Holodomor Genocide Essay The famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932 and 1933, also known as the Holodomor, wiped out millions of Ukrainians. The Soviet Union denied that this tragic event was genocide but some facts say different. Joseph Stalin, who was the leader of the Soviet Union during the famine, did not want Ukrainians to be independent from the Soviet Union, therefore he created the famine to target Ukrainians. Stalin did not only see Ukraine's independence as a threat, he also saw their resistance to collectivization as a threat to industrializing Russia, therefore he used industrialization as a way to eliminate the Ukrainians and he was especially harsh on people who resisted collectivization. However, that does not mean only the rebellions suffered. Every Ukrainian suffered as well. Stalin created many new laws that stood between Ukrainians and survival. With all the detailed planning that Stalin had done in order to prevent the Ukrainians from seeking independence, rebelling, and surviving, it is difficult to deny that the Holodmor was genocide. Ukraine’s independence all started when it was freed from the Czar’s control in 1917. However, Lenin took over the Soviet Union the same year and wanted to take back all the land the belonged to the Czar’s. Lenin demanded large amounts of grain from Ukraine but soon stopped and even gave them more freedom so that the Ukrainians would dislike him less. This made the Ukrainians believe in national pride again. They were proud of their language, art, customs, and religion. However, When Lenin died, Stalin took over. Stalin saw Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union as a threat because they were ethnically, culturally, and religiously different from Russia. Stalin wanted Ukraine to be under his control. Therefore he eliminated activities of the Ukrainian church. (Kuropas 2009) Priests and other people of the church were also sent away. Later on, he also got rid of the intelligentsia that
