“Now, whatever you do, don’t let that guy Stalin ever be in charge. What a dick!”
JKevill
Really cool photo. One must imagine the speech he would be making
TestinOnlyTesting
The hand lettering on this, with the little shadow lines, is so amazing. I need more of this.
HotTubMike
Re-reading “Bloodlands” right now. Those Soviets were so evil. Millions in the Ukraine left to starve for no good reason. *Obviously Trotsky not involved in the Ukrainian famine but made me think of the book I am reading.
Brief summary of Ukraine famine as follows.
USSR wanted to go from an Agrarian economy to an Industrial one as quickly as possible circa 1930. To do this, they needed to export agrarian products to raise cash to purchase industrial products. The Ukraine was known as the bread basket of Europe (or at least of the region) and the harvest of 1930 was excellent. Based on the 1930 harvest numbers the Soviet leadership expected/demanded better or just as good numbers in subsequent harvests. Officials of course we under immense pressure in the Soviet system to not only meet quotas but exceed them. The harvest of 1931 was not nearly as bountiful and to make up the short comings the Soviets extracted every last bit of grain they could from the Ukrainian people and left thousands/millions to starve. This formula continued in 1932/33. Large quotas and yields that don’t meet them = Ukrainians starve. State police/party officials set up watch towers to make sure peasants reported every last bit of grain produced and sent out raiding parties regularly to take every last bit of grain in the countryside to meet quotas.
Those of the countryside who traditionally throughout history have been able to survive famine best were paradoxically the ones who starved and while things weren’t great in Ukrainian cities. It was largely the country folk, those who produced all the food, who died of starvation.
yankee-white
Source.
waltermolemolinski
“Now, whatever you do, don’t let that guy Stalin ever be in charge. What a dick!”
JKevill
Really cool photo. One must imagine the speech he would be making
TestinOnlyTesting
The hand lettering on this, with the little shadow lines, is so amazing. I need more of this.
HotTubMike
Re-reading “Bloodlands” right now. Those Soviets were so evil. Millions in the Ukraine left to starve for no good reason. *Obviously Trotsky not involved in the Ukrainian famine but made me think of the book I am reading.
USSR wanted to go from an Agrarian economy to an Industrial one as quickly as possible circa 1930. To do this, they needed to export agrarian products to raise cash to purchase industrial products. The Ukraine was known as the bread basket of Europe (or at least of the region) and the harvest of 1930 was excellent. Based on the 1930 harvest numbers the Soviet leadership expected/demanded better or just as good numbers in subsequent harvests. Officials of course we under immense pressure in the Soviet system to not only meet quotas but exceed them. The harvest of 1931 was not nearly as bountiful and to make up the short comings the Soviets extracted every last bit of grain they could from the Ukrainian people and left thousands/millions to starve. This formula continued in 1932/33. Large quotas and yields that don’t meet them = Ukrainians starve. State police/party officials set up watch towers to make sure peasants reported every last bit of grain produced and sent out raiding parties regularly to take every last bit of grain in the countryside to meet quotas.
Those of the countryside who traditionally throughout history have been able to survive famine best were paradoxically the ones who starved and while things weren’t great in Ukrainian cities. It was largely the country folk, those who produced all the food, who died of starvation.