What is the historical signifcance of Dostoevsky's The House of the Dead?

Dostoevsky's novel, The House of the
Dead, is based upon the author's personal experiences in a military prison in
Siberia; he incorporated a series in the novel based on occurrences that took place
while Dostoevsky was imprisoned.

Dostoevsky was born in
Moscow, Russia, in 1821. He had a varied education. His family was religious,
and Dostoevsky would remain so for his entire life. His mother died when he was 15. He
father was later murdered while young Dostoevsky was away at
school.

When Dostoevsky was in his late twenties, he joined
a politically subversive group known as the Petrashevsky circle; the members, including
Dostoevsky, were arrested and imprisoned in Siberia. The first several months were
especially difficult not just because of prison conditions, but because the men were
treated almost as if they were in solitary confinement. For months, no books were
available to them, and therefore, they had no diversions with which to pass their time.
Ultimately, books were allowed, generally of a religious nature, and Dostoevsky read
these.

At one point, the prisoners were transported to the
gallows. It seemed that they would be blindfolded and shot. However, very soon a pardon
was delivered, and the men were removed to prison once again; some sources report that
the entire event was a "joke." It was an experience Dostoevsky would never put behind
him: he had believed he had only moments to
live.

Dostoevsky himself spent four years in prison, and
another four in the Siberian army. Because of his experience, he was able to adopt a
credible, authentic voice when writing The House of the Dead,
having lived in such a place himself.