Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of A Novel by A. Anatoli Kuznetsov is a firsthand account of the Nazi occupation of Kiev from 1941 to 1943. Kuznetsov presents that he had began documenting events of the occupation since he was fourteen years old. The book describes the end of Soviet rule in Ukraine to Soviet liberation and the aftermath of Kiev following the Second World War. The book centers around Kiev with special attention focused on the ravine of Babi Yar where firstly Jews were brutally murder and later prisoners of war, Russians, Ukrainians, other Jews, and any citizens who presented as a threat to Nazism were executed as well. Kuznetsov combines his own personal story with testimonies of other citizens and official documents to provide
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In this sense, both Hitler and Stalin were “symbolically, ‘brothers’” for their dictatorial regimes that were spearheaded with the goals to “destroy entire peoples.” Although in common rhetoric it is falsely believed that Nazis were the only regime to use a system of concentration camps, Kuznetsov points out that the Soviet Union had a system of labour that predated that of the Nazis. Timothy Snyder supports this, mentioning that the Soviet state had a system of over 476 complex concentration camps known as the Gulag that had existed as a single system since 1931. These labour camps in many cases were extremely harsh, as death rates were high. In essence, Ukrainian liberation from the Nazis, in Kuznetsov’s opinion, was not a form of liberation at all. Rather, it was simply another form of oppression. The main difference between the regimes was where from enemies of the state resided. For Hitler; his enemies existed beyond his territory in other nations, whereas Stalin’s lied within his borders. In essence, Hitler had to conquer his enemies’ territory before he could impose damaging losses on his enemy citizens. In total, the death rates between Stalinism and Nazism are comparable; Snyder notes that between 1933 and 1938 in Stalinist Ukraine approximately 3.5 “people fell victim to Stalinist killing policies,” whereas between 1941 and 1944 another 3.5 million perished due to Nazism. This figure does not include Soviet Ukrainians who died in combat. As Kuznetsov puts it “it is not easy to say which one was worse [between Nazism and Stalinism],” ultimately highlights the dissatisfaction with the Soviet state as he recognizes the barbarism that existed within Soviet Communism prior to the
In this sense, both Hitler and Stalin were “symbolically, ‘brothers’” for their dictatorial regimes that were spearheaded with the goals to “destroy entire peoples.” Although in common rhetoric it is falsely believed that Nazis were the only regime to use a system of concentration camps, Kuznetsov points out that the Soviet Union had a system of labour that predated that of the Nazis. Timothy Snyder supports this, mentioning that the Soviet state had a system of over 476 complex concentration camps known as the Gulag that had existed as a single system since 1931. These labour camps in many cases were extremely harsh, as death rates were high. In essence, Ukrainian liberation from the Nazis, in Kuznetsov’s opinion, was not a form of liberation at all. Rather, it was simply another form of oppression. The main difference between the regimes was where from enemies of the state resided. For Hitler; his enemies existed beyond his territory in other nations, whereas Stalin’s lied within his borders. In essence, Hitler had to conquer his enemies’ territory before he could impose damaging losses on his enemy citizens. In total, the death rates between Stalinism and Nazism are comparable; Snyder notes that between 1933 and 1938 in Stalinist Ukraine approximately 3.5 “people fell victim to Stalinist killing policies,” whereas between 1941 and 1944 another 3.5 million perished due to Nazism. This figure does not include Soviet Ukrainians who died in combat. As Kuznetsov puts it “it is not easy to say which one was worse [between Nazism and Stalinism],” ultimately highlights the dissatisfaction with the Soviet state as he recognizes the barbarism that existed within Soviet Communism prior to the