BLUF

Putin is following the example of Stalin in systematically setting out to destroy Ukrainian nationalism and even the idea of Ukraine by controlling and rewriting history.

Summary

This article by Andrew Roth is a book review of Anne Applebaum's 'Red Famine, Stalin's War on Ukraine' the reviewer makes the following points:

  • Control of history is crucial in shaping public opinion.
  • Many Russians recently voted Joseph Stalin the "most outstanding person" in world history, even though he killed millions of his people.
  • President Putin came in second.
  • Stalin caused mass starvation in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, killing around 3.9 million people.
  • Ukrainians called it "Holodomor"- hunger and extermination.
  • Peasants had to surrender their land and join collective farms.
  • Farmers received rations based on productivity.
  • The Communist Party controlled all aspects of their lives.
  • They could not buy food, and police and party officials looted any hidden stores (including pets and livestock).
  • Appeals to Stalin were ignored.
  • Non-Ukrainian Soviet citizens were taught to distrust Ukrainians after they attempted to set up a Ukrainian People's Republic in 1917.
  • Ukraine's language and history were restricted. 
  • The official Politburo history said starvation resulted from Kulak corruption and climate. 

However, the deliberate starving of millions of people by their own government is sadly not uncommon in history, please note the following famines that probably could have been alleviated if the government responsible had chosen to do so:

Learn more about why Stalin let millions of Ukrainians die in the 1933-36 famine.

References

 

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Source: The New Republic