Editing Gulag (section)

=== Gulag and famine (1932–1933) ===
The [[Soviet famine of 1932–1933]] swept across many different regions of the Soviet Union. During this time, it is estimated that around six to seven million people starved to death.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Khlevniuk|first1=Oleg|title=The History of the Gulag|date=2004|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New Haven|page=55}}</ref> On 7 August 1932, a new decree drafted by Stalin ([[Law of Spikelets]]) specified a minimum sentence of ten years or execution for theft from collective farms or of cooperative property. Over the next few months, prosecutions rose fourfold. A large share of cases prosecuted under the law were for the theft of small quantities of grain worth less than fifty rubles. The law was later relaxed on 8 May 1933.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/mharrison/archive/persa/010fulltext.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307204130/https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/mharrison/archive/persa/010fulltext.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-07 |url-status=live|title=Theft Under Stalin: A Property Rights Analysis|last=Gorlizki|first=Yoram |date=28 June 2001 |access-date=7 March 2017}}</ref> Overall, during the first half of 1933, prisons saw more new incoming inmates than the three previous years combined.

Prisoners in the camps faced harsh working conditions. One Soviet report stated that, in early 1933, up to 15% of the prison population in [[Soviet Uzbekistan]] died monthly. During this time, prisoners were getting around {{convert|300|Cal|kJ}} worth of food a day. Many inmates attempted to flee, causing an upsurge in coercive and violent measures. Camps were directed "not to spare bullets".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Khlevniuk|first1=Oleg |title=The History of the Gulag|date=2004|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New Haven|page=61}}</ref>