Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine
- Downloads：9336
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-11 07:53:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anne Applebaum
- ISBN：0141978287
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The momentous new book from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag and Iron Curtain。
In 1932-33， nearly four million Ukrainians died of starvation， having been deliberately deprived of food。 It is one of the most devastating episodes in the history of the twentieth century。 With unprecedented authority and detail， Red Famine investigates how this happened， who was responsible， and what the consequences were。 It is the fullest account yet published of these terrible events。
The book draws on a mass of archival material and first-hand testimony only available since the end of the Soviet Union， as well as the work of Ukrainian scholars all over the world。 It includes accounts of the famine by those who survived it， describing what human beings can do when driven mad by hunger。 It shows how the Soviet state ruthlessly used propaganda to turn neighbours against each other in order to expunge supposedly 'anti-revolutionary' elements。 It also records the actions of extraordinary individuals who did all they could to relieve the suffering。
The famine was rapidly followed by an attack on Ukraine's cultural and political leadership - and then by a denial that it had ever happened at all。 Census reports were falsified and memory suppressed。 Some western journalists shamelessly swallowed the Soviet line; others bravely rejected it， and were undermined and harassed。 The Soviet authorities were determined not only that Ukraine should abandon its national aspirations， but that the country's true history should be buried along with its millions of victims。 Red Famine， a triumph of scholarship and human sympathy， is a milestone in the recovery of those memories and that history。 At a moment of crisis between Russia and Ukraine， it also shows how far the present is shaped by the past。
In 1932-33， nearly four million Ukrainians died of starvation， having been deliberately deprived of food。 It is one of the most devastating episodes in the history of the twentieth century。 With unprecedented authority and detail， Red Famine investigates how this happened， who was responsible， and what the consequences were。 It is the fullest account yet published of these terrible events。
The book draws on a mass of archival material and first-hand testimony only available since the end of the Soviet Union， as well as the work of Ukrainian scholars all over the world。 It includes accounts of the famine by those who survived it， describing what human beings can do when driven mad by hunger。 It shows how the Soviet state ruthlessly used propaganda to turn neighbours against each other in order to expunge supposedly 'anti-revolutionary' elements。 It also records the actions of extraordinary individuals who did all they could to relieve the suffering。
The famine was rapidly followed by an attack on Ukraine's cultural and political leadership - and then by a denial that it had ever happened at all。 Census reports were falsified and memory suppressed。 Some western journalists shamelessly swallowed the Soviet line; others bravely rejected it， and were undermined and harassed。 The Soviet authorities were determined not only that Ukraine should abandon its national aspirations， but that the country's true history should be buried along with its millions of victims。 Red Famine， a triumph of scholarship and human sympathy， is a milestone in the recovery of those memories and that history。 At a moment of crisis between Russia and Ukraine， it also shows how far the present is shaped by the past。
Reviews
LindaJ^
，
This was one of six books recommended by the NYTimes as providing background for understanding what is happening in Ukraine right now。 It is non-fiction。 While the heart of the book is the famine in the decade plus of 1921 to 1933， that discussion is preceded and followed by more general history of the relationship between Russia/Soviet Union and Ukraine。 The author explains how important the language spoken by the people living in the Ukrainian countryside was to the development of a nationalis This was one of six books recommended by the NYTimes as providing background for understanding what is happening in Ukraine right now。 It is non-fiction。 While the heart of the book is the famine in the decade plus of 1921 to 1933， that discussion is preceded and followed by more general history of the relationship between Russia/Soviet Union and Ukraine。 The author explains how important the language spoken by the people living in the Ukrainian countryside was to the development of a nationalist belief among Ukrainians。 