Today is the International Holodomor Memorial Day. Today,
Ukrainians worldwide remember the 81st anniversary of the Holodomor, Famine
Genocide of 1932-33.
A Holodomor is a man made famine
or genocide. In 1932, the Soviets increased the quota for grain by 44%. They
were well aware that this ridiculously high quota would cause a grain shortage.
The grain shortage in turn would result in Ukrainian peasants starving. At that
time, Soviet law dictated that no grain was allowed to be given to the peasants
for food until the quota for the government had been reached. Hence, there were
peasants working in wheat fields day in and day out, seeing a wealth of grain
every day and knowing that they would go hungry that night and that their
children would go hungry.
This unnecessary government induced famine resulted in the death of between 7 to 10 million people, mainly Ukrainians. It was instigated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his henchman Lazar Kaganovich to break the spirit of the Ukrainian farmer and peasant. Stalin’s goal was to force them into collectivization and break the renaissance of Ukrainian culture. Stalin wanted to "ethnically cleanse" Ukrainians from various territories.
Secret police units were used to watch for peasants who may be hiding grain from the Soviet government. In addition, an internal passport system was created and put in action to restrict movements of Ukrainian peasants. Now they could not travel for food or to escape. Children were taught in school that there was great famine abroad and the Stalin was a great man. They were taught this while at the same time their parents were forced to steal handfuls of grain from the horses or to grain stalks. This was dangerous because if caught, they could be sent toSiberia to serve a 10 year sentence which often resulted
in death.
The dead – and sometimes those barely hanging on to life – were collected in carts. Someone came around with a pitchfork and collected the dead and carried them off. People were not given proper burials. Churches were destroyed. The Communists destroyed them and the icons, the holy icons, in the peoples’ homes.
On This Day in 2006, the
Parliament of Ukraine passed a Law defining the Holodomor as a deliberate Act
of Genocide. Since then many nations, including the United States Russia
Earlier this month, the National US National Holodomor Memorial opened inWashington , DC
Vichnaya Pamyat.
This unnecessary government induced famine resulted in the death of between 7 to 10 million people, mainly Ukrainians. It was instigated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his henchman Lazar Kaganovich to break the spirit of the Ukrainian farmer and peasant. Stalin’s goal was to force them into collectivization and break the renaissance of Ukrainian culture. Stalin wanted to "ethnically cleanse" Ukrainians from various territories.
Secret police units were used to watch for peasants who may be hiding grain from the Soviet government. In addition, an internal passport system was created and put in action to restrict movements of Ukrainian peasants. Now they could not travel for food or to escape. Children were taught in school that there was great famine abroad and the Stalin was a great man. They were taught this while at the same time their parents were forced to steal handfuls of grain from the horses or to grain stalks. This was dangerous because if caught, they could be sent to
The dead – and sometimes those barely hanging on to life – were collected in carts. Someone came around with a pitchfork and collected the dead and carried them off. People were not given proper burials. Churches were destroyed. The Communists destroyed them and the icons, the holy icons, in the peoples’ homes.
Earlier this month, the National US National Holodomor Memorial opened in
Vichnaya Pamyat.
Sources
HolodomorSurvivors Tell Their Stories. Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
“November28, 2015 – the Holodomor Remembrance Day in Ukraine” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Press Center
On
This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.
©
Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
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