Call number
764.6 Applebaum
Subjects
Publication
New York : Doubleday, [2017]
Description
"From the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gulag and the National Book Award finalist Iron Curtain, a revelatory history of one of Stalin's greatest crimes--the consequences of which still resonate today In 1929 Stalin launched his policy of agricultural collectivization--in effect a second Russian revolution--which forced millions of peasants off their land and onto collective farms. The result was a catastrophic famine, the most lethal in European history. At least five million people died between 1931 and 1933 in the USSR. But instead of sending relief the Soviet state made use of the catastrophe to rid itself of a political problem. In Red Famine, Anne Applebaum argues that more than three million of those dead were Ukrainians who perished not because they were accidental victims of a bad policy but because the state deliberately set out to kill them. Applebaum proves what has long been suspected: after a series of rebellions unsettled the province, Stalin set out to destroy the Ukrainian peasantry. The state sealed the republic's borders and seized all available food. Starvation set in rapidly, and people ate anything: grass, tree bark, dogs, corpses. In some cases, they killed one another for food. Devastating and definitive, Red Famine captures the horror of ordinary people struggling to survive extraordinary evil. Today, Russia, the successor to the Soviet Union, has placed Ukrainian independence in its sights once more. Applebaum's compulsively readable narrative recalls one of the worst crimes of the twentieth century, and shows how it may foreshadow a new threat to the political order in the twenty-first."--Provided by publisher.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member drmaf
Srark account of one of Stalin's worst crimes - the callously engineered extermination of up to 4 million Ukrainian in 1932-33 by forced starvation. As the author indicates, the Ukraine was a hotbed of rebellion to the Soviet cause after WWI, and a contunual source of concern to the Bolsheviks
Show More
because it was the breadbasket of the USSR. Soviet suppression of so-called "Petliurites" was savage and brutal, and was followed by a campaign of forced collectivization and "de-kulakization" (eradication of wealthier peasants whom the Soviets identified as a class enemy). Desperate to maintain grain exports to the West both toe gain much-needed hard currency and prove that the Soviet system was working, Stalin ordered the forced collection of grain even though it left the peasants at risk of starvation. This developed into a systematic policy of eliminating "unnecessary" population by blocakding off large portions of the Ukraine so no food could be brought in. The suffering was horrendous, unflinchingly detailed by Applebaum throughy oral accounts and long-suppressed records, at least 4 million men, women and children simply starved to death. Stalin vigorously suppressed the existence of the famine, aided by lickspittle reporters in the West, who actively scorned the reports passed on by those who directly observed the famine. It took literally decades for the truth to come out, in fact not until glasnost under Gorbachev was the full horror acknowledged by the Soviet Union. Applebaum concludes by showing how the Holodomor, as it became known, still affects Ukraine's tense relationship with an increasingly nationalistic Russia. Not a pleasant book to read by any means, but a fascinating account of the evil perpetrated by unyielding political ideology. Show Less
LibraryThing member atticusfinch1048
Red Famine – Stalin’s War on Ukraine
As someone from a Polish family who before the Second World War lived in the Kresy (East Poland now in Ukraine) it has always surprised me how little of this war against Ukraine and her people is not widely known in the West. My Grandfather often used it as
As a child, he lived in Podwołoczyska, a border town on the river Zbruch, and when playing alongside the river he often heard the machine gun fire of the Soviet border guards killing Ukrainians trying to escape, in order to feed their families and themselves. He would often talk of his childhood and the knowledge that on the other side of the river Zbruch, evil things were happening to Ukrainians. After 17th September 1940, my family would also feel the wrath of Stalin.
Following rural unrest in 1932, the harvest in the Soviet Union dropped by 40%, and between 1928 – 1932 the livestock fell by 50%. One of the reasons being the peasants would rather feed themselves and their families instead of handing the cattle to the Communists.
All this from Stalin’s New Economic Plans which enforced collectivisation on the people, brought resistance, the liquidation of kulaks and a famine which would extend across the Soviet Union. Better known to Ukrainians and many East Europeans as the Holodomor, since independence has meant that this episode of cruelty and killing can become better known in the West.