The rich soil of Ukraine made it a breadbasket but the Soviet attempts at and insistence on moving from small farmer-owned farms to collectives and its selling grain on the world market to get cash to industrialize， with some help from drought， led to famine and decreasing crop size。 Retribution by Stalin was brutal。 Among the saddest things was that some Ukrainians resorted to cannibalism。 The abuse did not stop with the ending of the famine。 The German invasion of the area during WWII brought a return of famine and Stalin's techniques。 Stalin used misinformation， in a similar fashion to Putin， to explain what was happening。 The famine was downplayed - the most the Soviets would say when the press reported famine was that some were hungry but not dying。 Even the census was rigged so that the population results matched the number Stalin wanted。There is much discussion concerning the rise and fall and rise again of the Ukrainian language as an official language of Ukraine。 While an academic book， it is accessible and contains history that helps with understanding what is behind the current conflict。 。。。more
Heidi Larson
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ugh。 So having never learned my of this before。。。 It turns out the relationship we are viewing is the way it's always been 。。 I am so sorry。 Ugh。 So having never learned my of this before。。。 It turns out the relationship we are viewing is the way it's always been 。。 I am so sorry。 。。。more
Ann
，
An astounding work of scholarship on the starvation of the Ukrainian people by the Soviet Union in the 1930s: genocide by famine。
Leigh
，
I did not learn anything new， but it is a good， narrow history。 If you have read a comprehensive Stalin biography you will have the facts already。 I also read this closely for parallels to the current war。
Leah M
，
Books have always been a means of learning for me， and while I tend to read mainly fiction， I've been making a concerted effort to read at least one nonfiction book each month。 This month， I knew that I wanted to read something about Ukraine， and figured that this was a good place to start。 The audiobook version of this is incredible， with the narrator sharing so much information in a way that made it easy to process。The history of Russian aggression against Ukraine is nothing new。 In this book， Books have always been a means of learning for me， and while I tend to read mainly fiction， I've been making a concerted effort to read at least one nonfiction book each month。 This month， I knew that I wanted to read something about Ukraine， and figured that this was a good place to start。 The audiobook version of this is incredible， with the narrator sharing so much information in a way that made it easy to process。The history of Russian aggression against Ukraine is nothing new。 In this book， the author focuses on the Holodomor （to kill by starvation）， although I appreciated the way the author delved into the events that led up to this event。 While the Ukrainian people were working towards Ukrainization， a process of having their language and culture officially recognized， the Soviet government was slowly and methodically painting Ukrainian farmers and peasants as "enemies" trying to subvert the government。 Once the Ukrainian farmers were painted as counter-revolutionary and enemies of the state， impossible demands were placed on them。 They were required to collectivize their farms and meet impossible quotas for grain。 As the grain was being exported to other parts of the Soviet Union， these people were slowly starving to death。 And Stalin seemed to view it as a way to get rid of a problematic element - ever more restrictive policies were enacted and brutally enforced， to the point where all food was confiscated from starving people。The author managed to portray this immense suffering in a sensitive way， even as she was discussing the breakdown of Ukrainian society， to the point where people were forced to do things they should never have needed to in order to survive。 Eating whatever they could find， and in some cases， cannibalism， were the only way for these poor， starving farmers to survive。 However， what came across as worse to me was the way that these people were constantly demonized， portrayed as "at fault" for their own suffering， refused any offers of aid， and then this atrocity was promptly covered up for many years。 It wasn't an easy book to read， but it was incredibly informative。 I also appreciated that the author detailed what happened in the years after the Holodomor， including during World War II and the role that Ukrainian people played in the Holocaust， which has some eerie parallels to their own experiences during a man-made famine。 Since the Holodomor occurred in the early 1930s， it is entirely possible that people who lived through these events are still alive， and their descendants certainly are。 Although I was already firmly behind Ukraine against Russian aggression in the present day， this book offered even greater insight into the Ukrainian fight for independence。This is definitely a book that should be on reading lists， because it's incredibly informative while also breaking my heart。 There's a section where the impact on Ukrainian life was being estimated， since records were not kept to thoroughly track the deaths - many of these people died without being recognized， and those that were didn't always have "starvation" listed as a cause of death。 However， the fact that children born during this time had an estimated lifespan of 5 years for boys and 8 years for girls。 Absolutely horrific， yet a very important read。 。。。more
