The Holodomor: The Genocide Of The World
The Holodomor
In 1932 and 1933, Ukraine took part in one of the biggest genocides the world has ever seen. Although unlike the Holocaust, it never really got much exposure due to the Soviet Union’s tactics of hiding this disaster. The Soviet Union made sure no foreign journalists were able to enter the country, although they did allow a few communist journalists to view what was happening. These communist journalists wrote lies saying that they didn’t see any evidence of the Ukrainian people being starved (Perloff). This tragic event seamlessly went unnoticed to many people, but the Ukrainians would never forget what happened. Ukraine had always been under the rule of the Imperial Czars of Russia. But in March 1917, an opportunity …show more content…
had emerged for the Ukrainians with the recent collapse of the Czarist rule. They declared themselves as an independent people’s republic. As Vladimir Lenin emerged as the first leader of the Soviet Union, due to the Boolsheviks victory during the Russian Revolution, he wanted to win back Ukraine’s cooperation. Ukraine was on the top of their list due to its agriculture, hence their nickname “The Breadbasket of Europe”. Resentment for Lenin built up after the bloodshed that happened in Ukraine from the Russian Revolution, and Lenin knew something must be done. To keep Ukraine’s cooperation he let them keep most of their national culture. They were able to retain the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and non-communist Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. But once Lenin was out of power, a man of the name Joseph Stalin ascended and took his place of power (Perloff). Joseph Stalin has been known to be one of the most ruthless men to ever hold power. He noticed that the Ukrainians were starting to get national spirit and moving further away from the Soviet Union, which was unacceptable to him. In 1929, Stalin arrested over 5,000 Ukrainian scholars, scientists, cultural leaders, and religious leaders which were falsely accused of starting an armed revolt. Stalin then implemented collectivization which was a system of land management (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). This theory was thought to improve their production and organization of land and labor. Stalin thought that doing this would win over the people of Ukraine because the peasants would be free from the Kulaks, who were the primary landholders. He thought that if anyone were to start a revolt, it would be the Kulaks which is why he made sure that the Kulaks wouldn’t have a part in the society (“Collective Farming”). Making sure a revolt wasn’t going to break out, he sent many of the Kulaks up to Siberia. In 1932, Stalin demanded that Ukraine had to increase their grain output by 44%. This was a ridiculous number because even if Stalin didn’t send away all of the Kulaks, they still wouldn 't have been able to meet his quota. He threatened that if they weren 't able to do it then he would confiscate all the grain from everyone in Ukraine. Stalin’s army invaded the Ukrainian people’s homes and removed all the food that they could find (Perloff). From 1932 to 1933, Stalin shipped out all of Ukraine’s food until there was nothing left.
The money that was received from the wheat that was being sold to other countries went towards Stalin’s Five Year Plan to modernize the Soviet Union and to help finance his military. It was estimated that Stalin sold enough wheat to feed all of Ukraine for two years (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). They had so much excess grain that they would even dump some into the sea or let it rot right in front of the Ukrainian people’s eyes (Perloff). The Soviet Union then closed off all borders so that nobody in Ukraine could get anything in or out of the country. Anyone that got caught with food could be shot on the spot or get put in prison. Starvation started to spread throughout the country and the effects of malnutrition started taking its toll on the Ukrainian people. The Soviet Army dug deep holes where they would throw all the dead bodies that were lying around on the street. People started to cook any animals they could find, whether it was a cat, dog, or bird. They even had to resort to cannibalism (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). Some people wanted to get the agony over with so they would commit suicide if they had the strength to do it. Others would lay out on the street, too weak to even talk, and just wait until there body was reduced to just skin and bones (Perloff). At the height of the famine, they projected that about 25,000 people died every day and around 7,000,000 died …show more content…
in total. At the end on 1933, about a quarter of the Ukraine population died off (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). Since Stalin had acquired his objectives he finally allowed food to enter the country. In conclusion, Ukraine’s people were not just killed, they were humiliated and suffered a lot of pain through the tactic of starvation. Stalin’s inhumanly way of getting what he wanted made him notorious for being a ruthless leader. What’s even more sickening is that no other country or the United Nations, which formed in 1919, came to aid Ukraine or even check to see if anything was happening after they heard rumors of a genocide.
Works Cited
"Collective Farming." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
"Famine Photo." Mapa: Digital Atlas of Ukraine - Photo Archive - Category: Famine - Image: Famine Photo 6. Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
Mycak, Irene, Orest Zakydalsky, Ariadna Ochrymowych, and Markian Radomskiy. "Welcome to Share the Story." Welcome to Share the Story. Ukrainian Canadian Congress, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .
Perloff, James. "Holodomor: The Secret Holocaust in Ukraine." Holodomor: The Secret Holocaust in Ukraine. The New American, 05 Feb. 09. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
"Stalin 's Forced Famine 1932-33." The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century: Stalin 's Forced Famine 1932-33. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
Terlecky, Myroslava. "My Poetic Eyes." Wordpress.com, 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
Torres, Alec. "Ukraine 's Genocide by Famine." National Review Online. National Review Online, 09 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .
