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In
1932, with Ukraine on the verge of mass starvation, Stalin's
government announced that the full quotas would be demanded.
Once the harvest was in, there wasn't enough to meet the
quotas. In spite of the pleading of Ukrainian officials,
the grain seizures continued.
On
August 7, 1932, the Soviet state announced that the death
penalty would be imposed for "theft of Soviet property."
Ukrainians were executed for taking even small quantities
of grain.
On
December 6, 1932, the state
stipulated a complete blockade of villages for allegedly
sabotaging the grain procurement campaign, thereby guaranteeing
that these villages would starve. Russian peasants were
then encouraged to settle into the empty villages.
In
spite of the fact that 1933 was a very good harvest year,
the famine continued. The greatest number of deaths were
reported in the provinces that were the most productive.
Part
of The Ukrainian Famine Genocide
exhibit |