Joseph Stieb
，
A disturbing and illuminating study by Anne Applebaum of the genocidal famine imposed by the Soviet regime's incompetence， ideology， and malevolence on Ukraine。 Applebaum can be taken to task for not doing much archival work in this study， but she makes a good argument here that the Holodomor was a fairly deliberate attempt by the Soviet gov't to crush Ukrainian nationalism， feed industrializing areas by seizing grain from the countryside， and carry out utopian collectivization and "dekulakizati A disturbing and illuminating study by Anne Applebaum of the genocidal famine imposed by the Soviet regime's incompetence， ideology， and malevolence on Ukraine。 Applebaum can be taken to task for not doing much archival work in this study， but she makes a good argument here that the Holodomor was a fairly deliberate attempt by the Soviet gov't to crush Ukrainian nationalism， feed industrializing areas by seizing grain from the countryside， and carry out utopian collectivization and "dekulakization" plans。 The disaster had many causes: the crushing of the Ukrainian political elite， the violent and chaotic process of collectivization， the labelling of certain areas as "blacklisted，" the seizure of crops and farm supplies， and then the cutting off of afflicted areas from aid or emigration。 While there was no grand plan to create a famine， it's still fair to call Soviet actions intentional: what do you expect to happen when you shove people off their land， take their food， money， and wares， and prevent from moving to areas where there is food， and then make no effort to help them as they starve to death？ If Armenia was a genocide， so was the Holodomor， by my reckoning。 Applebaum portrays the famine as part of a longstanding Soviet effort to subjugate Ukraine （some things don't change， huh）， erase its identity， language， and history， and impose communist reforms on an unwilling society。 The chapters on the actual famine are chilling and disturbing， some of the most horrific stuff I've read about in all of history。Specialists criticize Applebaum on several accounts， and they have points。 At least since her book on Gulag （her best book）， she isn't an archival rat and relies heavily on published sources。 A little bit of her ideology bleeds through from time to time; for example， she says that peasants were better off on the "free market" instead of socialist economics。 That's obviously true， but what did the "free market" mean in early 20th century Ukraine？ How did they produce and trade before the Bolsheviks came to power？ Applebaum also has a pretty clear political project of rallying democracies to counter the lies and erasures of history perpetrated by authoritarian and totalitarian regimes in the 20th century and today。 I largely support this project， but historians should always be careful to avoid letting these moral and political commitments shape the analysis of history。 I think Applebaum in general does a good job there， but there are slip-ups。 Of course， her critics in academia have their own political commitments （including the odd minimization of Bolshevik and Soviet atrocities and tyranny in the work of people like Sheila Fitzpatrick）。 That being said， Applebaum is a good popular historian， political analyst， and story teller who continues to create timely and moving books about oppression， memory， and resistance in modern Europe。 。。。more
Shana Yates
，
4。5 stars。
Deedee
，
Dewey 947。7084
Thor Nordahl
，
Jeg har for en gangs skyld truffet innertier med å begynne på en bok som senere blir dagsaktuell。Dette folkemordet på Ukrainere under Stalin er helt totalt underkommunisert og glemt og boka er verdt å lese bare av den grunn。 Men på grunn av hendelsene som foregår i Ukraina nå om dagen var det nesten mer interessant å lese de første kapitlene， som handlet om Ukraina som folk og nasjon før sovjet， og hvordan sovjetunionen og senere russland har forholdt seg til landet。
Katie
，
