Holodomor genocide question

In 1932–1933, a man-made famine, known as the Holodomor, killed 3.3–5 million people in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (as part of the Soviet Union),^[1]^[2]^[3] included in a total of 5.5–8.7 million killed by the broader Soviet famine of 1930–1933.^[4]^[5]^[6] At least 3.3 million ethnic Ukrainians died as a result of the famine in the USSR.^[7] Scholars debate whether there was an intent to starve millions of Ukrainians to death or not.^[8]

While scholars are in consensus that the cause of the famine was man-made, the topic remains a significant issue in modern politics with historians disputing whether Soviet policies would fall under the legal definition of genocide. Specifically, scholarly debate of the question centres around whether or not the Holodomor was intentional and therefore constitutes a genocide under the Genocide Convention.^[9] Broadly speaking, Russian historians are generally of the opinion is that the Holodomor does not constitute a genocide, among Ukrainian historians the general opinion is that it does constitute a genocide and western historians there are of varying views.^[10] Scholars who reject the argument that state policy in regard to the famine was genocide do not absolve Joseph Stalin or any other parts of the Soviet regime as a whole from guilt for the famine deaths and still view such policies as being ultimately criminal in nature.^[11]^[12]^[13]

Since 2006, political campaigns have sought recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide,^[14] and, as of 2023,^[15] 34 countries and the European Union^[16] had recognised the Holodomor as a genocide.^[17]^[18]

^ Grynevych (2008), p. 16; Snyder (2010), p. 53: "One demographic retrojection suggests a figure of 2.5 million famine deaths for Soviet Ukraine. This is too close to the recorded figure of excess deaths, which is about 2.4 million. The latter figure must be substantially low, since many deaths were not recorded. Another demographic calculation, carried out on behalf of the authorities of independent Ukraine, provides the figure of 3.9 million dead. The truth is probably in between these numbers, where most of the estimates of respectable scholars can be found. It seems reasonable to propose a figure of approximately 3.3 million deaths by starvation and hunger-related disease in Soviet Ukraine in 1932–1933"; Davies & Wheatcroft (2004), p. xiv; Gorbunova & Klymchuk (2020); Ye (2020), pp. 30–34; Marples (2007), p. 246: "Still, the researchers have been unable to come up with a firm figure of the number of victims. Conquest cites 5 million deaths; Werth from 4 to 5 million; and Kul'chyts'kyi 3.5 million."; Mendel (2018): "The data of V. Tsaplin indicates 2.9 million deaths in 1933 alone."; Yefimenko (2021)
^ "Resolution of the Kyiv Court of Appeal, 13 January 2010". Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019. The Conclusions of the forensic court demographic expertise of the Institute of Demography and Social Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, dated November 30, 2009, state that 3 million 941 thousand people died as a result of the genocide perpetrated in Ukraine. Of these, 205 thousand died in the period from February to December 1932; in 1933 – 3,598 thousand people died and in the first half of 1934 this number reached 138 thousand people;v. 330, pp. 12–60
^ "Nalivaychenko nazval kolichestvo zhertv golodomora v Ukraine" Наливайченко назвал количество жертв голодомора в Украине [Nalyvaichenko called the number of victims of Holodomor in Ukraine] (in Russian). LB.ua. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
^ Davies & Wheatcroft (2004), p. 401.
^ Rosefielde, Steven (September 1996). "Stalinism in Post-Communist Perspective: New Evidence on Killings, Forced Labour and Economic Growth in the 1930s". Europe-Asia Studies. 48 (6): 959–987. doi:10.1080/09668139608412393.
^ Wolowyna, Oleh (October 2020). "A Demographic Framework for the 1932–1934 Famine in the Soviet Union". Journal of Genocide Research. 23 (4): 501–526. doi:10.1080/14623528.2020.1834741. S2CID 226316468.
^ Snyder (2010), p. 53: "All in all, no fewer than 3.3 million Soviet citizens died in Soviet Ukraine of starvation and hunger-related diseases; and about the same number of Ukrainians (by nationality) died in the Soviet Union as a whole."
^ Yaroslav Bilinsky (June 1999). "Was the Ukrainian famine of 1932–1933 genocide?". Journal of Genocide Research. 1 (2): 147–156. doi:10.1080/14623529908413948. ISSN 1462-3528. Wikidata Q54006926. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019.
^ Andriewsky, Olga (2015). "Towards a Decentred History: The Study of the Holodomor and Ukrainian Historiography". East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies. 2: 37. doi:10.21226/T2301N.: "Historians of Ukraine are no longer debating whether the Famine was the result of natural causes (and even then not exclusively by them). The academic debate appears to come down to the issue of intentions, to whether the special measures undertaken in Ukraine in the winter of 1932–33 that intensified starvation were aimed at Ukrainians as such."
^ Grynevych (2008).
^ Ellman (2007).
^ Cite error: The named reference Wheatcroft 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Rozenas, Arturas; Zhukov, Yuri M. (2019). "Mass Repression and Political Loyalty: Evidence from Stalin's 'Terror by Hunger'". American Political Science Review. 113 (2): 571. doi:10.1017/S0003055419000066. S2CID 143428346. Similar to famines in Ireland in 1846–1851 (Ó Gráda 2007) and China in 1959–1961 (Meng, Qian and Yared 2015), the politics behind Holodomor have been a focus of historiographic debate. The most common interpretation is that Holodomor was 'terror by hunger' (Conquest 1987, 224), 'state aggression' (Applebaum 2017) and 'clearly premeditated mass murder' (Snyder 2010, 42). Others view it as an unintended by-product of Stalin's economic policies (Kotkin 2017; Naumenko 2017), precipitated by natural factors like adverse weather and crop infestation (Davies and Wheatcroft 1996; Tauger 2001).
^ Andriewsky, Olga (23 January 2015). "Towards a Decentred History: The Study of the Holodomor and Ukrainian Historiography". East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies. 2 (1): 18–52. doi:10.21226/T2301N. ISSN 2292-7956. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. On 28 November 2006, the Parliament of Ukraine, with the president's support and in consultation with the National Academy of Sciences, voted to recognize the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–33 as a deliberate act of genocide against the Ukrainian people ("Zakon Ukrainy pro Holodomor"). A vigorous international campaign was subsequently initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and other governments do the same.
^ The Kyiv Independent news desk (24 November 2022). "Romania, Moldova, Ireland recognize Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainian people". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
^ Dahm, Julia (15 December 2022). "EU parliament votes to recognise 'Holodomor' famine as genocide". Euractiv. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
^ "International Recognition of the Holodomor". Holodomor Education. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
^ "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 85th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932—1933, known as the Holodomor, should serve as a reminder of repressive Soviet policies against the people of Ukraine". United States Congress. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.

