Famine was quite deliberately employed as an instrument of…
“Famine was quite deliberately employed as an instrument of national policy, as the last means of breaking the resistance of the peasantry to the new system where they are divorced from personal ownership of the land and obligated to work on the conditions which the state may demand from them... This famine may fairly be called political because it was not the result of any overwhelming natural catastrophe or such complete exhaustions of the country's resources in foreign and civil wars...”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The famine was used deliberately by the state to crush peasant resistance to forced collectivization and loss of land ownership.
In simple terms: The government caused famine to break peasant opposition.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how policy can weaponize scarcity.
Themes
political control
state violence
agricultural policy
peasant resistance
Mood
somber
critical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- land reform
- state-imposed labor
- food distribution crises
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
totalitarianism
forced collectivization
resource manipulation
Questions to Reflect On
- How does scarcity shape political power?
- What alternatives could have prevented the famine?
A Different Perspective
It overlooks peasant agency and other contributing factors.