If anyone is still on the communist bandwagon， give them this book to read。 Even Ayn Rand couldn't have imagined anything half so horrifying to dissuade people from the elusive merits of forcing people to reconceptualize property ownership and all that naturally ensues from it。 Note: I don't recommend reading this while hungry。 If anyone is still on the communist bandwagon， give them this book to read。 Even Ayn Rand couldn't have imagined anything half so horrifying to dissuade people from the elusive merits of forcing people to reconceptualize property ownership and all that naturally ensues from it。 Note: I don't recommend reading this while hungry。 。。。more
Dan Contreras
，
TL， DR: El comunismo es malo。Este libro de horror/historia nos relata el viacrucis por el que pasaron los ucranianos durante los primeros 15 años de terror bolchevique。 La ironía del asunto - el país más fértil de Europa muriéndose de hambre， no se pierde sobre la autora。 La autora comienza con la primera hambruna inducida por socialismo - la de 1921， y， por horrible que haya sido， esa no es mas que un pequeño preview del horror que vendría después。 Anne Applebaum traza una historia compleja que TL， DR: El comunismo es malo。Este libro de horror/historia nos relata el viacrucis por el que pasaron los ucranianos durante los primeros 15 años de terror bolchevique。 La ironía del asunto - el país más fértil de Europa muriéndose de hambre， no se pierde sobre la autora。 La autora comienza con la primera hambruna inducida por socialismo - la de 1921， y， por horrible que haya sido， esa no es mas que un pequeño preview del horror que vendría después。 Anne Applebaum traza una historia compleja que involucra los prejuicios de Stalin， la necesidad de los Comunistas de mostrar algún resultado después de 15 años de gobierno y la complicidad de los idiotas útiles （intelectuales） que se hicieron de la vista gorda mientras se encaminaba a Ucrania al desfiladero。 El resultado fue la desastrosa hambruna del 1933 - con 4 millones de muertes en total。 Aquí hay todo: socialistas quitandole comida a pobres campesinos por que eran "kulaks" （derechistas ricos） y desechandola en sus casas。 Abdomenes hinchados， cabezas llenas de fluido， gente demasiado debil para comer， asesinatos por desesperación y 。。。 canibalismo。Verdaderamente el infierno en la tierra。Lo que más llama la atención （y cosa que no sabia） era el reportaje del New York Times al respecto。 Periodico "respetable" con "altos estandares periodisticos" haciendo propaganda pro-Stalin y negando que nada malo estuviera sucediendo。Fue un valiente periodista independiente que visitó ilegalmente Ucrania en plena hambruna que logró sacar la historia al mundo。。。 y la tacharon de "desinformación" los mismos gobiernos occidentales。 Supongo que las cosas con el NYT no cambian casi 100 años después。 Afortunadamente la Union de Republicas Socialistas Sovieticas no fue socialismo de verdad y en cualquier momento algún país aplicará la versión correcta 🙄Es un libro de historia pero se lee como mitad tragedia， mitad horror。 Altamente recomendado。 。。。more
Karen
，
Anne Applebaum’s work is always worth reading but this title seems especially timely。
A Book Vacation
，
I heard an interview with the author and it piqued my interest because I wanted to know about the famine and what Stalin did in 1932/33， but it took entirely too long to get there。 There is a lot of minute details given， like this letter was sent， then this letter replied， and this person did this， and that person did that。。。 And I really just wanted to know what Stalin did and how it affected the people of Ukraine。 When that portion was revealed， it was really interesting。
Matt
，
A few parts drag a little but overall a very good and thorough study on the organized famine that Stalin's regime implemented on the Ukraine。 A few parts drag a little but overall a very good and thorough study on the organized famine that Stalin's regime implemented on the Ukraine。 。。。more
Marshall
，
Great overview
Josie
，
Wow， why did I not know about all this before？ I've heard bits and pieces but just knew so little。 Part of that was how hard Stalin worked to keep it a secret。 Part of it is it was soon overshadowed by the horrors of WWII， but this also needs to be known。 This book is super informative and appears to be very well researched。 It's presented in such a way that I really felt like I was there， seeing what was being described。 It was long and took me a while to get through， but a book I think that re Wow， why did I not know about all this before？ I've heard bits and pieces but just knew so little。 Part of that was how hard Stalin worked to keep it a secret。 Part of it is it was soon overshadowed by the horrors of WWII， but this also needs to be known。 This book is super informative and appears to be very well researched。 It's presented in such a way that I really felt like I was there， seeing what was being described。 It was long and took me a while to get through， but a book I think that really needs to be read and a story that really needs to be known。 。。。more
Dr Anshuman Mishra
，
