Ukraine, 1932, thousands upon thousands starve at the hands of Stalin' regiment. The people suffered a man-made famine with no one to help them. It's called the Holodomor and went unnoticed by the world until about 50 years later.
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What Was The Holodomor?
The Holodomor was the intentional famine made by Stalin to strike fear in the hearts of the people. It was meant to teach the people, " 'a lesson they would not forget.'" for resisting collectivization, which meant giving up their land and livestock to the state. (Ukraine was then under Soviet domination). Moreover, it was meant to deal 'a crushing blow' to any national aspirations, or hopes, of the Ukrainian people, 80 percent of whom were peasant farmers."(HOLODOMOR) Ukrainians were dying at a rate of 25,000 a day and half of those 25,000 people were children. (Holodomor Facts)
"Holodomor: Memories of Ukraine's Silent Massacre - BBC News."
What Caused The Holodomor?
The Holodomor's exact cause is still under debate by governments of the world. Whether or not this was caused by the corrupt ways of the government or because of other reasons such as the ruler not wanting the less wealthy to have part in society, is unknown and being debated still to this day. But one thing is not debatable. For whatever reason the government had, it was intentional.
Did Other Countries Find Out?
The people of Ukraine starved silently as Stalin denied the famine that blanketed the nation. "While millions of men, women and children in Ukraine and in the mostly ethnically Ukrainian areas of the northern Caucasus were dying, the Soviet Union was denying the famine and exporting enough grain from Ukraine to have fed the entire population." (HOLODOMOR) And the worst part is, no one even noticed until 50 years had passed.
"HolodomorInfo.com." HolodomorInfocom. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
The Aftermath Of The Holodomor
The aftermath of the Holodomor leaves the nation's poor struggling to recover. Whispers had been tossed in some parts of America about the famine, but nothing was ever conclusive at that time. "The Holodomor was kept out of official discourse until the late 1980's, shortly before Ukraine won its independence in 1991. With the fall of the Soviet Union, previously inaccessible archives, as well as the long suppressed oral testimony of Holodomor survivors living in Ukraine, have yielded massive evidence offering incontrovertible proof of Ukraine's tragic famine genocide of the 1930's." (Holodomor Facts) And in 2006 it was classified as an intentional act of genocide.
"Holodomor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
The Holodomor seemed to have come and gone in almost complete silence and still to this day, very few have even heard the name Holodomor. We cannot let this genocide slip past us. People died and if we do not share their story, their lives will be forgotten. The Holodomor was a real act that will not be forgotten.
"Sisler Remembers." Remembering Holodomor. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.