How Stalin starved Ukraine

Vox2 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.
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