CHAPTER IV
MOSCOW'S ATTITUDE
WHAT has the Soviet Government done in the face of the
catastrophe within its borders? It has kept silence; it has
simply denied the existence of the famine; it has not even
attempted to ameliorate it by rapid distribution of the grain
available for export among the starving population. More than
that, by exporting part of the grain wrung from the peasantry,
Moscow has contributed to increase the number of victims of
the catastrophe. To find an explanation of this at first sight
wholly incredible fact, it is not enough to study the economic
embarrassment and internal conflict which I have dealt with
in previous chapters, nor to examine Moscow's general attitude
to the question of famine and famine relief. We must also look
at the root motives which dictate Moscow's policy.
First, there is the general attitude of Communism, and more
especially the value it sets on human life. It is the Bolshevist
view that the one ultimate ideal is to lead mankind to the
earthly paradise, and that the way to realize it is to realize the
Communist ideal of Society. So long as an economic order
destined to last for ever is achieved, the death of millions
becomes insignificant It follows from this general assumption
that human life in Bolshevist eyes has little, if any, value:
man is an economic factor, like labour in the abstract, and
nothing more.
It would be a different matter if the population necessary
to maintain the economic system were endangered; in this
case the Government would do anything to avert such a threat.
But the fact is that the Soviets possess a vast human reserve.
M. Herriot begins one of his articles by stating that the popula-
tion is increasing so rapidly that it grew from 147 millions to
161 dillioGS during the five years 1926-31, The theory of the