Famine in USSR

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RUSSIAN COMMERCIAL INSTITUTE IN PARIS

Famine in USSR

Profess. A MARKOFF.

Reproduced from Russian Economic Bulletin N" 9.

The Russian Economic Bulletin, a monthly journal
published in Paris, in French, edited by a group
of professors of the Russian Commercial Institute,
has deemed it advisable to publish in English
Professor A. MARKOFF's article on « Famine in
the U. S. S. R. », which appeared in N° 9
of the Bulletin.

A map of the chief famine-afflicted regions
is included.

I

Famine in Soviet Russia

The « Russian Economic Bulletin 7> has collected much information
which shows indisputably that Soviet Russia is in the grip of a severe
famine. This information is drawn from various sources.

I. Numerous letters received from Russians in the U. R. S. S.
The « Bulletin » has many such, and their genuineness cannot be dispu-
ted. They come from various regions, but they tell the same story of the
raging of an unprecedented famine. Thay permit the fixation of the prin-
cipal districts affected, and they reveal the localities where cannibalism
has been the horrible consequence.

A former commander of the Red Army wrote from the Northern
Caucasus to relatives in France, the letter being dated May 16, in these
terms :

«... Horrible things are happening. Entire villages are being com-
pletely depopulated by famine. One such is U. Bodies of the dead lie for
days in the houses because there is no-one to remove them. They are buried
coffinless in a common grave. In dark corners of back streets bodies are
partly devoured by dogs. Almest all dogs and cats have been eaten. Horse
meat is considered a delicacy, and is sold openly ».

« Human flesh has also been eaten. Cutlets and sausages made
from human flesh are to be found at the markets. There have been cases
where mothers have killed their children to eat them. These are not tales.
There was such a case in Uss. A woman killed the blind Bissatcha in

order to eat him ; Mara surely knows this man. Starving people grab
food and money from one at the markets. One has to hold his purchases
with both hands. The authorities are inactive. They intervene only to
confiscate flour and bread which is sold illicitly. ; (1 )

II. Letters from foreigners residing in U. S. S. R., reports from
returned foreign technician^, and information appearing in the foreign
Press depict the famine in various ways. Much of this material has been
publisted in Great Britain, Chekoslovakia and Germany. Particular atten-
tion has to be drawn to an article by M. P. Berland, published in «Le
Temps* on July 18. His description of the famine agrees with those of
others.

Writing in the « Morning Post » Mr Malcolm Muggeridge says !

« The particular horror of their rule is what they have done in
the villages. This, I am convinced, is one of the most monstrous crimes in
history, so terrible the people in the future will scarcely be able to bi
lieve it ever happened. If you go now to the Ukraine or the North Cauca-
sus, exceedingly beautiful countries and formerly amongst the most fer-
tile in the world, you will find them like a desert ; fields choked with
weeds and neglected ; no livestock or horses, villages seeming to be
deserted ; peasants famished, often their bodies swollen, unutterably
wretched. >

« You will discover, if you question them, that they have had no
bread at all for three months past ; only potatoes and some millet... They
will tell you that many have already died of famine, and that many are
dying every day ; that thousands have been shot by the Government
and hundreds of thousands exiled ; that it is a crime, punishable by death
sentence without trial, for them to have grain in their houses... >

(1) « Russian Economic Bulletin », N*7, published many of these letter*.
Others appeared in « Entente Internationale contre la Ttoisieme Internationale tt.
Documentation, juillet — Aout, 1933.