Gripping tale of tragedy。。 a must read。。 quite useful to understand the current Russo Ukrainian conflict。。
Kirill Velizhanin
，
What needs to be known about the level of present-day journalism and how ideologically biased some people can be: https://www。cambridge。org/core/journa。。。Anne Applebaum is not a historian， mostly an ideolog， but her voice is unfortunately much more loud than that of https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Stephen。。。 What needs to be known about the level of present-day journalism and how ideologically biased some people can be: https://www。cambridge。org/core/journa。。。Anne Applebaum is not a historian， mostly an ideolog， but her voice is unfortunately much more loud than that of https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Stephen。。。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Very well-researched。 Very well-written。 Very depressing。
Hunter
，
Sheila Fitzpatrick's ring quite true on this book， coming off as fundamentally sound despite Applebaum doing her best to take back that perception at certain points。 Sheila Fitzpatrick's ring quite true on this book， coming off as fundamentally sound despite Applebaum doing her best to take back that perception at certain points。 。。。more
Ceri Thorman
，
Anne Applebaum’s ‘Red Famine’ is an exploration into the Holodomor – the famine in Soviet Ukraine that saw more than 3。9 million Ukrainians perish between 1931 and 1934。 Applebaum investigates how the famine occurred， who was to blame， and how it has been remembered in history。 Beginning in 1917 with the Ukrainian Revolution， she explores the path of Ukrainian nationalism and Ukrainization， studying both its promotion and putdown by the USSR， and the state of affairs in the present day。 The book Anne Applebaum’s ‘Red Famine’ is an exploration into the Holodomor – the famine in Soviet Ukraine that saw more than 3。9 million Ukrainians perish between 1931 and 1934。 Applebaum investigates how the famine occurred， who was to blame， and how it has been remembered in history。 Beginning in 1917 with the Ukrainian Revolution， she explores the path of Ukrainian nationalism and Ukrainization， studying both its promotion and putdown by the USSR， and the state of affairs in the present day。 The book utilises a variety of primary material that has recently become available following the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of a sovereign Ukraine。 The most impressive use of this primary material lies in the oral accounts used to create an image of the brutal searches that occurred during the famine。 Unlike the blacklists and border controls， no written instructions for the searching and seizure of all food exists。 As such， Applebaum manages to create a vivid representation of the horrors faced during these searches through oral testimony。 There are three main areas where the book adds to current scholarly debates。 Firstly， she addressed the question of whether the Holodomor was a genocide。 Secondly， her argument that collectivisation was a backdrop to the famine but predated the deliberate and genocidal worsening of the famine in Ukraine is a unique answer to the debate over Stalin’s motivations behind collectivisation。 And finally， her Nationalistic interpretation of famine， in other words the interpretation that Ukraine was deliberately targeted， whilst in direct contradiction to the views held by historian Viktor Kondrashin， is ultimately defended well。Applebaum’s argument joins the current discussion amongst scholars as to whether the Holodomor was a genocide。 The majority of scholars agree that the famine in Ukraine was artificially organised， or at least deliberately worsened， in order to break Ukrainian resistance。 Others argue that whilst the famine carried criminal characteristics， geopolitical factors such as modernisation and industrialisation must be taken into account。 Applebaum perhaps sits somewhere in the middle: “Neither crop failure nor bad weather caused the famine in Ukraine…The high number of deaths…were not caused directly by collectivization either。” Applebaum thus characterises Stalin’s collectivisation policy as a backdrop to the more sinister policies: blacklists that prevented towns from trading and receiving goods， roadblocks that prevented escape， requisitions of grain， the violent searching and seizing of anything edible， and the attack on Ukrainian culture and language。 It was these ‘Famine Decisions’ that illustrate how the famine in Ukraine took a genocidal turn in 1932。 The situation in 1932 differed from the famine in 1921 according to Applebaum in several respects: the mass hunger was not kept a secret and the regime tried to help the starving namely by accepting international aid。 Crucially， there was no evidence of a premeditated plan to starve the peasants in 1920-1。 