Ukrainian famine of 1932-33

[JRR883]

What was the true cause of the famine? Was it because of bureaucratic failure, or does it show a flaw in large-scale collectivization?

[Die Neue Zeit]

I hate to be politically controversial even here, but the peasants sure acted like suicide bombers. BOTH sides are to blame: the government for its kolkhozization over sovkhozization (directly state-owned, industrial farms), and the peasantry per below.

Modern suicide bombers, as you know, kill themselves and try to kill others nearby. Everyone also knows that, if you deliberately attempt to destroy your cattle and burn your produce instead of turning it over or filing a grievance with the local party official, your actions could potentially starve those in the cities who need that food.

The peasants knew that destroying their cattle and burning their produce would result in bureaucratic retaliation, but they should've known (if they didn't) that their actions constituted an act against urban workers.

[Leo]

What was the true cause of the famine? Was it because of bureaucratic failure, or does it show a flaw in large-scale collectivization?

Well, famines happened in countries like Russia and China before Stalinist / Maoist bureaucrats came into power in those countries. I don't think the bourgeoisie regards famines, just like other disasters, as "failure" though. Bordiga, being an engineer, had interesting things to say about disasters:

http://www.geocities.com/antagonism1/bordiga/mtdtoc.html