MOSCOW'S ATTITUDE 179
them more systematically than before. The famine now became
a political weapon.
Early in 1933 the extent and suddenness of the famine had
come as a surprise, and elements of the population perished
whose disappearance was not considered to be in the interest
of the Government. In future it was intended to proceed accord-
ing to plan, and to utilize the famine in order to esterminate
—especially in the agricultural districts—those groups which
the Government regarded as the natural enemies of the official
views on the questions of the nationalities, religion, family, etc.
In connection with the famine and with the radical change
in the Russian policy with regard to the nationalities, Moscow
now began a struggle whose extent it is impossible to gauge.
It was recognized that not only the Ukrainian population,
but also the inhabitants of the other districts, were offering an
obstinate resistance. Hence Moscow became convinced that
almost the entire older generation, including leading circles
in the local Communist Parties, felt the appeal of pre-
Communist ideas such as religion, home and nationhood. All
these persons were regarded as being practically class enemies,
for Moscow saw in them irreconcilable enemies of the Soviet
State and the "proletarian internationalism" which it preaches*
It now became possible to deprive certain groups of producers*
above all the individual peasants, and even the population of
entire districts, of the minimmn necessary for existence, ie.
by not leaving to the peasants the necessary grain or not
restoring it to them (as was done to the members of many
collective ferms). In this way the individual peasants were
completely eliminated; either they entered the collective farms
in so far as they were allowed to3 or they died of starvation. In
addition to the elimination of the individual peasants a rapid
purge of "class-hostile elements" within the collective farms
was undertaken in order in all circumstances to preserve the
remnant of collective farm peasants. In 1933 comprehensive
measures were taken to separate the "harmftd dements" feam