The Ukrainian Genocide

For one, this was the most brutal genocide because of the people’s suffering caused by the horrific orders of violence as well as the famine itself. These actions were carried out by the Joint State Political Directorate. The Ukrainian citizens experienced deportations to Siberia (left without shelter or food) as well as mass arrests and executions at the hands of the OGPU and armed troops ("Holodomor: The Famine-genocide of Ukraine”). Armed brigades conducted food seizures in villages and military blockades were erected around villages as well as around the country to prevent people from leaving and food from entering (Krawczewski). The horrific treatment of the citizens during this time resulted in many deaths and suffering of the people.
Joseph Stalin specifically started the famine and targeted Ukrainian farmers to remove them from society in order to quell feelings of nationalism and uprising in the country. The Kulak farmers made up the majority of the population and so Stalin targeted the Kulak class of farmers because he “believed any future uprising would be led by the Kulaks, who were pro-Tsarist and anti-Soviet, thus he implemented policies intended to eliminate the Kulaks as a class of Ukrainian farmers” (Krawczewski). The Kulaks did not support Stalin’s government and so he viewed that class of farmers as a threat. All of Stalin’s actions against Ukraine (the arrests, deportations, and collectivization policies) specifically targeted the private farmers in order to prevent uprisings against him. Therefore, the genocide was thought out and brutally planned with one goal in mind, submission of the country. Later, the famine affected many more rural farmers as it was created solely to punish the Ukrainian people. Stalin did not just merrily order the country to export tons of grain, he ensured that the people would starve to death in the processes. In order to create the famine, the “Soviet Union increased production quotas that were impossible to meet, cut rations to those still in Ukraine, and coordinated food seizures in Ukrainian villages. This resulted in widespread malnutrition and starvation” (Krawczewski). The Soviet Union purposely increased the productions quotas for the country and slowly wiped out all other existing food supplies. The resulting starvation from this purposeful famine was meticulously and cruelly thought out. Ukraine ended up exporting huge amounts of grain even as the people farming it were starving. Even though there was a surplus amount, all the grain was taken away from the Ukrainian people. Certainly, the specific targeting of the farming