Existing comment:
A grain confiscation brigade displays unearthed food provisions for the camera as the family looks on in Odessa Oblast, Ukraine, 1932-33.
With the Soviets intent on industrialization, Ukrainian farmers faced unrealistic grain quotas, imposed to help feed growing urban populations and export revenue. When quotas weren't met, search squads confiscated even seed grain. "Saboteurs" who hid grain were jailed and deported. Eventually, all foodstuffs and livestock were confiscated, leaving farmers and families with nothing to eat. Then the Soviet government took a step that doomed vast numbers of people: It closed the border, preventing Ukrainians from seeking food elsewhere. They were penned in to starve and die. |