources, and the conflict between production and regime functions.