In 1948, the United Nations defined genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group….” The Ukrainian Famine, which lasted from 1932-1933 was a famine in the Soviet controlled Republic of Ukraine, in which more than 7 million people perished and died from starvation. This famine, also known as the Holodomor, was true to the meaning; people were not being sacrificed for a cause, instead they were dying for no reason whatsoever. Learning lessons from history, especially the Ukrainian Holodomor, is crucial to prevent unjustified deaths with unnecessary suffering in the future.
In 1912, Joseph Stalin was appointed by Vladimir Lenin to serve on the first central committee of …show more content…
A specific group of people, known as Kurkuls, or Kulaks in Russia, were successful, and therefore profitable farmers. They usually owned 24 or more acres or employed farm workers. Government officials believed that if there was any resistance, it would be led by the Kulaks. They were declared “enemies of the people.” In fact, Stalin even stated that he was focusing on “liquidating the Kulaks as a class.” Eventually, anyone who resisted collectivization was rendered a Kulak. Soon, the effects of collectivization took a big toll on the Kulaks, including taxes being raised and greater grain quotas. Meanwhile, the people leading the collectivization were government officials who had little or no experience in farming. Many had not been trained. They often led by striking fear and being cruel and abusing their power. This is one of the major reasons so many died in the …show more content…
The Kulaks as a class were destroyed, as well as an entire nation of small farmers. Stalin’s immediate goals were now achieved, and he let the food supply resume. The famine started to recede. It took a long time for the Ukrainians to recover. Russian settlers started to move in and were required to bury the dead and revive the forgotten fields. Stalin continued to deny the famine, and exported millions of tons of grain, which could’ve fed all the millions of starving people. “The national question is in essence a rural question,” Stalin stated. He was determined to "teach a lesson through famine" to the Republic of Ukraine, especially its rural population. At the end, nearly 25% of Ukraine’s population, or 7 million people, including 3 million children had
In 1912, Joseph Stalin was appointed by Vladimir Lenin to serve on the first central committee of …show more content…
A specific group of people, known as Kurkuls, or Kulaks in Russia, were successful, and therefore profitable farmers. They usually owned 24 or more acres or employed farm workers. Government officials believed that if there was any resistance, it would be led by the Kulaks. They were declared “enemies of the people.” In fact, Stalin even stated that he was focusing on “liquidating the Kulaks as a class.” Eventually, anyone who resisted collectivization was rendered a Kulak. Soon, the effects of collectivization took a big toll on the Kulaks, including taxes being raised and greater grain quotas. Meanwhile, the people leading the collectivization were government officials who had little or no experience in farming. Many had not been trained. They often led by striking fear and being cruel and abusing their power. This is one of the major reasons so many died in the …show more content…
The Kulaks as a class were destroyed, as well as an entire nation of small farmers. Stalin’s immediate goals were now achieved, and he let the food supply resume. The famine started to recede. It took a long time for the Ukrainians to recover. Russian settlers started to move in and were required to bury the dead and revive the forgotten fields. Stalin continued to deny the famine, and exported millions of tons of grain, which could’ve fed all the millions of starving people. “The national question is in essence a rural question,” Stalin stated. He was determined to "teach a lesson through famine" to the Republic of Ukraine, especially its rural population. At the end, nearly 25% of Ukraine’s population, or 7 million people, including 3 million children had