Some of the largest famines ever recorded, including the Holodomor, occurred in the 20th century, an age of unparalleled food abundance. This module examines how modern famine shifted from natural to man-made causes.

This module is the first of two examining the broader historical context of the Holodomor. It explores the Bolshevik Party’s struggle to establish control over the former Russian Empire between 1917 and 1922 and considers how the legacy of revolution, war, mass violence, and economic collapse shaped the formation of the Soviet state.

This module examines how the Soviet state and economy were transformed in the 1920s and how Stalin’s radical program of industrialization and collectivization, introduced in 1928, set the stage for famine.  

Recent research has revealed significant differences in famine mortality across the Soviet Union. This module is the first of two that explore what made the Holodomor in Soviet Ukraine different from famine elsewhere. It examines how and why Ukraine and Ukrainians were targeted.

This module examines specific policies and measures introduced in Soviet Ukraine in the winter of 1932-33 that willfully intensified the famine. It looks at how the Soviet grain procurement drive evolved into a larger campaign waged by Stalin and the Kremlin leadership for political control over Ukraine. 

What was starvation like for those who experienced it? What were the ways people tried to save themselves and their families? This is the first of two modules that draw on survivor and witness testimonies to address the experience of the Holodomor “from below.”

This module explores additional survival strategies adopted by the rural population during the Holodomor and analyzes how the authorities used food and a rationing system to reward or punish specific groups within Soviet society.  

Ukraine in the 1920s experienced a cultural renaissance after centuries of Russian imperial oppression. This module examines the transformation of Ukrainian education and urban life and the remarkable achievements in Ukrainian literature, visual arts, theater, and film that were cut short by the Stalinist regime’s suppression of Ukrainian culture and cultural elites ─ part of the multi-pronged attack on Ukraine in the late 1920-early 1930s.

What did the international community know about the Holodomor during the early 1930s? Far from being a "hidden famine," awareness was widespread, even among those who publicly denied it was happening. By looking at the efforts of media, governments, and private organizations to cover ─ and cover up ─ the tragedy, this module provides insight into contemporary discussions about misinformation, propaganda, and mass atrocity.

This module looks at the origins of the concept of genocide, its definition under international law, and how public understanding of genocide has changed from its legal definition in 1948. The module also presents common misperceptions and key debates about genocide and provides an overview of the dynamics of the Ukrainian Holodomor within comparative genocide studies frameworks.

In this module, we explore the short- and long-term impacts of the Holodomor, not only for Ukraine but for the USSR and beyond. Although the famine had largely ended by the fall of 1933, its consequences continued to affect the physical and mental health of survivors and had long-term impacts on social relations and society, as well as on agriculture and the environment.

How was the memory of the Holodomor shared and passed on? In this module we look at the concept of collective memory, used by anthropologists, sociologists, historians, and psychologists. This module provides an overview of the dynamics of collective memory; the social, cultural, and political contexts of transnational memory formation; and the complex processes of collective Holodomor memory formation in and outside of Ukraine.