Red Arctic

Red Arctic tells the history of Stalinist Russia's massive campaign to explore and develop its Northern territories during the 1930s. McCannon tells the dramatic stories of the polar expeditions - conducted by foot, ship, and plane - which were the pride of Stalinist Russia, to expose the reality behind them: chaotic blunders, bureaucratic competition, and the eventual rise of the GULAG as the dominant force in the North.
Dramatic stories of the first polar explorations, the record-breaking flights and rescues by both foot and ice-breaker.
First examination of the Stalinist creation of the myth of the arctic in the face of the rise of the GULAG.