The Holodomor: The Famine-Genocide
Jennifer Serrano
Mrs. Altstiel
World Literature
June 6, 2018
The Holodomor: the Famine-Genocide
Introduction
The thought of being hungry is painful, but imagine what it’s like starving to death. It is estimated that over 7 million people died in Ukraine during the Holodomor, which was a man-made famine that began in 1932 (Babcock). Although it was clearly a genocide against Ukrainians, many people, especially Russians, still disagree that it is. They refuse to accept that Joseph Stalin, an admired leader of theirs, could do such an inhumane thing. The harsh reality is that Stalin targeted Ukrainians mercilessly and cold-heartedly. He took away food that they themselves harvested, their homes, their animals, and their land, while also taking …show more content…
“A severe shortfall in grain prompted Stalin to push for the collectivization of agriculture and the seizure of grain stored by the kulak farmers (farmers who owned their own land)”(Mass). To carry Stalin’s plan out, the Soviet Union set policies of mass agriculture and forced the collectivization through the First Five Year Plan of 1928, which was supposed to last up until 1933. “Through his collectivization policy, Stalin’s goal was to increase productivity from the farmers through eliminating small, privately-held farms and turning to mass agricultural policies” (“The Holodomor”). Because many people were resisting and revolting against his rule, Stalin began to starve them by taking their food, animals, and crops away. This lead towards the deaths of millions of people by either starvation, cannibalism, or …show more content…
In March 1917, the Czarist rule collapsed and Ukraine claimed themselves independent, but by the end of 1917, Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union, “sought to reclaim all of the areas formerly controlled by the Czars, especially the fertile Ukraine”(“Stalin’s Forced Famine 1932-1933”). In 1924, Joseph Stalin became the new leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin. He then went on to target Ukraine, which had a population of about 30 million people before the Famine. After Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians saw the possibility of them becoming independent very bleak once
Mrs. Altstiel
World Literature
June 6, 2018
The Holodomor: the Famine-Genocide
Introduction
The thought of being hungry is painful, but imagine what it’s like starving to death. It is estimated that over 7 million people died in Ukraine during the Holodomor, which was a man-made famine that began in 1932 (Babcock). Although it was clearly a genocide against Ukrainians, many people, especially Russians, still disagree that it is. They refuse to accept that Joseph Stalin, an admired leader of theirs, could do such an inhumane thing. The harsh reality is that Stalin targeted Ukrainians mercilessly and cold-heartedly. He took away food that they themselves harvested, their homes, their animals, and their land, while also taking …show more content…
“A severe shortfall in grain prompted Stalin to push for the collectivization of agriculture and the seizure of grain stored by the kulak farmers (farmers who owned their own land)”(Mass). To carry Stalin’s plan out, the Soviet Union set policies of mass agriculture and forced the collectivization through the First Five Year Plan of 1928, which was supposed to last up until 1933. “Through his collectivization policy, Stalin’s goal was to increase productivity from the farmers through eliminating small, privately-held farms and turning to mass agricultural policies” (“The Holodomor”). Because many people were resisting and revolting against his rule, Stalin began to starve them by taking their food, animals, and crops away. This lead towards the deaths of millions of people by either starvation, cannibalism, or …show more content…
In March 1917, the Czarist rule collapsed and Ukraine claimed themselves independent, but by the end of 1917, Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union, “sought to reclaim all of the areas formerly controlled by the Czars, especially the fertile Ukraine”(“Stalin’s Forced Famine 1932-1933”). In 1924, Joseph Stalin became the new leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin. He then went on to target Ukraine, which had a population of about 30 million people before the Famine. After Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians saw the possibility of them becoming independent very bleak once