Russian famine of 1921–1922
The Volga River valley turned to dust in the spring of 1921. A severe drought struck the region, but it was not the sole cause of the coming disaster. Three-and-a-half years of World War I had already drained Russia's resources before the famine began. The Russian Civil War of 1918, 1920 added another layer of destruction with 7 million to 12 million casualties, mostly civilians. Bolshevik war communism policies like prodrazvyorstka forced peasants to surrender their grain for little or no payment. This policy led farmers to drastically reduce crop production as a form of resistance. Rail systems could not distribute food efficiently even when supplies existed elsewhere. European Theatre of the Russian Civil War raged from 1918 to 1919 across vast distances. Both Tsarist government councils and opposition parties had advocated for food requisitioning prior to the Bolshevik ascent. All sides seized food from those who grew it to provision armies and deny enemies.
In Samara ten butcher shops closed after authorities discovered they were selling human flesh. Orlando Figes documented thousands of reported cases of cannibalism during this period. The actual number likely remained much higher since many incidents went unreported. In Pugachyov children faced danger going out after dark due to known bands of cannibals. These groups killed children to eat them or sell their tender flesh to others. An inhabitant of a nearby village stated that several cafeterias in the area served up young children. Figes estimated that a considerable proportion of meat in Soviet factories in the Volga area was human flesh. Various gangs specialized in capturing children, murdering them, and selling the human flesh as horse meat or beef. Buyers often chose not to ask too many questions given the extreme shortage of food sources. Six peasants of Buzuluk were found with the remains of humans they had eaten during the famine.
Vladimir Lenin and Maxim Gorky issued an open letter on the 13th of July 1921 appealing to all honest European and American people for bread and medicine. Herbert Hoover responded immediately by appointing Colonel William N. Haskell to direct operations in Russia. Negotiations took place at the Latvian capital Riga where agreements were signed. The American Relief Administration had distributed food aid throughout Europe since 1914 following German invasions of Belgium. By 1920 and 1921 it provided one meal daily to 3.2 million children across Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland Ukraine Czechoslovakia Austria Hungary and Armenia. The ARA planned to feed about one million Russian children for a full year when emergency feeding began. Within a year the operation fed more than ten times that number daily. Over 10 million people received food each day through this massive logistical effort. More than 768 million tons of flour grain rice beans pork milk and sugar arrived via 237 ships. The program employed 200 Americans and 125,000 Russians working together in over 21,000 new kitchens. Dr Henry Beeuwkes led the Medical Division which supplied over 16,000 hospitals treating more than a million persons daily.
An official Soviet publication from the early 1920s concluded that about five million deaths occurred in 1921 from famine and related disease. This figure remains the most commonly quoted number in textbooks today. More conservative figures counted not more than one million fatalities during the crisis period. Another assessment based on American Relief Administration medical division data spoke of two million dead. Some sources claimed as many as ten million people perished from starvation and disease. Bertrand M Patenaude noted such high numbers hardly seem extravagant after considering tens of millions of victims across twentieth century wars famines and terror. Cholera and typhus outbreaks contributed significantly to overall casualty counts alongside direct starvation. The range of estimates reflects the chaos and lack of reliable record keeping during those years. Historians continue to debate the precise death toll due to conflicting historical data available today.
The Bolsheviks launched a campaign to seize church property starting in 1922. That year authorities confiscated over 4.5 million golden roubles worth of religious assets. One million gold roubles were spent specifically for famine relief efforts according to official records. A secret the 19th of March 1922 letter to the Politburo revealed Lenin's intention to seize several hundred million golden roubles. Richard Pipes argued that the famine provided an excuse for the Bolshevik leadership to persecute the Orthodox Church. The church held significant sway over much of the peasantry making it a political target. Russian anti-Bolshevik white émigrés in London Paris and elsewhere used the crisis as media opportunity. They highlighted Soviet regime iniquities to prevent trade with or official recognition of the Bolshevik government. The famine came at the end of six-and-a-half years of unrest including World War I two revolutions and civil war. Many political factions bore responsibility for contributing to or bearing sole blame for the disaster.
Lenin decreed the New Economic Policy on the 15th of March 1921 after being convinced by multiple factors. The Kronstadt rebellion and large-scale peasant uprisings like the Tambov Rebellion pressured him to reverse policy. Failure of a German general strike also influenced his decision to change course domestically and abroad. Foreign aid from outside Soviet Russia was initially rejected when Herbert Hoover offered assistance in 1919. Lenin refused earlier offers because they required full control over the Russian railway network. He demanded food be distributed impartially to all regardless of race creed or social status. The famine helped produce an opening to the West allowing relief organizations to bring aid. War relief was no longer required in Western Europe so resources could shift to Russia. The ARA had previously established an organization in Poland that relieved the Polish famine beginning winter 1919, 1920. By summer 1923 U.S. relief given to Russia amounted to over twice total foreign aid combined.
Common questions
What caused the Russian famine of 1921, 1922?
The Volga River valley turned to dust in the spring of 1921 due to a severe drought combined with three-and-a-half years of World War I and the Russian Civil War. Bolshevik war communism policies like prodrazvyorstka forced peasants to surrender grain for little or no payment, leading farmers to drastically reduce crop production.
How many people died during the Russian famine of 1921, 1922?
An official Soviet publication from the early 1920s concluded that about five million deaths occurred in 1921 from famine and related disease. More conservative figures counted not more than one million fatalities while other assessments based on American Relief Administration data spoke of two million dead.
Who provided food aid during the Russian famine of 1921, 1922?
Herbert Hoover responded immediately by appointing Colonel William N. Haskell to direct operations in Russia through the American Relief Administration. The ARA distributed food aid throughout Europe since 1914 and fed over 10 million people each day within a year of emergency feeding beginning in 1921.
When did Vladimir Lenin issue the New Economic Policy after the Russian famine of 1921, 1922?
Lenin decreed the New Economic Policy on the 15th of March 1921 after being convinced by multiple factors including the Kronstadt rebellion and large-scale peasant uprisings like the Tambov Rebellion. This policy reversal allowed foreign aid organizations to bring relief to Russia following earlier refusals due to railway control demands.
What happened to church property during the Russian famine of 1921, 1922?
The Bolsheviks launched a campaign to seize church property starting in 1922 when authorities confiscated over 4.5 million golden roubles worth of religious assets. One million gold roubles were spent specifically for famine relief efforts according to official records while a secret letter from the 19th of March 1922 revealed Lenin's intention to seize several hundred million golden roubles.