Applebaum believes that the famine decisions give Holodomor ample reason to be labelled genocide， however not withing the terms of international law。 Whilst she demonstrates that Raphael Lemkin took the Ukrainian famine as inspiration in his coining of the word ‘genocide’ in the 1940s， USSR influence within the UN prevented including ‘political groups’ as potential victims of genocide。 Thus， a narrower definition was adopted during the Cold War that focused on race theories and allowed the USSR to escape criminal condemnation。 This narrative， combined with the harrowing atrocities of the Holodomor that Applebaum illustrates， explicitly demonstrates how legal frameworks and definitions are still unsatisfactory。 There is currently a range of interpretations amongst scholars that discuss the motivations behind Stalin’s collectivisation policy。 Applebaum claims that Stalin ‘had determined that the peasantry would have to be sacrificed in order to industrialise the USSR…he knew that they would suffer’。 Stalin essentially aimed to ‘squeeze [the peasantry] harder’。 Mark Tauger cites a wide range of alternative interpretations that claim Stalin was in fact primarily motivated by the appeal of modernisation。 Considering that Applebaum intends to portray collectivisation as a backdrop to the Famine Decisions， it may seem contradictory to give the policy such weight。 However， she highlights that collectivisation and ‘mass confiscations occurred all across the USSR’ and that the subsequent starvation was not exclusively felt in Ukraine， but across all grain-growing regions of the USSR。 This is in line with her national interpretation of the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s; Stalin had yet to impose the Famine Decisions that would ‘twist the knife further， deliberately creating a deeper crisis。’ This leads into the final field in which ‘Red Famine’ joins current scholarly discussion: the national interpretation of the famine。Applebaum argues that Soviet leadership， motivated by a paranoia surrounding Ukrainian revolutionary potential， created a ‘famine within the famine’ ， a disaster that specifically targeted Ukrainians。 Historian Viktor Kondrashin， however， argues that Ukrainian estimates of Ukrainian death rates are too high， whilst the estimates of deaths in regions such as Volga are too low。 Thus， he believes that there were no national differences between the famine policies in Ukraine and Russia。 Applebaum herself highlights this dispute which， if true， would uproot her portrayal of the famine as nationalistic and targeted。 However， this is settled by Applebaum asserting that Kondrashin himself wrote that Stalin saw the food crisis of 1932 as an opportunity to adopt preventative measures against the Ukrainian national movement。 Thus， it seems that Applebaum’s national interpretation of the Holodomor holds。 。。。more
Kristen
，
Engaging and moving。 Not at all the dry recount of history I was expecting
Eli
，
This book was very well-written and informative。 I never knew this much about Soviet history and especially Ukraine。 Anne Applebaum articulately chooses the facts that make the reader feel like they're picturing the Holodomor。 My only issue is that she doesn't include more detailed statements and perspectives from the Soviet or denying-side。 I know that Holodomor denial is unacceptable， yet it would feel more honest if Applebaum covered their arguments in detail to dismantle them。 This book was very well-written and informative。 I never knew this much about Soviet history and especially Ukraine。 Anne Applebaum articulately chooses the facts that make the reader feel like they're picturing the Holodomor。 My only issue is that she doesn't include more detailed statements and perspectives from the Soviet or denying-side。 I know that Holodomor denial is unacceptable， yet it would feel more honest if Applebaum covered their arguments in detail to dismantle them。 。。。more
Amy
，
Don't ever be naive enough to think that a government won't commit atrocities against their own people in order to justify the ends of the powerful。 This is a must read that covers a forgotten genocide that has implications today， especially in regards to Russia and Ukrainian relations。 Don't ever be naive enough to think that a government won't commit atrocities against their own people in order to justify the ends of the powerful。 This is a must read that covers a forgotten genocide that has implications today， especially in regards to Russia and Ukrainian relations。 。。。more
Nick
，
