Living and Working conditions: Food and famine under the communists Flashcards
When was the food crisis under the Bolsheviks?
-1918
What had peasants continued doing because of the signing of Brest-Litovsk under the Bolsheviks?
-hoard (best agricultural land gone).
How did the Bolsheviks respond to the hoarding of grain?
-Grain requisitioning
-redistributing it to ‘in need’ places like towns and cities.
Who were blamed for food shortages and what happened to them? BOLSH
-Kulaks
-persecution
How did the peasants respond to the persecution of Kulaks? BOLSH
-violence, resistance
-refusing to sign up to collectives
-cheka sent in
What contributed to the famine of 1921? BOLSH
-Ukrainian produce fell by 20%
-droughts and severe winters
-shut down of railway because of civil war
What was the death toll of the 1921 famine? BOLSH
-5 million.
What horrific things happened as a result of the 1921 famine? Bolsh
-cannibalism (think pic on powerpoint)
Who was Lenin reluctant to accept help from in the 1921 famine? bolsh
-American relief administration (treated with suspicion).
When was there relative stability in terms of food? STALIN.
-Mid- 20s.
-still shortages
-Kulaks still blamed and requisitioning started again
What was the Urals Siberian method used by Stalin?
-got villagers to reveal hoarders for rewards.
When was the worst period for famine? (STALIN)
-1932-4
What caused the famine of 1932-4? STALIN
-collectivisation
-weather
Examples of repression used by STALIN during the famine of 1932-4?
-death penalty for stealing grain
-peasants who ate own corn seed shot
-discussion of grain crisis banned
-cant move to look for food
How did the people react to the repression used by STALIN in the 1932-4 famine?
-slaughtered animals
-caused more issues because of backwards agriculture.
