How Stalin starved Ukraine

Summary

The script explores the Holodomor, a man-made famine in Ukraine orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1932 to 1933, resulting in millions of deaths. The story is narrated through the personal recollections of Lydia, a survivor, and her family's experience. Stalin’s policies of forced collectivization, grain confiscation, and brutal repression devastated Ukraine, with millions starved or killed. The script also discusses Stalin's efforts to cover up the famine through disinformation and suppression of historical records. Despite international denial, the Holodomor is now recognized as genocide, highlighting the horrors and ongoing implications of Stalin’s regime.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Holodomor was a man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933, and is considered by many to be genocide.
• 😀 Stalin's collectivization policy aimed to gain control of Ukrainian agriculture and forced farmers to consolidate their land into state-run farms.
• 😀 The famine was exacerbated by Stalin's need for total control over Ukraine, and the Soviet Union's refusal to address the crisis.
• 😀 The Soviet government confiscated millions of tons of grain from Ukraine, leaving the population without food, while punitive laws punished anyone caught trying to hide food.
• 😀 Stalin closed Ukraine's borders and prevented migration, trapping people in villages where they faced starvation.
• 😀 Ukrainians resorted to desperate measures to survive, including eating pets, animals found on the road, and even resorting to cannibalism.
• 😀 Survivors, like Lydia, used clever methods to hide and make food, such as hiding grain underground and making bread at night to avoid detection.
• 😀 Despite the devastating famine, some people fought to help others survive, as Lydia did by sneaking food to bloated, dying neighbors.
• 😀 The famine in Ukraine was covered up by Stalin, who used propaganda to deny its existence, and prevented foreign correspondents from reporting on it.
• 😀 The Holodomor is increasingly recognized as genocide, but Russia continues to deny responsibility and propagates disinformation about the event.
• 😀 Similar disinformation tactics used during the Holodomor are being employed in Russia's current invasion of Ukraine, rewriting history and perpetuating false narratives.

Q & A

What was the Holodomor and why is it considered genocide?

The Holodomor was a man-made famine that occurred in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933. It is considered genocide because it was orchestrated by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet government, targeting Ukrainian peasants, intellectuals, and religious figures in an effort to crush Ukrainian national identity and ensure Soviet control. The famine was exacerbated by policies such as forced grain requisitions and the sealing of borders to prevent people from fleeing.

How did Stalin's policies contribute to the famine in Ukraine?

Stalin's policies, including the collectivization of agriculture, imposed unrealistic grain quotas, and confiscated grain from Ukrainian farmers, directly contributed to the famine. He also targeted resistant farmers by labeling them as 'kulaks' and seized their property. The Soviet government also restricted the movement of people and prohibited any outside aid, causing widespread starvation.

Why did Stalin need to control Ukraine's grain production?

Stalin needed control over Ukraine's grain production to fund the rapid industrialization of the Soviet Union, particularly in areas like coal, electricity, and steel. By seizing Ukraine's crops and selling them to the West, Stalin aimed to gather resources to finance the Five Year Plan and strengthen Soviet power.

What strategies did Stalin use to hide the famine from the world?

Stalin used a combination of censorship, disinformation, and outright denial to cover up the famine. He banned foreign correspondents from reporting in Ukraine, controlled Soviet media coverage, and even manipulated death certificates to avoid acknowledging starvation as a cause of death. He also discredited journalists who exposed the truth, such as Gareth Jones.

How did Ukrainian citizens try to survive the Holodomor?

Ukrainian citizens resorted to extreme measures to survive the famine, including eating pets, rodents, and even human flesh. Many tried to sneak food and supplies in secret to avoid being caught. Some, like Lydia in the script, took significant risks to help neighbors and preserve what little food they could find.

What role did propaganda play during the Holodomor?

Propaganda played a crucial role in justifying the famine and driving the wedge between the government and Ukrainian farmers. Stalin's regime labeled resistant farmers as 'kulaks' and used this term to dehumanize and vilify them. The state-controlled narrative also downplayed the severity of the famine, depicting it as a mere 'food shortage' rather than a deliberate act of genocide.

What happened to the survivors of the Holodomor after the famine subsided?

After the famine, many survivors faced long-term trauma and loss. The Soviet regime resettled people from other parts of the USSR, particularly Russia, to replace the lost labor force. This resulted in demographic shifts in Ukraine, with a large influx of Russians, further complicating the country's cultural and political landscape.

Why did Stalin's actions during the Holodomor go largely unchallenged in the West?

The West, particularly through figures like Walter Duranty, downplayed or ignored the famine. Stalin's regime worked to keep the world uninformed through media control and disinformation campaigns. Additionally, Western nations were reluctant to engage in Soviet politics and preferred to maintain diplomatic relations with the USSR.

How did Stalin's policies impact Ukrainian culture and national identity?

Stalin's policies sought to destroy Ukrainian culture by targeting intellectuals, religious figures, and cultural leaders. The destruction of churches, the purge of intellectuals, and the imposition of Soviet control over Ukrainian agriculture were part of a larger strategy to erase Ukrainian identity and force the population into submission.

What recognition has the Holodomor received in recent years?

In recent years, the Holodomor has been recognized by more than a dozen countries as a genocide. Scholars, including Raphael Lemkin, have applied the term 'genocide' to the Holodomor due to the targeted extermination of Ukrainian intellectuals, farmers, and the destruction of their cultural institutions. However, Russia has consistently denied its responsibility for the famine.