Gulags were the worst kind of exploitation; that is why we always were anti-Stalinist and always identified the USSR as 'state capitalism'! The fact that a state 'claims' socialism does not mean it 'is' socialist, just as North Korea claiming 'democratic' people's republic does not mean it is 'democratic'. Clear?
What about the millions killed in China and Cambodia? When do you look at the system you are proposing and understand it has been a disaster during its slow and inevitable economic implosion?