Stalin sought to stimulate the Russian economy in 1920. To do so, he established the New Economic Policy, focusing on the liberalization of agriculture and industry.
The reform was successful and effective. Stalin then feared that this policy would create a new middle class that could profit from communism. He ended the economic policy and then focused on a new industrial plan. In order to effectively develop Soviet industries, Stalin needed to purchase new equipment and machinery. Stalin wanted to increase exports to raise the financial resources necessary for these purchases. This is why he increased forced requisitions among peasants.
The peasants did not want their resources to be diminished by these new measures. Many of them resisted by decreasing their production and their deliveries to the government. Stalin nicknamed these peasants the “Kulaks.” These peasants had achieved some level of financial ease compared to the majority of the population.
He accused them of working against the policy in the name of their individualism and personal interests. Stalin decided to eliminate the social class of the Kulaks by integrating them into large collective farms or into farms owned by the state.
By the end of 1931, 70% of land had been collectivized. These measures resulted in the first victims of hunger: between 1 and 1.5 million people died in Kazakhstan.
Resistance to collectivization was even stronger in Ukraine, where the peasants were efficiently organized. The state tightened its control over Ukraine in 1932 in order to quash Ukrainian nationalism. Ukrainian peasants were also suspected of putting their own interests first. Stalin asserted his control by drastically increasing forced requisitions, even for collectivized farms.
A new law came into force on August 7, 1932. The law was nicknamed the Law of Five Stalks of Grain. It authorized 10 years of deportation, or the death penalty, for anyone who stole state property. This applied even to the theft of a few stalks of grain, which is how the law got its nickname. The Law of Five Stalks of Grain also empowered leaders to take all, or nearly all, of the harvests
These actions caused a famine among Ukrainian peasants. When winter came in 1932, peasants could be found roaming the roads, walking from one village to the next in search of work or help. At the end of December, the Single Passport Act was created. This law forbade people from leaving their home villages unless they had obtained authorization from the state.
The law had a devastating impact on the population. People were weakened and died of hunger or cold. Many Ukrainians were deported. Some died from suicide and others were driven to cannibalism. The famine came to an end in May 1933 when spring returned, bringing new fruits and vegetables
The USSR deported close to 2 million Ukrainians between 1928 and 1932, and massacred 500 000 people. Ukrainian culture was banished and intellectuals were imprisoned. Five million Ukrainian peasants died during the famine inflicted by the state, out of a total of 20 to 25 million at the time.
Soviet propaganda was effective enough during the famine to prevent strong reactions from Western countries. However, Ukraine passed a law on November 28, 2006, recognizing that the famine caused by the Soviet state was genocide.