Way back in my uni years as a history student， I had quite a few acquaintances who where involved in all manners of Marxist and communist student groups。 They organized events， studies， showings of （leftist） movies and hosted debates。 One of the debate nights I vividly remembered， was on the Russian revolution。 Now When it comes to the Russian revolution I tended to pick the side of the anarchists point of view and in particular I had a thing for Nestor Makhno。 This stirred up a huge verbal figh Way back in my uni years as a history student， I had quite a few acquaintances who where involved in all manners of Marxist and communist student groups。 They organized events， studies， showings of （leftist） movies and hosted debates。 One of the debate nights I vividly remembered， was on the Russian revolution。 Now When it comes to the Russian revolution I tended to pick the side of the anarchists point of view and in particular I had a thing for Nestor Makhno。 This stirred up a huge verbal fight which went something like this; me: "off course Makhno and his peasant rebels where in the right to fight of Bolsheviks， like everyone else they wanted to take their grain。" "the workers in the city needed that food！" "but what did the peasants get out of that？" "that doesn't matter， the workers revolution needed it and if they did not want to show solidarity， then the Bolsheviks had no choice。" "So what was the difference again with the Tsar's and the white armies again？" "your just some selfish individualist localist！" Based on this， you can imagine I was not a person in need of convincing that A there had been famines in Ukraine during the early USSR period B that these famines cost millions of lives and C that this tragedy could have been at the very least mitigated or even prevented。 So what I was looking for was a more detailed narrative， context and how to look back on this event。 On all of these fronts Applebaum delivered but not quite in the way I would have liked。 Applebaum sought navigate the memories and stories of those that bore witness， participated and dared to speak up or remember the way it happened while contrasting all the time with official statements， guidelines， communication and statements。 the result was I guess intended to show the contrast and show the different worlds this all took place in; on the one had the fields of Ukraine while on the other the bureaus of officials and Stalin's meeting rooms。 That might have been the intention， but it does make a bit clumsy to navigate， as it all forms one narrative where it is easy to lose track of details， hard facts and specific geographic location。 The timing of the book was opportune for Applebaum and although she denies to a certain extent i do see that the message and feeling the book ends with， is influenced by the at that time current events。 The tension and conflict within and between Ukraine and the Russian federation。 This I do think affected the emphasis of motivations of Stalin and USSR for their actions leading up to and during the Famine of 1933。 Applebaum makes a point of emphasizing the anti Ukraine feelings among the soviet elite and their fears of losing grip of the region that they feel was an integral part of Russia and thus the USSR。 Applebaum makes a link between starvation impact variations per region in Ukraine and the amount of perceived resistance or passed rebellion to the USSR project as defining factors。 I can see where she is coming from and I am not going to say that it did not play a role or wasn't a factor， but I do feel that this focus downplays the high modernism rationale behind the collectivization and by extension acceptability of human cost of it all。 As Applebaum herself notes， other regions in the USSR suffered in 1933 as well， in particular kazachstan， so I do feel that putting the emphasis on anti Ukraine autonomy for explaining the rationale behind the USSR non action is not entirely satisfying。 However Applebaum does refrain from making this a Ukraine victims and Russians murderers story。 This is not a piece of propaganda to be dismissed。 Applebaum makes a point of including testimonies and narratives of Ukrainians participating in the forced acquisitions， spying on neighbors and letting family members die for their own survival。 Neither does she omit communist party officials refusing to participate， trying to alleviate or at the very least voiced their concerns to what was happening even if all of that was ineffectual。 Neither does she omit the Nazi occupation and their cynical attempts to politicize the famine of the 1930ties to garner anti ussr support， while the nazi's themselves caused so much hardship and famine during their occupation。 This Nazi propaganda， Applebaum underlines， is the reason for so long the famine of 1933， unlike the famine during the 1920ties civil war， has been denied and dismissed as anti communist lies up until today， which makes it so hard to study let alone discuss publicly。 Applebaum herself comes across as at the very least sympathizing with those who want to call Holodomor a genocide but does not push the issue to the extreme。 However with her choice to emphasize the anti ukraine sentiment in the Moscow response to famine reports one can't be helped but pushed towards calling it a genocide or something very close to it。 