[1] Grynevych (2008), p. 16; Snyder (2010), p. 53: "One demographic retrojection suggests a figure of 2.5 million famine deaths for Soviet Ukraine. This is too close to the recorded figure of excess deaths, which is about 2.4 million. The latter figure must be substantially low, since many deaths were not recorded. Another demographic calculation, carried out on behalf of the authorities of independent Ukraine, provides the figure of 3.9 million dead. The truth is probably in between these numbers, where most of the estimates of respectable scholars can be found. It seems reasonable to propose a figure of approximately 3.3 million deaths by starvation and hunger-related disease in Soviet Ukraine in 1932–1933"; Davies & Wheatcroft (2004), p. xiv; Gorbunova & Klymchuk (2020); Ye (2020), pp. 30–34; Marples (2007), p. 246: "Still, the researchers have been unable to come up with a firm figure of the number of victims. Conquest cites 5 million deaths; Werth from 4 to 5 million; and Kul'chyts'kyi 3.5 million."; Mendel (2018): "The data of V. Tsaplin indicates 2.9 million deaths in 1933 alone."; Yefimenko (2021)

[Resolution_of_the_Kyiv_Court_of_Appeal,_13_January_2010-2] "Resolution of the Kyiv Court of Appeal, 13 January 2010". Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019. The Conclusions of the forensic court demographic expertise of the Institute of Demography and Social Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, dated November 30, 2009, state that 3 million 941 thousand people died as a result of the genocide perpetrated in Ukraine. Of these, 205 thousand died in the period from February to December 1932; in 1933 – 3,598 thousand people died and in the first half of 1934 this number reached 138 thousand people;v. 330, pp. 12–60

[3] "Nalivaychenko nazval kolichestvo zhertv golodomora v Ukraine" Наливайченко назвал количество жертв голодомора в Украине [Nalyvaichenko called the number of victims of Holodomor in Ukraine] (in Russian). LB.ua. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2012.

