The Grey and Hazy Politics of Famine: An Evolving American Disposition to Russian Hunger

Abstract

Perception of famine in the 20th century transformed from a Malthusian reality to a governmental liability. In this period of developmental flux, assistance to the starving in the form of humanitarian aid took on a new political role on the international stage. As part of an Undergraduate Summer Student Research Fellowship (USSRF) my research broadly examined the political utility of humanitarian aid between the United States and the Soviet Union during this period. This research project was centrally concerned with tracing the conceptual evolution of the ‘hungry Russian’ in American society. My research looked specifically at incidences of famine in the Soviet Union from 1921-1922, 1932-1933, 1946-1947, and American perceptions thereof. In order to understand the central question of this research project I combined secondary source reading with primary source archival research. I draw on archival material in the form of newsprint from the New York Times during the respective famines. I traced the frequency of discussion of Russian famine and compared this to the relative scale of famine devastation in the form of human deaths. Ultimately this process allows for conclusions to be drawn on the role of political interests in the humanitarian endeavor of providing relief during these famines. This research has both theoretical implications for understanding the conceptual shift surrounding humanitarian aid that occurred during this time period; as well as practical implications for critically-minded citizens who are interested in the historical weight behind state-sponsored humanitarian aid.