Study on Holodomor
Madeleine Stoll
Rough Draft
Holodomor
“If you do not hear from us again, you can be sure we are not alive. We are either getting it for this letter, or we are through. The agony of living and dying of hunger is so painful and so long. What torture it is to live in hunger and know you are dying slowly of hunger.” (Hunger in the Ukraine) Extreme hunger killed the Ukrainian people, not because of famine, but because of a man who did not care. Stalin’s act of genocide against the Ukrainian people and all of Russia was its darkest days. Walter Duranty hid the truth of the Holodomor from the American people, but as time went by, the truth was brought to light. The starvation of the Ukrainian people was due to Stalin’s insatiable thirst for power which was hidden from the world by Walter Duranty.
The Holodomor was the time period of extermination by hunger against the Ukrainian people. “Holo” means hunger and “mor” means extermination or to eliminate in the Ukrainian language. (Naimark 70) Stalin’s blueprint was implemented in 1928 concentrating on the development of iron and steel, electric power and transport, and machine-tools. Joseph Stalin set the targets for the Soviet Union workforces extremely high. “He demanded an 1115 increase in coal production, 200% increase in iron production, and 335% increase in electric power.” (Five Year Plan) He claimed that if rapid industrialization did not occur; the Soviet Union would not be able to defend itself against an invasion from entrepreneurial countries in the west. (Five Year Plan) There were two essential stages during Stalin’s plan which shaped the outcome of the Soviet Union. In 1930-1931, the famine broke out and threatened entire parts of the country. The second stage was in 1932-1933 when the Ukrainians in particular were given no opportunity to seek or receive help, leaving them to starve to death. (Naimark 75) One piece of Stalin’s plan was to turn the single economic farms into groups of government collective
Rough Draft
Holodomor
“If you do not hear from us again, you can be sure we are not alive. We are either getting it for this letter, or we are through. The agony of living and dying of hunger is so painful and so long. What torture it is to live in hunger and know you are dying slowly of hunger.” (Hunger in the Ukraine) Extreme hunger killed the Ukrainian people, not because of famine, but because of a man who did not care. Stalin’s act of genocide against the Ukrainian people and all of Russia was its darkest days. Walter Duranty hid the truth of the Holodomor from the American people, but as time went by, the truth was brought to light. The starvation of the Ukrainian people was due to Stalin’s insatiable thirst for power which was hidden from the world by Walter Duranty.
The Holodomor was the time period of extermination by hunger against the Ukrainian people. “Holo” means hunger and “mor” means extermination or to eliminate in the Ukrainian language. (Naimark 70) Stalin’s blueprint was implemented in 1928 concentrating on the development of iron and steel, electric power and transport, and machine-tools. Joseph Stalin set the targets for the Soviet Union workforces extremely high. “He demanded an 1115 increase in coal production, 200% increase in iron production, and 335% increase in electric power.” (Five Year Plan) He claimed that if rapid industrialization did not occur; the Soviet Union would not be able to defend itself against an invasion from entrepreneurial countries in the west. (Five Year Plan) There were two essential stages during Stalin’s plan which shaped the outcome of the Soviet Union. In 1930-1931, the famine broke out and threatened entire parts of the country. The second stage was in 1932-1933 when the Ukrainians in particular were given no opportunity to seek or receive help, leaving them to starve to death. (Naimark 75) One piece of Stalin’s plan was to turn the single economic farms into groups of government collective
Cited: Duranty, Walter. "Russians Hungry, but Not Starving." New York Times 31 Mar. 1933: n. pag. New York Times. New York Times. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://hngraphical.proquest.com.proxy.worthingtonlibraries.org/hnweb/hnpl/do/document?set=searchalleras&start=51&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B99218053&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B99218053>. Duranty, Walter. "Soviet Peasants Hide Seed Grain." New York Times 11 Feb. 1933: n. pag. New York Times. New York Times. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://hngraphical.proquest.com.proxy.worthingtonlibraries.org/hnweb/hnpl/do/document?set=searchalleras&start=1&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B105114191&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B105114191>. Korsakoff, F. Rimsky. "Russian Kulaks in Sad Condition." New York Times. New York Times, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://hngraphical.proquest.com.proxy.worthingtonlibraries.org/hnweb/hnpl/do/document?set=searchalleras&start=26&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B105119967&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B105119967>. Oak, Liston M., ed. "Conditopns in Russia Found Not so Black." New York Times. New York Times, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://hngraphical.proquest.com.proxy.worthingtonlibraries.org/hnweb/hnpl/do/document?set=searchalleras&start=26&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-article-image;105119966&mylisturn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-citation;105119966>. Perloff, James. "Secret Holocaust." Gale Student Resources. N.p., 16 Feb. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SUIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&source=&sortBy=&displayGroups=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA194331804&userGroupName=wort59259&jsid=3b80c114118b61d2e1f972fc2c6c04dc>. Shutock, Katherine E. "Hunger in the Ukraine." New York Times. New York Times, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://hngraphical.proquest.com.proxy.worthingtonlibraries.org/hnweb/hnpl/do/document?set=searchalleras&start=1&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B105123465&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B105123465>. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2012. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSfive.htm>.