Stalin and Famine in Ukraine: Reasons and The Results of Ukrainian Genocide, Holodomor

Many people think that a genocide is simply just terrorism that occurs, however a genocide means something much more stronger than that, it is the complete annihilation of a whole civilization. Genocide is “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.” Genocide is the slaughtering of people in a country. Ukraine has been dealing with Joseph Stalin, a dictator from the Soviet Union, who has been attacking Ukraine as a result of his political visions. It has lead to a downfall and decline of many of the country’s aspects; governmentally, financially, militarily, and socially. This, of course, includes a huge destruction of places and a massive massacre and killing of people. We will talk about when and where it took place, who committed the genocide, why did the genocide take place, and how does the country deal with the genocide today.

A famine swept through The Soviet Union 1932 and 1933. It began with many peasants who were forced off their lands to join state farms, which is called collectivization There was a great demand in food supplies, because there were shortages. Stealing and theft started happening, “At the height of the crisis, organized teams of policemen and local Party activists, motivated by hunger, fear, and a decade of hateful propaganda, entered peasant households and took everything edible: potatoes, beets, squash, beans, peas, and farm animals. ” There was also a cordon, which is a line or circle of soldiers and police, that was made to prevent escape around the Ukrainian Republic.

The results were that at least 5 million people died from hunger across the Soviet Union. These included 4 million Ukrainians who were deprived from food. Stalin was born in part of the Soviet Union in Russia in 1878. He was living in poverty with his two parents. He earned a scholarship in a seminary in order to get educated which he was then expelled from. After finishing he started getting included in criminal activities such as bank robberies and some conspiracies against the government and he started becoming rebellious against the Russian government and the Soviet Union. This lead to the start of his career as a dictator to lead the start of the Ukrainian genocide. He entered the Ukraine in 1932 and decided to kill all people who were trying to seek independence from his rule and dictatorship. He committed this genocide by deliberately causing a famine to starve the Ukrainians to death. It is estimated that he caused 7,000,000 people to perish; this is the cruelest act Ukraine has ever experienced in modern history.

This genocide was initiated by Stalin because he wanted to become in control of the Ukraine after it had seeked independence from the Russian Czars whom had ruled them for 200 years. As he belonged to the Soviet Union, which was the regime following the Czars, it was one of his missions to rule and retrieve the country that belonged to them in history. However, people in the Ukraine were very rebellious against his regime as it was the first time they became independent since the Russian Imperials had ruled them, but Stalin thought it was unacceptable and wanted to rule by force. This resulted in him committing this genocide that destroyed a whole population. Of course the country wouldn’t simply sit back and do nothing and watch the people die. It took action and matters into its own hands. To put down the rebellion, soviet secret police and troops swept into the streets. “They confronted rowdy farmers by firing warning shots above their heads.” However, sometimes they fired directly at people. On the other hand, Stalin also has a secret police, which is the GPU. The GPU worked on campaigns of terror, and made squads to kill uncooperative farmers. Other than the country the took action, the people also started refusing to work and left unharvested fields. In return, Stalin made a policy directly to starve people and, of course, many people died.

The genocide ende by Stalin allowing food distribution in Ukraine and Hitler’s troops started entering, leading to another reign of terror. In conclusion, in the years of 1932 and 1933, the Soviet Union, including Ukraine, was facing a horrible genocide. Where it took place, who committed the genocide, why did the genocide take place, and how does the country deal with the genocide today are very important points that should be essentially known to be able to fully analyze and comprehend the situation. Stalin had his own troops and squads to kill farmers and he made a massive famine that swept throughout the country, leading to almost 5 million deaths. People were killed, starved, and manipulated. The government sent troops and soldiers to handle the situation happening even though Stalin fought back. Local people also started refusing to do what they wanted and showed some power.