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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Holodomor (Ukrainian: Голодомор, “Extermination by hunger” or “Hunger-extermination”;[2] derived from ‘морити голодом’, “to kill by starvation” [3][4][5]) was a famine in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1932 and 1933 that killed estimated 2.5-7.5 million Ukrainians. During the famine, which is also known as the “Terror-Famine in Ukraine” and “Famine-Genocide in Ukraine”,[6][7][8] millions of citizens of the Ukrainian SSR, the majority of whom were Ukrainians, died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of Ukraine.[9] Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by the independent Ukraine and many other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people by Soviet Union ruled by Stalin.[10]
Early estimates of the death toll by scholars and government officials varied greatly; anywhere from 1.8[11] to 12 million[12] ethnic Ukrainians were said to have perished as a result of the famine. Recent research has since narrowed the estimates to between 2.4[13] and 7.5[14] million. The exact number of deaths is hard to determine, due to a lack of records,[15][16] but the number increases significantly when the deaths inside heavily Ukrainian-populated Kuban are included.[17] Older estimates are still often cited in political commentary.[18] According to the decision of Kyiv Appellation Court, the demographic losses due to the famine amounted to 10 million, with 3.9 million famine deaths, and a 6.1 million birth deficit.[15]
Scholars disagree on the relative importance of natural factors and bad economic policies as causes of the famine but believe it was long term plan of Joseph Stalin, an attempt to eliminate Ukrainian independence movement.[9][19][20][21] Using Holodomor in reference to the famine emphasizes its man-made aspects, arguing that actions such as rejection of outside aid, confiscation of all household foodstuffs, and restriction of population movement confer intent, defining the famine as genocide; the loss of life has been compared to the Holocaust.