Reddit reviews The Years of Hunger: Soviet Agriculture, 1931–1933 (Industrialization of Soviet Russia) (Vol 5)

>had a few famines, they were caused by Capitalists. Farmers who did not want to turn over the crops to the people, and instead burned and razed their own fields. On top of a few naturally caused famines, just having come out of a Civil War, and being the biggest contributor to the allies victory in World War II, I can understand why some people cut Stalin some slack.

Seeing a Libertarian Socialist posting blatant historical revisionism that only comes from apologist works is so disheartening.

It's well established by historians that massive errors in planning committed by the Soviet bureaucracy contributed massively to the Holodomor and other famines. A large part of why this happened was because collectivization was imposed upon the peasants by a bureaucracy with little knowledge of the local conditions (and who didn't prepare for the seasonal weather changes that Ukraine faces) and that tried to get it's way with the peasantry with brute force when their plans began failing. I have a short write-up about the causes of famine in this sub.

No, not that. Nobody denies the human factor. Intent, however, was never proven. As in, nobody plotted to create Holodomor, and nobody plotted to take a natural famine and make it even worse. On the contrary, efforts to help people were documented (if only "too little too late" - local authorities were reluctant to report the real situation to Moscow). For the record, my position here is based on Western research, not Russian.

>Collectivization leads to heavy losses, to Stalin, "Starvation was resistance and resistance was a sign that the victory of socialism was just around the corner," Bloodlands, 41., "Moscow expected far ore from Ukraine than Ukraine could possibly give." (33), moreover "Stalin ordered on 5 December that collective farms that ha not yet fulfilled their annual requirements must surrender their seed grain." (34)..."Then in early 1932 they had no seed grain with which to plant the fall crop." (34) - You may argue that the famine was not man-made, but taking away seed grain seems like a shitty way to jump start collectivization. Stalin's capricious response to low yields in 1932, ensured that the famine would result in millions of deaths.

So now the famine is no longer man-made? You backtrack quite quickly.

>As for aiding Ukraine, "Now, hundreds of thousands of starvation deaths later, Stalin sent Kaganovich to hold the whip over the Ukranian party leadership...it resolved that requisition targets were to be met. This was a death sentence for about three million people. As everyone in that room knew in those early morning hours, grain could not be collected from an already starving population without the most horrific of consequences." (44), Stalin and Kaganovich caused those deaths, no doubt about it.

Snyder takes too many licenses in his descriptions, that's one of his failures in 'Bloodlands'. Try to read more than one book per subject. Start with:

http://www.amazon.com/Years-Hunger-Agriculture-1931-1933-Industrialisation/dp/0333311078/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312325930&sr=8-2

There is also this book

Here's a book that outlines what happened 1933 during the Soviet famines

https://www.amazon.com/Years-Hunger-Agriculture-1931-1933-Industrialization/dp/0333311078

But also at this time was the implementation of collectivism and the removal of the kulaks. Not saying the drought and poor harvests had no effect, but the rapid changes also played a massive hand in it. Also because of the 5 year plan, they were exporting the food they harvested for the betterment of all of the USSR so that it could prepare for its eventual industrialization.

Also I just realized you got that quote from an amazon book review
http://www.amazon.com/The-Years-Hunger-Agriculture-Industrialisation/dp/0333311078

Edit: if I may throw in one extra point, I never said this was the result of the evil Kremlin wanting to intentionally kill out people because they're evil geniuses. I just wanted to point out that millions died because of how Stalin wanted things to work in his bullheaded way.