Places of Detention in the Vologda Province in the First Years of Soviet Power (1917–1920)

Abstract

This article examines the reform of the prison system in the Vologda province in the first post-revolutionary years, drawing on historical sources, both published and archival. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the formation, development, and functioning of prisons in the region from 1917 to 1920, within the context of national processes given the specific historical conditions. The research methodology is based on the principles of objectivity, historicism, and systematicity, complemented by historical-genetic, problem-chronological, and comparative-historical methods. These methods ensure the comprehensiveness, specificity, and reliability of the obtained results. Particular attention is paid to the liquidation of most of the prisons in the Vologda province, which were deemed redundant by the Soviet inspection authority headed by M.S. Kedrov in June 1918, as well as all prisons evacuated from the Baltic states during World War I. The development of new types of penitentiary institutions (arrest and workhouses, forced labour camps, etc.) in the region is traced. The state of penitentiary institutions of various departmental jurisdictions in the province in 1920 is analysed, and the conditions of detention for various categories of prisoners and the specifics of their labour use are described. It is concluded that, given the complex political and economic situation in the country as a whole and the region in particular, and the state’s lack of necessary resources, experience, and a clear vision of what Soviet penitentiary institutions should be, their establishment at the local level was fraught with significant difficulties.

For citation: Belova N.A. Places of Detention in the Vologda Province in the First Years of Soviet Power (1917–1920). Vestnik Severnogo (Arkticheskogo) federal’nogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye i sotsial’nye nauki, 2026, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 15–26. https://doi.org/10.37482/2687-1505-V538