Stalin and the Ukrainian Famine

Paper Summary:

This paper argues the thesis that, while there does exist evidence supporting the contention that the Ukrainian famine must be understood in terms of the Soviet regime's policy of collectivization, nonetheless Stalin bears primary personal responsibility for the famine. The paper then attempts to demonstrate that the famine was a consequence of two distinct policy directives of the Soviet leadership under Stalin with regards to the famine: the total collectivization of agriculture as an element of the modernization plans of the Soviet Union and use of terror as a weapon to control unsettled and potentially rebellious populations and groups.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Historical Debate
The Failed Policy Theory
The Famine of Terror - Stalin's Famine in a Larger Context
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"It should be noted that historians disagree with Ellman on this point, and argue that the mass deportation plan was abandoned not because Stalin saw Famine as being more efficient, but because "of the unwillingness and inability of the regional authorities to assimilate such a large number of people" (Davies and Wheatcroft 630). However, a critical reader would note that this objection does not actually contradict Ellman's argument. It is undeniable that Stalin and the Soviet leadership decided to abandon the mass deportation policy at this time. However, Ellman's primary contention - that the existence of the mass deportation policy as an example of Stalin's intention to use Terror as a political weapon on a large-scale against the population of the Ukraine, occurring immediately before the Famine itself, leads to the logical conclusion that the Famine was, at least in part, an attempt to achieve the political end that Stalin was unable to achieve with mass deportation - remains fundamentally unchallenged."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davies, R.W. and Wheatcroft, Stephen. "Stalin and the Soviet Famine of 1932-1933 - A Reply to Ellman." Europe-Asia Studies. 58.4 (2006), 625-633.
• Davies, R.W. and Wheatcroft, Stephen. The Years of Hunger: Soviet Agriculture, 1931-1933. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
• Conquest, Robert. "The Great Terror: A Reassessment." Canadian Journal of History. 28.3 (1993), 545-559.
• Donovan, Gill. "Group Calls UN to Recognize Famine was an Act of Genocide." National Catholic Reporter. 39.25 (2003), 11.
• Ellman, Michael. "The Role of Leadership Perceptions and of Intent in the Soviet 1931-1934 Famine." Europe-Asia Studies. 57.6 (2005), 823-841.

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