But was the famine truly a war on Ukraine by Stalin as she puts it？ To me the core reasons of the tragedy was the horrible idea that the deaths and suffering of the peasants was justifiable because it would allow for transforming them， the region and the USSR as a whole to the idealized society as Stalin and his allies saw it。 This the end justifies the means， a death is a tragedy， but a million deaths is statistics mentality for me is what allowed this to happen。 While the fear， the cooperation out of survival and the dehumanizing of neighbors which started during the civil war， the anti rebel policies and the de kulakization policies， is what turned a brutal action of authoritarian control， collectivization， into a horrible result of human suffering， famine of 1933。 Concerns of loyalty must certainly have played a factor as well as Russian superiority complexes over Ukraine but as of now I can't quite go along with the whole point that this was the determining factor for the extent of the famine or that this explains differences in famine effects between Ukraine regions to the extent Applebaums makes it out to be。 So to some extent my position on Holodomor has not changed that much since that debate during my Uni years but I can and do recommend this book to anyone out there who wants read up on early USSR policies， society and those interested in public memory， conflicting collective narratives and interwovenes with contemporary geopolitics。 。。。more
Fríða
，
This book is amazing。 I have also read Applebaum's Gulag and loved it too。 Amazing writing and references are done very well which is important to me。 This book is amazing。 I have also read Applebaum's Gulag and loved it too。 Amazing writing and references are done very well which is important to me。 。。。more
Iryna Slavych
，
Впродовж десятки років українцям забороняли говорити про те， що сталося。 Тепер вже знаємо， що це була політика Сталіна: знищення голодом цілої нації。Наймасовішим за кількістю смертей став голодомор 1932-1933рр。 Штучний， ретельно спланований голодомор， щоб приборкати та "радянізувати" Україну。 Провідників голоду було чимало。 І щоб розуміти їх причини авторка у своїх дослідженнях повертається до початків радянщини - революції 1917р。， опрацьовуюючи кожну подію。《Людина， що страждає від голоду， занад Впродовж десятки років українцям забороняли говорити про те， що сталося。 Тепер вже знаємо， що це була політика Сталіна: знищення голодом цілої нації。Наймасовішим за кількістю смертей став голодомор 1932-1933рр。 Штучний， ретельно спланований голодомор， щоб приборкати та "радянізувати" Україну。 Провідників голоду було чимало。 І щоб розуміти їх причини авторка у своїх дослідженнях повертається до початків радянщини - революції 1917р。， опрацьовуюючи кожну подію。《Людина， що страждає від голоду， занадто слабка для боротьби。 Голод повністю вбиває здатність до опору》Страшно читати про жорстокий сталінський режим: спустошені владою від продовольства села， доводили людей до розпачу。 Втрачаючи глузд， люди почали їсти людей， батьки своїх же дітей。Виморення голодом стало кінцем українізації。 Після 33-го року на родючі українські ґрунти та на відбудову промисловості переїхали мільйони росіян。 А у повоєнний час ніхто вже не пам'ятав іншої України。 Сумно， бо про ідеологію расової ненависті， яку сповідував гітлерівський режим довідався увесь світ。 Вбивство 6 млн。євреїв нацистами， засуджено міжнародним трибуналом， і визнано геноцидом。 А тоталітарний сталінський режим офіційно так і не був осуджений。 Десятиліттями приховувалася правда。 Голоси з минулого мільйонів заморених голодом жертв так і не почутті на міжнародному рівні。 Люди померли， але народ вижив。 Пам'ять про голод була заборонена， але сьогодні українці говорять про своє минуле。Пам'ятаймо завжди！ Бо ті， кому байдужа історія свого народу， хто не відчуває жодної громадянської відповідальності， навряд чи зроблять життя в країні кращим。Енн Епплбом у своїй книзі трактує， що всі події， починаючи від приходу радянської влади （масові репресії української інтелігенції， Голодомор。。。） мають відношення до останніх подій - це і є першопричини теперішніх українсько-російських відносин。 Своєю агресією Росія об'єднала українську націю， як ніколи。 Цього найбільше боявся Сталін。 。。。more
Jens Doms
，
Het begin leest misschien iets moeilijker。 Applebaum schrijft heel feitelijk en de beschrijvingen van Sovjet-prominenten die bepaalde beslissingen nemen die desastreuze gevolgen hebben leest soms moeilijk。 Maar， naarmate de hoofdstukken passeren komen er persoonlijke en vaak gruwelijke verhalen aan bod。 Die verhalen doen je verstommen en dompelen je onder Applebaum slaagt er in om deze tragedie op een serene en feitelijke manier te beschrijven en te kaderen binnen een groter politiek geheel。
Victoria
，
Scanned this one for a more in-depth understanding of the Holodomor。 Tragic。
Olesya
，