The USSR's Great Famine of 1932-3 was caused by a combination of aggressive requisitioning of foodstuffs by the state, the sale of grain abroad, persecution of farmers, and the general mismanagement of the countryside following Joseph Stalin's collectivisation of agriculture from 1929. Historians continue to debate whether the famine, especially in Ukraine, was entirely engineered or merely exacerbated by Stalin's brutal policies of repression and the general economic incompetence of the Soviet state. Over nine million people died as a direct result of the famine, which in some regions lasted until 1934.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/3021/the-ussrs-great-famine-of-1932-3/.
Join the Conversation
- Is there a related topic you'd like to see covered?
- Is there anything you'd change or add?
- Does this match what you've learned about the topic before?
Is there anything you'd like to ask about this article? Ask away — and if you spot something that should be covered, that's useful to know too.