Stalin knew what was going on in Ukraine, and what some readers might find hard to understand is that the Holodomor was completely man- made. It was his decisions, and that of his ministers that led to the famine, through the collectivisation of land and the eviction of kulaks, identified as enemies of the Revolution.
There are some historians who dispute the fact that the famine was man-made, I happen to agree with her assessment. Like Katyn, the Holodomor was the great unmentionable, Ukrainians could not talk about or acknowledge until 1991. Now is the time to tell the world and remind it what happened and not allow Stalin to be rehabilitated.
Anne Applebaum is not afraid to investigate and write about controversial parts of history, and the world is a better place for the light being shined into the dark corners. This is an excellently researched, well written book, this is not a dry history, this is a book that draws you in, and the writing keeps you captivated. I hope this book gets a wider audience, as it is compelling and tackle the ignorance that exists.
As someone from a Polish family who before the Second World War lived in the Kresy (East Poland now in Ukraine) it has always surprised me how little of this war against Ukraine and her people is not widely known in the West. My Grandfather often used it as
Show More
an example of how evil Stalin was in the way he allowed policy, to kill people and relieve him of a troublesome part of the country of its affluence.As a child, he lived in Podwołoczyska, a border town on the river Zbruch, and when playing alongside the river he often heard the machine gun fire of the Soviet border guards killing Ukrainians trying to escape, in order to feed their families and themselves. He would often talk of his childhood and the knowledge that on the other side of the river Zbruch, evil things were happening to Ukrainians. After 17th September 1940, my family would also feel the wrath of Stalin.
Following rural unrest in 1932, the harvest in the Soviet Union dropped by 40%, and between 1928 – 1932 the livestock fell by 50%. One of the reasons being the peasants would rather feed themselves and their families instead of handing the cattle to the Communists.
All this from Stalin’s New Economic Plans which enforced collectivisation on the people, brought resistance, the liquidation of kulaks and a famine which would extend across the Soviet Union. Better known to Ukrainians and many East Europeans as the Holodomor, since independence has meant that this episode of cruelty and killing can become better known in the West.
Stalin knew what was going on in Ukraine, and what some readers might find hard to understand is that the Holodomor was completely man- made. It was his decisions, and that of his ministers that led to the famine, through the collectivisation of land and the eviction of kulaks, identified as enemies of the Revolution.
There are some historians who dispute the fact that the famine was man-made, I happen to agree with her assessment. Like Katyn, the Holodomor was the great unmentionable, Ukrainians could not talk about or acknowledge until 1991. Now is the time to tell the world and remind it what happened and not allow Stalin to be rehabilitated.
Anne Applebaum is not afraid to investigate and write about controversial parts of history, and the world is a better place for the light being shined into the dark corners. This is an excellently researched, well written book, this is not a dry history, this is a book that draws you in, and the writing keeps you captivated. I hope this book gets a wider audience, as it is compelling and tackle the ignorance that exists.
Show Less
LibraryThing member santhony
Despite reading a lot of history and biography, I knew very little about Russian history during the period between the world wars. While having seen reference to the Ukrainian famine, I was not familiar with the specifics of the tragedy, nor the details of dekulakization or the establishment of
This is a meticulously researched examination of the Ukrainian famine and the policies that led to and exacerbated it. While I cannot say that it is easy, or particularly enjoyable reading, I felt that it improved during the second half of the work. In that respect, it would perhaps be better classified as a scholarly work and more suitable for a student of the period or of political philosophy than as a work for the general public looking for an enjoyable and even educational read.
Show More
collective farms during Stalin’s early years in power.This is a meticulously researched examination of the Ukrainian famine and the policies that led to and exacerbated it. While I cannot say that it is easy, or particularly enjoyable reading, I felt that it improved during the second half of the work. In that respect, it would perhaps be better classified as a scholarly work and more suitable for a student of the period or of political philosophy than as a work for the general public looking for an enjoyable and even educational read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kronomlo
I had never even heard of the Ukrainian famine until a professor mentioned it in a lecture I was watching online. I immediately looked it up and discovered that this book was being released about three days later, a nice coincidence.
