Russia: Totalitarianism and Punishment

Masha Gessen has traced the lives of 4 Russians born as the Soviet Union crumbled. Daniel Beer won the Cundill History Prize for his history of punishment in Tsarist times. Mary Dejevsky writes and reports on Russian politics now. Philip Dodd presents.

Masha Gessen's book is called The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.
Daniel Beer's prize winning book is The House of the Dead: Siberian Exile under the Tsars

Producer: Robyn Read

Image: The Prison Castle, a strict regime prison in Tobolsk, Siberia, was built during 1838-1855. Photo by Alexander Aksakov / Getty Images.