Part 4/7:
Yagoda was instrumental in expanding the Soviet forced labor camps known as the GULAG. He initiated numerous infrastructure projects that exploited these camps' labor. Projects like the White Sea-Baltic Canal and the Moscow-Volga Canal were marked by human suffering and extraordinary death tolls due to the harrowing conditions workers endured. Despite the disastrous outcomes, Yagoda was lauded for his contributions.
However, as the Soviet state’s oppressive measures intensified, his position would begin to erode.