How Stalin starved Ukraine
Vox・10 minutes read
Stalin orchestrated the man-made famine known as the Holodomor in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 as a means of controlling the country and enforcing collectivization, resulting in widespread famine and the targeted extermination of Ukrainian farmers. Despite international recognition of the event as a genocide, Russia continues to deny historical responsibility and perpetuate disinformation to justify current attacks on Ukraine.
Insights
- Stalin's oppressive policies during the Holodomor, including forced collectivization and grain confiscations, led to a man-made famine in Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of approximately 4 million Ukrainians.
- Russia's denial of historical responsibility for the Holodomor, despite international recognition as a genocide, contributes to the perpetuation of disinformation and justifies current attacks on Ukraine, highlighting the ongoing impact of historical events on contemporary geopolitics.
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Recent questions
What was the Holodomor?
A man-made famine in Ukraine orchestrated by Stalin.
What were Stalin's Five Year Plan?
A plan to rapidly industrialize the Soviet Union.
How did Ukrainians survive the Holodomor?
By resorting to extreme measures like cannibalism.
How did Stalin intensify control in Ukraine during the Holodomor?
By targeting and exterminating the peasantry.
How did the Soviet regime respond to the Holodomor?
By denying its existence and covering it up.
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Summary
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Stalin's man-made famine: The Holodomor
- The Holodomor was a man-made famine in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, orchestrated by Stalin to maintain control over the country.
- Stalin's "Five Year Plan" aimed to industrialize the Soviet Union rapidly, leading to the collectivization of agriculture, consolidating small farms into state-run entities.
- Ukrainian farmers resisted collectivization, leading Stalin to label them as "kulaks" and launch a propaganda campaign against them.
- Stalin's oppressive policies caused a widespread famine, with quotas set beyond farmers' capacity, resulting in confiscations and arrests.
- The famine spread across the Soviet Union, but in Ukraine, Stalin intensified control, leading to targeted extermination of the peasantry.
- Ukrainians resorted to extreme measures to survive, including cannibalism, while the Soviet regime denied the famine's existence and covered it up.
- Lydia, a survivor, shared how her family hid grain to make bread clandestinely, helping others survive by sharing food.
- The famine gradually subsided in 1934 as the Soviet regime reduced grain confiscations, with an estimated 4 million Ukrainians killed during the Holodomor.
- Despite international recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide, Russia denies historical responsibility, perpetuating disinformation to justify current attacks on Ukraine.
