Episode Summary:

In the second part of our deep dive into the origins of the Soviet famine, Nick continues his exploration of 1928-1929, the critical years that sealed the fate of the Russian peasantry.

Drawing again on Robert Conquest’s The Harvest of Sorrow, we examine how StalinStalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician, dictator and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. Read More’s “emergency measures”—intended to be temporary—became a permanent war on the countryside. Why did the Bolsheviks believe that the “middle peasant” was a capitalist hoarder? How did the regime’s reliance on bad data lead to a spiral of confiscation and violence that destroyed the incentives to produce food?

We uncover the tragic logic of a state that viewed market mechanisms as a threat and chose instead to loot its own people, setting the stage for the catastrophic famine of the early 1930s.

Plus: A reminder for history students! Tickets are selling fast for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on Sunday, January 25th. Book your spot now to master exam technique and essay structure.

Key Topics:

• The Emergency Measures of 1928: How temporary requisitioning became permanent policy.
• The Destruction of the Market: Why peasants stopped producing grain once the st