The Holodomor Mythology - Interview With Comrade Slava

Marx Engels Institute

With the German parliament recently passing a resolution proclaiming that the Soviet leadership in the ealry 1930's engaged in a deliberate policy of starvation in Ukraine it was clearly time to look at the mythology this resolution is based on. Comrade Slava from the Chicago Workers School joins me for this episode where we examine why the 'holodomr' is a myth created by a combination of the Nazi regime, Ukrainian fascists, the Hearst press and reactionary British historian Robert Conquest. We also examine why this myth has been sustained and how it is used by Ukrainian fascists to this day. We also look at the role played by Trotsky in all this (and it's not a good one). The final part of the episode deals with the reality of collectivisation, crop failures and the actual actions of the Soviet government in Ukraine and Moscow.

Sources used in this episode:

Fraud, Famine and Fascism - Douglas Tottle

The 1932 Harvest and the Famine of 1933 - Mark Tauger

Natural Disaster and Human Actions in the Soviet Famine of 1931-1933 - Mark Tauger

Another View of Stalin - Ludo Martens

Blood Lies - Grover Furr

Stalin-History and Critique of a Black Legend - Domenico Losurdo

Stalin The Temporary Holder of Ukraine - Leon Trotsky

Outro music is 'You Glorious Soviet Ukraine'

Episode Artwork is 'Sunny Day Before Spring' by the Soviet Ukrainian artist Victor Puzrykov