« I saw these conditions for myself in the North Caucasus and
the Ukraine and heard from many sources, some Russian, some foreign,
and some even Communist, that similar conditions prevailed in all the
agricultural districts of Russia... »

« It is impossible to describe the horror of it... Villages devastated
by the Bolsheviks were terrible beyond words because there seemed no
end... It was as though a blight had settled on the country. It was as
though nothing would ever grow there again... »

M. P. Berland writes in « Le Temps » :

« The food situation has suddenly worsened during recent months,
to such an extent that it can only be compared with 1920, the year of gre-
at famine. The catastrophe, the coming of which was obvious even to the
blindest, and which we predicted more than a year ago («Le Temps», May
31, 1932), has gripped the country. The silence of the Press on this point
is one of the most curious things in contemporary Russia. The food si-
tuation is surrounded by a kind of conspiracy of silence, but the cata-
strophic situation, nevertheless, is the secret of Polichinelle. Innocent per-
sons in Paris or elsewhere who follow the Soviet Press wjll not have a
suspicion of it. »

« The official censorship, the mastery of the telegraph, pitilessly
mutilates the despatches of foreign journalists, and allows the passage
only of such colourless expressions as « grave food difficulties », eloquent
to these who know Soviet Russia, but which do not reflect the true state
of affairs. >

« In 1920 the towns suffered. Transport was paralysed ; there
was no stable money, and the peasants refused te hand over their pro-
ducts in exchange for depreciated monetary units. But the country people,
in the majority of cases, had reserves of food... Now the position is rever-
sed. By a paradox of Soviet economy the country suffers more than the
town. The peasants flock to the great centres of population in order to buy
bread the fruit of their toil-which the State has taken from them to feed the

privileged sections of the nation, the Army, the G.P.U., specialists and
qualified workers. In the eyes of the peasant the townsman has become
a parasite who lives at his expense, a « darmoyed », that is to say a
« free feeder ». But migration to the towns has become almost impossible;
it has become more difficult to secure railway tickets, and in certain
places they are only issued with G.P.U. authority. In addition, the re-
establishment of the passport system aims at stopping travel, the tying
of a nomad population to fixed places in order to assure to the authorities
control over workers, without whom directed economy would be im-
possible, and to give to them a feeling of security. >

« To the famine is joined the usual typhus epidemic, as was the
case in 1920 — 21. Cases of plague have been reported from the Urals.
The existence of these diseases is officially denied. This denial, however,
does not unfortunately prevent them inflicting severe ravages. »

« In 1920 the famine was officially recognised. The Government
gave it prominence. Special commissions were organised to struggle against
the calamity, and the Bolsheviks openly appealed for international aid.
A similar frankness at present appears impossible. An avowal would
provoke the question. How did this happen ?»

III. Reports of persons who have made special enquiries about
agriculture in Russia, about the severity of the famine, and the area
affected. Dr Schiller's memorandum merits Special attention. He visi-
ted the Southern Caucasus. The pamphlet, « Brothers in Need », pu-
blished by Evangelischer Pressverband for Deutschland, Berlin, must
also be mentioned. The statements of German refugees in the Schneidemole
camp, gathered dy Dr Auhagen, proffesor of the Eastern Europe Institute,
and a great specialist on Russian agriculture, are also revealing (These
German documents are quoted from « Cillac » — organ du centre in-
ternational de Iutte active contre le Communisme, published in Brus-
sels).

Dr Schiller says that from the autumn of 1932 the food situation

became catastrophic in many regions.The population declined because
of deportation and in consequence of a high death rate owing to famine.
Villages have been depopulated. Politically the cossaks have been exter-
minated. Cases of cannibalism were frequent. The inhabitants of Temich-
bek have fallen in numbers from 15,000 to 7.000. In many places the
population has declined 15 per cent. The villages of Kamennobrodskaia,
Lagovskaia and Sredne-Egorlytskaia are completely depopulated. In
some villages from 20 to 30 persons die daily. Many houses have been
abandoned. Kitchen gardens, even those attached to houses where people
still live, are not cultivated. One rarely sees cats and dogs; they are
eaten. There is neither bread nor flour at the markets. They are rarely
to be seen even at Torgsin shops. The general feeling is not so much
hate as apathy. One can travel in all security. The spirit of aggression
against the Soviets is completely extinguished. Railway tickets are only
delivered on the production of special permits. The number of deaths
will rise towards the autumn. Nobody aids the people, and the Govern-
ment is completely disinterested.

