The Soviet Great Famine, 1931--33

Abstract: This paper documents several new facts about the causes of the Soviet Great Famine, 1931–33. First, bad weather was not an important contributor to the famine. Second, excess mortality was much higher for ethnic Ukrainians, the largest minority group, than ethnic Russians, even outside of the Republic of Ukraine. Third, this cannot be explained by differences in weather conditions, historical productivity, or political variables. Fourth, Soviet policies were implemented more zealously for Ukrainians, which resulted in more collectivization of agriculture, lower grain productivity, and higher procurement during the famine for Ukrainians. Both ethnic Ukrainian and non-ethnic Ukrainian Party leaders increased Ukrainian mortality. The results are consistent with the presence of ethnic bias in famine-era Soviet policies.