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Also sickening is the understanding that the massive horror of the famine (in large part a result of the policies of confiscation of goods) was seized upon as a

Also sickening is the understanding that the massive horror of the famine (in large part a result of the policies of confiscation of goods) was seized upon as an opportunity to punish the suffering peasants and diminish the authority of the Orthodox Church. I'm troubled there wasn't there an ounce of humanity among leaders, those who would rather grab power than alleviate the suffering. But then, to admit the scale of the suffering and/or to ask for international aid is to admit that the central planning model is inefficient, and the embarrassment of the food aid provided by the United States must have deepened the insult to the (well fed) leadership. A disgusting low-point in human history, for certain.

Swizec 7y ago
The death of one is a tragedy, the death of a million a mere statistic.
philwelch 7y ago
It's not just a question of ego and power. It's fundamentally based in the ideological belief that the ends justify the means--though that belief is very useful for laundering motivations of ego and power into self-perceived righteousness. These people didn't necessarily want to alleviate immediate material suffering in the here and now. They wanted to Achieve Communism, which would supposedly alleviate material suffering forever. If that meant tens of millions had to be sacrificed on that altar, so be it.