« The famine is sharper than it was in 1921, when five million
persons died from starvation. It would, have been (possible to save
the starving people with the cereals the Government has shipped ab-
road. »

« Everywhere complete inertia is noticeable. Limbs are swollen
because of undernourishment. At Ekaterinodar a body lay in the street.
People are buried in their own gardens. At Ekaterinodar bodies were
found from which pieces of flesh had been removed for eating. Under
these conditions it may be asked, who will gather the harvest ? A new
population would be necessary. »

Extracts from answers received by Professor Auhagen from Ger-
man refugees lately resident in Russia reveal the same horrible condi-
tions :

« In Southern Ukraine and the Northern Caucasus the famine

is much worse than it was in 1920 — 21. In the Ukraine the famine
spreads northwards. In Kharkov bodies lay in the streets. Persons fell
from weakness in the streets, and were unable to masticate when food
was placed before them. Dogs and cats have disappeared. In the spring
it was possible to catcjh marmots, but these animals have now given
out. People talk of horrible cases of cannibalism. In Taganrog district
a mother eut the throats of three of her children. In Krivoroje a woman
who murdered her husband was arrested. She intended to eat him. In
the village of Sofievka, in the Stavropol region, half of the population
died from starvation. »

Famine rages in the Orenbourg region, but not so acutely as in
the Ukraine. The position is not so bad as in the Middle- Volga region,
down to Samara. The German-Volga Republic is seriously affected.
There have been many deaths from starvation on the Kirghiz Steppes.

All refugees blame collectivisation for the calamity. « Collectivi-
sation is utter wreck », they say. High taxation and corn collection have
also been big factors in promoting the famine. Even this year, when
famine is raging, unbearable taxation in kind is being imposed. A large
proportion of domestic animals has been destroyed. Here is a
typical letter published in the pamphlet, « Brothers in Need. »

« I was in the Northern Caucasus. The position is quite undescri-
bable. The people have nothing to eat. Many die daily. When a cow
or horse dies the carcase is shared by many persons. They even eat the
skin. Recently some peasants went to a field for fodder. Five miles from
home the saw two dead horses on the roadside. Nobody knew how long
they had lain there. When they returned home and told their friends
about the dead horses, they dashed off to secure portions of the carcases.
Many fell ill in consequence, and some died. Nobody bothers about
ascertaining the reasons for the deaths of cattle. Dogs and cats have
all been eaten. In one house the father died. The neighbours awaited
an invitation to the funeral, but none came. They went to the house,
and they found the mother and her son seated near the body and engaged

8

in deep discussion. They asked what they were talking about, and
the widow said they were trying to decide whether to bury or eat the
corpse. Such incidents are frequently mentioned. »

« In 1921 the dearth was great, but it cannot be compared
with the present situation. In many villages fifty per cent of the people
have died. The houses stand empty. j> (This letter was despatched in
April 1933).

IV. And, last, an attentive perusal of the Soviet Press also
indicates the existences of famine. Officially the Government says all
is well with agriculture, but an analysis of their Press shows the position
to be quite catastrophic. (2) Judging by this material it is possible to
draw the following conclusions :

a) After the introduction of collectivisation fields became over-
grown with weeds. The authorities frequently mobilised whole local
populations to exterminate the weeds, but efficient results were not
achieved. There followed a plague of all sorts of nefarious insects and
animals. The decline of agriculture is also explainable by inferior work-
manship.

b) Sowing has been greatly delayed under collectivisation. In
the Ukraine, the Northern Caucasus, in the Lower Volga region and
in other districts where climatic conditions demand the completion of
sowing within ten-twelve days, it sometimes continued for sixty days {as
reports to the Commissariat of Agriculture demonstrate). Winter sowing
was sometimes carried out when the ground was frozen. Because of