"Total Direct Famine Losses of Population." Mapa: Digital Atlas of Ukraine - Map Gallery - Category: Population Losses - Image: 5. Total Direct Famine Losses of Population per 1,000 by District in Ukraine for 1933. Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
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In 1932 and 1933, Ukraine took part in one of the biggest genocides the world has ever seen. Although unlike the Holocaust, it never really got much exposure due to the Soviet Union’s tactics of hiding this disaster. The Soviet Union made sure no foreign journalists were able to enter the country, although they did allow a few communist journalists to view what was happening. These communist journalists wrote lies saying that they didn’t see any evidence of the Ukrainian people being starved (Perloff). This tragic event seamlessly went unnoticed to many people, but the Ukrainians would never forget what happened. Ukraine had always been under the rule of the Imperial Czars of Russia. But in March 1917, an opportunity …show more content…
had emerged for the Ukrainians with the recent collapse of the Czarist rule. They declared themselves as an independent people’s republic. As Vladimir Lenin emerged as the first leader of the Soviet Union, due to the Boolsheviks victory during the Russian Revolution, he wanted to win back Ukraine’s cooperation. Ukraine was on the top of their list due to its agriculture, hence their nickname “The Breadbasket of Europe”. Resentment for Lenin built up after the bloodshed that happened in Ukraine from the Russian Revolution, and Lenin knew something must be done. To keep Ukraine’s cooperation he let them keep most of their national culture. They were able to retain the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and non-communist Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. But once Lenin was out of power, a man of the name Joseph Stalin ascended and took his place of power (Perloff). Joseph Stalin has been known to be one of the most ruthless men to ever hold power. He noticed that the Ukrainians were starting to get national spirit and moving further away from the Soviet Union, which was unacceptable to him. In 1929, Stalin arrested over 5,000 Ukrainian scholars, scientists, cultural leaders, and religious leaders which were falsely accused of starting an armed revolt. Stalin then implemented collectivization which was a system of land management (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). This theory was thought to improve their production and organization of land and labor. Stalin thought that doing this would win over the people of Ukraine because the peasants would be free from the Kulaks, who were the primary landholders. He thought that if anyone were to start a revolt, it would be the Kulaks which is why he made sure that the Kulaks wouldn’t have a part in the society (“Collective Farming”). Making sure a revolt wasn’t going to break out, he sent many of the Kulaks up to Siberia. In 1932, Stalin demanded that Ukraine had to increase their grain output by 44%. This was a ridiculous number because even if Stalin didn’t send away all of the Kulaks, they still wouldn 't have been able to meet his quota. He threatened that if they weren 't able to do it then he would confiscate all the grain from everyone in Ukraine. Stalin’s army invaded the Ukrainian people’s homes and removed all the food that they could find (Perloff). From 1932 to 1933, Stalin shipped out all of Ukraine’s food until there was nothing left.
The money that was received from the wheat that was being sold to other countries went towards Stalin’s Five Year Plan to modernize the Soviet Union and to help finance his military. It was estimated that Stalin sold enough wheat to feed all of Ukraine for two years (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). They had so much excess grain that they would even dump some into the sea or let it rot right in front of the Ukrainian people’s eyes (Perloff). The Soviet Union then closed off all borders so that nobody in Ukraine could get anything in or out of the country. Anyone that got caught with food could be shot on the spot or get put in prison. Starvation started to spread throughout the country and the effects of malnutrition started taking its toll on the Ukrainian people. The Soviet Army dug deep holes where they would throw all the dead bodies that were lying around on the street. People started to cook any animals they could find, whether it was a cat, dog, or bird. They even had to resort to cannibalism (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). Some people wanted to get the agony over with so they would commit suicide if they had the strength to do it. Others would lay out on the street, too weak to even talk, and just wait until there body was reduced to just skin and bones (Perloff). At the height of the famine, they projected that about 25,000 people died every day and around 7,000,000 died …show more content…
in total. At the end on 1933, about a quarter of the Ukraine population died off (“Stalin’s Forced Famine”). Since Stalin had acquired his objectives he finally allowed food to enter the country. In conclusion, Ukraine’s people were not just killed, they were humiliated and suffered a lot of pain through the tactic of starvation. Stalin’s inhumanly way of getting what he wanted made him notorious for being a ruthless leader. What’s even more sickening is that no other country or the United Nations, which formed in 1919, came to aid Ukraine or even check to see if anything was happening after they heard rumors of a genocide.
Works Cited
"Collective Farming." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
"Famine Photo." Mapa: Digital Atlas of Ukraine - Photo Archive - Category: Famine - Image: Famine Photo 6. Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
Mycak, Irene, Orest Zakydalsky, Ariadna Ochrymowych, and Markian Radomskiy. "Welcome to Share the Story." Welcome to Share the Story. Ukrainian Canadian Congress, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .
Perloff, James. "Holodomor: The Secret Holocaust in Ukraine." Holodomor: The Secret Holocaust in Ukraine. The New American, 05 Feb. 09. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
"Stalin 's Forced Famine 1932-33." The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century: Stalin 's Forced Famine 1932-33. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
Terlecky, Myroslava. "My Poetic Eyes." Wordpress.com, 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. .
Torres, Alec. "Ukraine 's Genocide by Famine." National Review Online. National Review Online, 09 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .
"Total Direct Famine Losses of Population." Mapa: Digital Atlas of Ukraine - Map Gallery - Category: Population Losses - Image: 5. Total Direct Famine Losses of Population per 1,000 by District in Ukraine for 1933. Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
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