[FOOTNOTEDaviesWheatcroft2004401-4] Davies & Wheatcroft (2004), p. 401.

[5] Rosefielde, Steven (September 1996). "Stalinism in Post-Communist Perspective: New Evidence on Killings, Forced Labour and Economic Growth in the 1930s". Europe-Asia Studies. 48 (6): 959–987. doi:10.1080/09668139608412393.

[Wolowyna_2020-6] Wolowyna, Oleh (October 2020). "A Demographic Framework for the 1932–1934 Famine in the Soviet Union". Journal of Genocide Research. 23 (4): 501–526. doi:10.1080/14623528.2020.1834741. S2CID 226316468.

[FOOTNOTESnyder201053-7] Snyder (2010), p. 53: "All in all, no fewer than 3.3 million Soviet citizens died in Soviet Ukraine of starvation and hunger-related diseases; and about the same number of Ukrainians (by nationality) died in the Soviet Union as a whole."

[8] Yaroslav Bilinsky (June 1999). "Was the Ukrainian famine of 1932–1933 genocide?". Journal of Genocide Research. 1 (2): 147–156. doi:10.1080/14623529908413948. ISSN 1462-3528. Wikidata Q54006926. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019.

[9] Andriewsky, Olga (2015). "Towards a Decentred History: The Study of the Holodomor and Ukrainian Historiography". East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies. 2: 37. doi:10.21226/T2301N.: "Historians of Ukraine are no longer debating whether the Famine was the result of natural causes (and even then not exclusively by them). The academic debate appears to come down to the issue of intentions, to whether the special measures undertaken in Ukraine in the winter of 1932–33 that intensified starvation were aimed at Ukrainians as such."

[FOOTNOTEGrynevych2008-10] Grynevych (2008).

[FOOTNOTEEllman2007-11] Ellman (2007).

[Wheatcroft_2020-12] Cite error: The named reference Wheatcroft 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[13] Rozenas, Arturas; Zhukov, Yuri M. (2019). "Mass Repression and Political Loyalty: Evidence from Stalin's 'Terror by Hunger'". American Political Science Review. 113 (2): 571. doi:10.1017/S0003055419000066. S2CID 143428346. Similar to famines in Ireland in 1846–1851 (Ó Gráda 2007) and China in 1959–1961 (Meng, Qian and Yared 2015), the politics behind Holodomor have been a focus of historiographic debate. The most common interpretation is that Holodomor was 'terror by hunger' (Conquest 1987, 224), 'state aggression' (Applebaum 2017) and 'clearly premeditated mass murder' (Snyder 2010, 42). Others view it as an unintended by-product of Stalin's economic policies (Kotkin 2017; Naumenko 2017), precipitated by natural factors like adverse weather and crop infestation (Davies and Wheatcroft 1996; Tauger 2001).

[Andriewsky,_2015-14] Andriewsky, Olga (23 January 2015). "Towards a Decentred History: The Study of the Holodomor and Ukrainian Historiography". East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies. 2 (1): 18–52. doi:10.21226/T2301N. ISSN 2292-7956. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. On 28 November 2006, the Parliament of Ukraine, with the president's support and in consultation with the National Academy of Sciences, voted to recognize the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–33 as a deliberate act of genocide against the Ukrainian people ("Zakon Ukrainy pro Holodomor"). A vigorous international campaign was subsequently initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and other governments do the same.

[Kyiv_Independent,_2022-15] The Kyiv Independent news desk (24 November 2022). "Romania, Moldova, Ireland recognize Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainian people". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

[Dahm,_2022-16] Dahm, Julia (15 December 2022). "EU parliament votes to recognise 'Holodomor' famine as genocide". Euractiv. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.

[Holodomor_Education-17] "International Recognition of the Holodomor". Holodomor Education. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.

[Congress,_2018-18] "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 85th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932—1933, known as the Holodomor, should serve as a reminder of repressive Soviet policies against the people of Ukraine". United States Congress. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.

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