Mass Artificial Famine of 1921—1923: Social and Economic Consequences of Legitimation of the Communist Regime in Ukraine

Abstract

The article attempts to generalize social and economic consequences of legitimation of the communist regime in Ukraine on the basis of analysis of historical and statistical data, and to confirm the fact of mass artificial famine in 1921–1923 and regular confiscation, export of grain and food products abroad from Ukraine. To ensure a comprehensive study of the main aspects of the research topic, we used historical, problem-chronological, historical-comparative, historical-psychological methods, as well as general scientific methods – systematization, analysis, generalization, modeling, etc. The new archival materials from the funds of State Archives of Zaporizhzhia Region were introduced into the scientific use that prove the facts of mass artificial famine of 1921–1923, as well as the materials from the State Archives of Khmelnytskyi Region that confirm the facts of regular and extra confiscations and export of grain, especially abroad. It is mentioned that after the legitimation of party and Soviet organizations in Ukrainian territories with the use of Cheka, the Bolsheviks conducted the policy of confiscations, product dictatorship, used already known and created new mechanisms of terror. In 1922, mass famine covered Zaporizhzhia province, and because of the lack of relief aid, people were physically exhausted, ate surrogates, died of starvation; there were cases of cannibalism. During 1922, the system of compulsory extra confiscations (of rye and wheat) for starving regions was introduced in the regions that suffered less, especially in Podillia province. Regular extra confiscations and export of grain from Podillia province had prolonged effects, which later led to the stagnation of agricultural sphere in the region, facts of starvation and hunger edema.