How Did Joseph Stalin's Forced Famine

Stalin’s Forced Famine Throughout Europe’s history, no attack on its own people was as grueling or as cruel to its citizens as Stalin’s forced famine. These victimized people lived on farms in the “breadbasket of Europe”, which was a nickname Ukraine got for its fertile land. Stalin used his authority to deprive these people of food they had grown. During this famine, present-day Russia identified itself as the Soviet Union and Ukraine was the Ukrainian SSR.
Before Stalin’s rule, Ukraine had already fought for its independence from the 200- year rule of the Czar. The Czar fell in 1917, but by the end of the year, Vladimir Lenin had the motive to reclaim all previously Czar-ruled land. He began the decline into four years
of chaotic conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “By 1921, the battles ended with a Soviet victory while the western part of Ukraine was divided-up among Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia.” (The History Place, 1) They were once more under foreign-rule, deleting their new provincial government from existence. The Soviets not only took away Ukraine’s government, but they took large volumes of grain to Russia. "The Soviets immediately began shipping out huge amounts of grain to feed the hungry people of Moscow and other big Russian cities.” (The History Place, 1) This meant there was less food for the people of Ukraine, even those who were growing it. Despite Lenin’s harsh tactics, he wasn’t as bad as Stalin. After Lenin’s rule, Stalin replaced him, enforcing restrictions while using harsher tactics.
Lenin was less interested in the dehumanization of these people, and more so focused on the actual task of ruling them. “To lessen the deepening resentment, Lenin relaxed his grip… stopped taking out so much grain… encouraged a free-market exchange of goods. This breath of fresh air renewed the people's interest in independence and resulted in… celebrating their unique folk customs, language, poetry, music, arts, and Ukrainian orthodox religion.” (The History Place, 1) In comparison to Lenin’s tactics, Stalin kept a stronghold on the country, which included its imports, exports, as well as their manner of cultivation. He began something called collectivization. This meant that he forced peasant households together to make big farms. The main goal of this plan was to eliminate a social class called the Kulaks as a whole. He claimed that their output in cultivation could be replaced as well as increased by the concept of collectivization. “In reality, the destruction of kulaks had little to do with economic considerations. By Stalin's own admission, kulaks supplied only a fifth of the Soviet Union's marketable grain surplus…” (Krawchenko, 1). In all actuality- despite Stalin’s accusations- the peasantry and poor people made up about three quarters of the output. Due to his need to exterminate and rid Ukraine of kulaks, the entire lower class
suffered. After the seizure of their property, the kulak men, older boys, childless women, and unwed girls, were put into slavery to work in Soviet mines and big industrial areas. “The Kulaks were declared "enemies of the people," therefore they were left homeless and without a single possession as everything was taken from them. It was also forbidden by law for anyone to aid Kulak families.” This segregation of the Ukranian people was brutal, with the stripping of the kulak peoples’ property, the labor, and the high quotas they were expected to meet. Despite these hardships, the resistance continued. In some places they refused to work, so Stalin responded to the idleness of his laborers with mass starvation, killing millions.