(2) Tie « Russian Economic Bulletin » has published several articles on
this matter i.e. « The Agricultural Policy of the Soviets and its Results », by
Prof. A. Markov (N° 1, October 1932), « The Wheat Crop », by N. Popov
(N° 2, Nov. 1932), « What is Socialist Agriculture in the U. R. S. S. P», by
M. Peroff (N° 4, January 1933) and « Sooiet Wheat Collection in 1932 », by
M. Grogorovich (N 5, Feb. 1933).

sowing delays the young shoots perished from drought, sold or noxious
insects. In addition the starving peasants frequently ate seed corn. Last
spring Moscow was obliged to send seed to the collective and State
farms of the Northern Caucasus and the Ukraine where, in 1932, ac-
cording to reports of the Commissariat of Agriculture, the harvest was
satisfactory.

c) There are other facts which prove that the food position is
▼ery tense : 1) The sharp rise in food prices. In comparison with the
period of the New Economic Policy, 1921 — 27, prices rose sometimes
by 3.000 per cent. 2) The diminution in the number of food rations
in towns and cities by the expulsion of citizens. (The re-imposition of
the passport system). 3) The introduction of capital punishment for in-
fraction of rules for the collective working of land, and the theft of
corn.

d) The supervision of threshing during the current harvesting
season has been entrusted to Machine and Tractor Stations which
agriculturally represent the central government, and which are staffed
by true red Communists. As a precaution against theft threshing ma-
chines on collectives have been under continuous guard of the Com-
munists. By these means all threshed corn will be controlled by the
State. A special detachment has been formed to guard the filds. Thou-
sands of watch towers have been erected to effect this supervision more
efficiently.

The information drawn from Soviet Press sources thus corrobo-
rates that of Russians and foreigners.

Lack of space prevents further quotation, but sufficient evidence
has been presented to permit the following conclusions :

a) There is an acute shortage of food in the whole country, but
the following region are experiencing dire need :

10

Regions

Denoted on

map

Population

Territory

Millions

Thousands km 8

Ukraine

12

31,6

451,8

Northern Caucasus

18

9,3

293,6

Lower Volga

17

5,8

334.0

Middle Volga

13

7.5

236,0

Central Black-Soil Region

11

M.7

191,9

An area of 1.507.300 sq. kilometres, having a population of
65,9 mil. is in the grip of famine. This exceeds in area and population
the disaster of 1 920 — 2 1 (Orenburg province, the Tartar and Bashkir
Republics and the Middle Volga region were then principally affected).
The population of the Don, the Kuban and the Terek, all cossack
territories, is suffering particulary, not only from lack of food, but because
of iron hand repression. Many people have been shot, and many thou-
sands have been deported to the inhospitable northern wastes. (The
cossack areas are denoted on the map by C). There are undoubtedly
other famine-afflicted areas, some districts of Siberia, for example, but
direct information is lacking at present.

b) Districts once the richest in Russia, and renowned as producers
of fine grade wheat are now the most afflicted by famine. In the worst
position of all are the Northern Caucasus, particulary the Kuban section
( ™ on the map) . The position In legion iff: on the map) usually depen-
dent for grain supplies upon southern provinces is not so bad. The famine
is worst where the greatest number of private peasant farms has been
collectivised. Indeed, collectivisation is the principal cause of the ca-
tastrophe.

c) The country population suffers more from famine than the town
population. Peasants usually growing wheat now seek it the cities.

tl

This is explained by the fact that the Government simply took as much
of the harvest as it could lay hands upon so that it could retain the
allegience of those sections of the population upon whom it relie. But
there are many starving people in the towns. They are Soviet workers
and employees, who are deprived of rations when discharged from fac-
tories and Government departments.

d) The present famine is not a sudden phenomenon, but is the
result of Soviet policy over a series of years. Above all it is the conse-
quence of collectivisation, which broke up multitudes of peasant farms,
especially the best worked farms, the development of which was assisted
by the Government during the N.E.P. period. The destruction of agri-
culture during recent years has been more rapid than it was in 1918-21,
when Lenin experimented with socialisation of the land. The present
famine differs from that of 1920 — 21 in that it has developed under
climatic conditions favourable to good harvests and a bounteous export.
The earlier famine was due not only to Communist policy but to drought.

