Historical Background
Ukraine declared independence in what year?
1918
Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during the Holodomor?
Joseph Stalin
What law made taking grain from fields a crime?
Five Stalks of Grain Law
During what years did the Holodomor occur?
1932–1933
Who coined the term "genocide"?
Raphael Lemkin
What was the name of the independent Ukrainian state created after the collapse of the Russian Empire?
Ukrainian People's Republic
What economic program introduced collectivization?
First Five-Year Plan
What name was given to wealthy farmers considered enemies of the state?
Kulaks
What group suffered the most during the Holodomor?
Ukrainian farmers and villagers
What did Lemkin call the Holodomor?
"The classic example of Soviet genocide."
In what year did Ukraine officially become part of the Soviet Union?
1922
What was collectivization?
The forced merging of private farms into state-controlled collective farms.
What happened to blacklisted villages?
They were surrounded, cut off from supplies, and residents could not leave.
What was the estimated death rate during the peak of the famine?
About 28,000 deaths per day
According to Lemkin, what group was specifically targeted during the Holodomor?
Ukrainians / the Ukrainian nation
Which Soviet policy allowed farmers to keep and sell some of their crops?
New Economic Policy (NEP)
Why did Stalin want collectivization?
To increase government control, increase grain exports, and fund industrialization.
Why were internal passports important?
Farmers could not travel or leave in search of food.
What is the most widely accepted estimate for the number of deaths?
About 3.9 million
Name one reason historians argue the Holodomor was intentional.
Any:
What was the goal of Ukrainization?
To promote Ukrainian language and culture and increase support for Soviet rule.
Approximately how many peasant rebellions occurred in response to collectivization?
About 4,000
Who was Stalin's close collaborator involved in closing Ukraine's borders?
Molotov
Name one thing people were forced to eat to survive.
Grass, acorns, cats, dogs (any one)
The Soviet Union removed 4.27 million tons of grain from Ukraine while millions starved. Why is this fact often used as evidence in the genocide debate?
Because it suggests Soviet leaders knew food existed but still chose to remove grain and deny relief, supporting arguments that the famine was deliberate.