Stalin purposefully set grain production quotas in 1931 that were significantly higher than what Soviet farmers could produce. These impossible quotas, which far exceeded Ukraine’s best output in the pre-collective years, were not met by a single village in that year. Stalin’s men raided farms to seize all the grain they could find when farmers didn’t meet these quotas.
Documents indicate that in 1932 alone, the Soviet Union stole more than 4 million tons of grain from Ukraine. In the same year, a new law came into effect punishing anyone found to have taken even a handful of grain or to have hidden bread or grain, with ten years in prison or even death. A famine began to spread throughout the Soviet Union’s grain-producing regions as a result of Stalin’s harsh collection policy.
A few party members begged Stalin to alter policy in letters they sent him regarding the escalating crisis. And this is what makes it so evil—a government can change its policies at the conclusion of the first famine year if it truly cares about its citizens. Rather, the party and the government actually tightened their grip. In many regions of the Soviet Union, the famine was deadly due to the government’s commitment to collectivization. However, Stalin’s demand that the Ukrainian people submit to him completely exacerbated the effects of the famine.
Fall and winter of 1932 saw the Soviet police seizing anything edible, including livestock, in addition to grain. In Ukraine, farms and occasionally entire villages were ‘blacklisted’ for not meeting their grain quotas, their food was torn apart, and they were not allowed to receive supplies. Knowing that Ukrainians were emigrating in January 1933 in search of food, Stalin sealed off Ukraine’s borders and controlled the flow of people from the country’s rural areas to its cities. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian villagers were forced to return home to starve after being discovered attempting to escape in the months that followed. This was a deliberate eradication of the peasantry. People searched rivers and streams as well as other locations for food. They even started consuming their pets and animals. They even started catching birds on trees and consuming mice and other food sources they came across. People were in such extreme desperation that some ate the flesh of dead animals while others turned to cannibalism. People ate corpses of people; parents eating their children and vice versa.
However, Ukrainians battled for their lives despite this unspeakable suffering. Rural areas were primarily affected by the Holodomor. Some had to figure out how to make it. For instance, at night they excavated holes beneath trees. Barrels used for dumping grain were placed inside the holes, and the barrels were then covered with dirt. Then, they would grind that grain into flour at night and bake some improvised bread. To avoid anyone noticing the smoke emanating from their homes, they would carry out the task at night.
Needless to say, horrific things could be witnessed like a mother dying of starvation with the police taking away children. Bodies got bloated and could not get up. Following a peak in May and June of 1933, the famine began to gradually abate. It was probably due to a debilitated labor force that the Soviet government eventually moved to reduce arrests and grain seizures. By 1934, most regions collectivized. Almost all farmers were working for the state, that is, they were employed by the government. The exact toll of the Holodomor remains unknown, but a study titled ‘Demography of a man-made human catastrophe: The case of massive famine in Ukraine 1932-1933’ approximated the deaths of almost 4 million Ukrainians. Other regions that suffered greatly included the North Caucasus, home to a sizable Ukrainian population. Additionally, Kazakhstan lost at least one-third of its population further east. The Holodomor claimed so many lives that the Soviet Union was forced to send workers to Ukraine in order to replenish its labor force.
Resettling those areas in order to cultivate the land was the primary objective. Though mostly from Russia, there were settlers brought in from other regions of the Soviet Union. Over the years, a number of other campaigns were sparked by this resettlement program. Here, in the east and south—regions still home to sizable Russian populations—many Russians relocated.
The Holodomor – a blueprint that mirrors how the current war on farmers is being repeated (part two)
Stalin purposefully set grain production quotas in 1931 that were significantly higher than what Soviet farmers could produce. These impossible quotas, which far exceeded Ukraine’s best output in the pre-collective years, were not met by a single village in that year. Stalin’s men raided farms to seize all the grain they could find when farmers didn’t meet these quotas.
Documents indicate that in 1932 alone, the Soviet Union stole more than 4 million tons of grain from Ukraine. In the same year, a new law came into effect punishing anyone found to have taken even a handful of grain or to have hidden bread or grain, with ten years in prison or even death. A famine began to spread throughout the Soviet Union’s grain-producing regions as a result of Stalin’s harsh collection policy.
A few party members begged Stalin to alter policy in letters they sent him regarding the escalating crisis. And this is what makes it so evil—a government can change its policies at the conclusion of the first famine year if it truly cares about its citizens. Rather, the party and the government actually tightened their grip. In many regions of the Soviet Union, the famine was deadly due to the government’s commitment to collectivization. However, Stalin’s demand that the Ukrainian people submit to him completely exacerbated the effects of the famine.
Fall and winter of 1932 saw the Soviet police seizing anything edible, including livestock, in addition to grain. In Ukraine, farms and occasionally entire villages were ‘blacklisted’ for not meeting their grain quotas, their food was torn apart, and they were not allowed to receive supplies. Knowing that Ukrainians were emigrating in January 1933 in search of food, Stalin sealed off Ukraine’s borders and controlled the flow of people from the country’s rural areas to its cities. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian villagers were forced to return home to starve after being discovered attempting to escape in the months that followed. This was a deliberate eradication of the peasantry. People searched rivers and streams as well as other locations for food. They even started consuming their pets and animals. They even started catching birds on trees and consuming mice and other food sources they came across. People were in such extreme desperation that some ate the flesh of dead animals while others turned to cannibalism. People ate corpses of people; parents eating their children and vice versa.
However, Ukrainians battled for their lives despite this unspeakable suffering. Rural areas were primarily affected by the Holodomor. Some had to figure out how to make it. For instance, at night they excavated holes beneath trees. Barrels used for dumping grain were placed inside the holes, and the barrels were then covered with dirt. Then, they would grind that grain into flour at night and bake some improvised bread. To avoid anyone noticing the smoke emanating from their homes, they would carry out the task at night.
Needless to say, horrific things could be witnessed like a mother dying of starvation with the police taking away children. Bodies got bloated and could not get up. Following a peak in May and June of 1933, the famine began to gradually abate. It was probably due to a debilitated labor force that the Soviet government eventually moved to reduce arrests and grain seizures. By 1934, most regions collectivized. Almost all farmers were working for the state, that is, they were employed by the government. The exact toll of the Holodomor remains unknown, but a study titled ‘Demography of a man-made human catastrophe: The case of massive famine in Ukraine 1932-1933’ approximated the deaths of almost 4 million Ukrainians. Other regions that suffered greatly included the North Caucasus, home to a sizable Ukrainian population. Additionally, Kazakhstan lost at least one-third of its population further east. The Holodomor claimed so many lives that the Soviet Union was forced to send workers to Ukraine in order to replenish its labor force.
Resettling those areas in order to cultivate the land was the primary objective. Though mostly from Russia, there were settlers brought in from other regions of the Soviet Union. Over the years, a number of other campaigns were sparked by this resettlement program. Here, in the east and south—regions still home to sizable Russian populations—many Russians relocated.