e) In Lenin's days the Government recognised the existence of
famine, and permitted foreigners to assist in relief. The present dictators
deny the existence of famine, and declare that all is well. The victims
of famine thus receive no assistance.

f) There is no foundation for a belief in improvement. The cala-
mity is due not to weather conditions but to the policy of the present
rulers of Russia. Their policy becomes more and more intransigeant.
The reduction of the population is one of the measures wherewith the
socialist reconstruction of the country will be effected. By a reduction of
population the Soviet authorities endeavour to attain a balance between
a decreased volume of food products and consumption.

g) Information concerning the present famine indicates that it
is more devastating than that of 1920 — 21, when, according to Soviet
statistics, five million persons perished. Some observers, Dr Schiller, for
example, state that the population of the U.R.S.S. begins to decline,

12

instead of registering the usual increase of about three millions per an-
num. Judging by descriptions of the position in certain regions, where
villages are losing half of their inhabitans, it may be assumed that several
millions in all must perish.

The last spring sowings were carried out in unsatisfactory manner.
The land was badly worked, the sowing was delayed and part of the
seed was used for food by starving peasants. An unsatisfactory crop is inevi-
table. Ignoring the necessities of the people the Government will seize,
by violence if necessary, most of the fruit of the harvest, leaving the
people to their fate. The food position will gradually become worse.
Under present conditions it cannot improve because the foundations of
agriculture have been destroyed. A persistent decline in future harvests
is inevitable.

As the Soviet Government denies the existence of the famine the
problem of foreign relief is very complicated. But such relief is necessary.
Foreign assistance can save millions of lives only if control of relief is
retained in foreign hands.

The relief problem has not yet been adequately discussed. Despite
the deliberate opposition of the Soviet Government the succour of millions
of suffering Russians should be undertaken.

Profess. A. MARKOFF.

13

5S

CHIEF FAMINE-STRICKEN REGIONS IN 1933

(EUROPEAN PART OF THE U.S.S.R.)

TERRITORY OF USSR (in Europe & Asia) aggregates 21.200.000 sq. km.
The population on June 1. 1931, was 162.100.000.
Map indications. —

A. — Consuming Regions

Kola Peninsula
Northern territory
Karelia
Komi region
Leningrad region
Tvanov industrial region
Moscow region

- Nijni Novgorod territory
— Ruthenia

B. — Producing Regions:

10. — Western region

11. — Central Black-Soil region
1 2. — Ukraine

13. — Middle Volga territory

14. — Tartar Republic

15. — Bashkir Republic

16. — Ural region

17. — Lower Volga territory

1 8. — Northern Caucasus

19. 20, 21 — Transcaucasia (Geor-
gia, Azerbaijan & Armenia)

Percentage of farms collcelivised in
the Spring of 1931.

21,9
31,5

29,3
27,2
29,9
25,4
24,1

35,2

49,0

61, — (In Steppe section 80,9)

61.4 (right bank) 81,8 (left bank)

32,8

4 4,—

78,8
SI, 2

From 21,2 to 38. —

Worst stricken regions (Indicated by diagonal lines on map) are denoted by
figures.

Ukraine — 12

Northern Caucasus — 18

Lower Volga — 17

Middle Volga — 13

Central Black-Soil reg. — 1 I

Percentage of

Population

collectivisation

(in millions)

61 (In Steppe section 80,9)

31,6

81,2

9,3

78,8

5,8

From 61,4 to 81,8

7,5

4 9.6

11,7

The letter C. indicates Don, Kuban & Terek Cossack territories.
The letter C t indicates Ural & Orenburg cossack territories.
The Population of the cossack territories is perishing in greater proportion be-
cause Communist persecution is allied to famine.

I

1

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