I enjoyed the book a lot, but I can see how a lot of people would
A very well-researched book, with excerpts from letters written by both high-ranking Soviet officials and Ukrainian peasants going through the famine.
I enjoyed the book a lot, but I can see how a lot of people would
Show More
not like it: it's rather grim. It describes the events of the Russian Revolution and its relation to Ukraine's refusal to join the Soviet state. All this leading up to the 1932-33 man-made famine that killed around 4.5 million people, started by Stalin. A very well-researched book, with excerpts from letters written by both high-ranking Soviet officials and Ukrainian peasants going through the famine.
Show Less
LibraryThing member busterrll
Tough read - Worse than reading about battles - Well written book about the early Stalin years in the Ukraine - Babies and whole families being sacrificed supposedly for the good of the country, but you don't tell them why. Should be required reading for high school students who thing life is so
Show More
tough. Show Less
LibraryThing member EricCostello
The story of the Holodomor, the great Ukrainian famine of the 1930s, was somewhat familiar to me; it had been covered in my Russian history courses at university in the mid-to-late 1980s. This was before the final collapse of the USSR, which unleashed a fresh supply of information from opened
Show More
archives, and that's what makes this book intriguing (and a bit frightening). We now know a great deal more about what happened, and what drove the famine. Applebaum's recital of events going back ten to fifteen years before the famine makes it clear that there was a heavy dose of payback on the part of Josef Stalin and his cronies, which makes the events all the more frightening. It's in stark contrast to the fumbling of the great Irish famine of the 1840s or the great Indian famine a century after that. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member 064
Anne Applebaum delves deep into the historical record to present evidence for her theories. In the case of this book, the theory is that the Famine was purposely constructed to punish Ukraine for its resistance and rebellion against Sovietization and collectivization. The famine was not just an
She makes a compelling case.
The chapters on collectivizing Ukraine and why and how it failed were the best section of this book, and important for any student of the early Soviet period or today’s headlines.
Show More
impersonal fact of life. It was a method designed to bring Ukraine into submission.She makes a compelling case.
The chapters on collectivizing Ukraine and why and how it failed were the best section of this book, and important for any student of the early Soviet period or today’s headlines.
Show Less
LibraryThing member etxgardener
I knew about the famine in Ukraine that caused the death of several million people, but I always thought that it was caused by the resistance of the kulaks to the collectivization of farms under Stalin’s regime in the 1930’s.
Applebaum’s book reveals that it was not so simple. In fact, it was
At the same time the Soviets attempted to stamp out the Ukrainian language and culture under the guise that Ukraine was part of Russia and not a separate entity unto itself. The echoes of what happened 90 years ago is now playing out again today in the war that Russia began against Ukraine in March 2022.
This is a must read book to understand what is happening in Eastern Europe today.
Applebaum’s book reveals that it was not so simple. In fact, it was
Show More
a a planned genocide by the Soviet government. Masterminded by Stalin’s suspicious mind, Ukrainian peasant were not forced onto collective farms. Instead, those who resisted collectivization were systematically starved, first through blacklists that deprived them access of modern farm implements, seeds & fertilizer, and then by squads of enforcers who searched their homes and property for any kind of food (or items to cook like grains) and confiscated it. The government then instituted a news blackout on what was happening in an attempt to hide their actions from the world.At the same time the Soviets attempted to stamp out the Ukrainian language and culture under the guise that Ukraine was part of Russia and not a separate entity unto itself. The echoes of what happened 90 years ago is now playing out again today in the war that Russia began against Ukraine in March 2022.
This is a must read book to understand what is happening in Eastern Europe today.
Show Less
Awards
Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize (Winner — 2017)
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (Longlist — 2017)
Cundill History Prize (Longlist — 2018)
PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize (Shortlist — 2018)
Lionel Gelber Prize (Winner — 2018)
Similar in this library
Status
Available
Call number
ISBN
9780804170888