Ukraine

The Holodomor was a severe famine that struck Ukraine in 1932-1933, claiming millions of lives. The primary cause of this catastrophe lay in the policies of the Soviet government led by Joseph Stalin. Some key factors included:

Collectivization policy: Farms were forcibly consolidated into collective farms and sovkhozes. Peasants lost their land and property and were forced to work for the state. This led to major disruptions in agricultural production and resistance among Ukrainian farmers.

Grain requisitions: The Soviet authorities exported grain and other food products in large quantities from Ukraine to generate export revenue, even while local residents were starving. This left insufficient food for the population.

Punitive measures and repression: Peasants who resisted collectivization policies or withheld food were severely punished. Often, the last of their food was confiscated, villages were penalized with "blacklists," and tens of thousands of people were arrested or deported.

Policy as an instrument: There is extensive historical evidence that the famine was not simply the result of crop failures or natural disasters, but was largely caused by deliberate measures by the Soviet state. Many historians and countries therefore recognize the Holodomor as a genocidal policy aimed at crushing Ukrainian resistance to Soviet power.

The term "Holodomor" literally means "death by starvation." The famine in Ukraine is distinguished from other famines in the Soviet Union by this specific combination of deliberate policy measures, national consequences, and the targeted targeting of the Ukrainian population as potential opposition to the Soviet regime.

Pascal Brackman