Hunger and War: Starvation Genocide in Occupied Eastern Europe
The world is familiar with the devastating consequences of war, but for much of the twentieth century, European conflict had a particularly profound effect on civilian populations. In particular, the war efforts of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany led to starvation genocide in occupied eastern Europe, resulting in untold suffering and death. This article takes a closer look at the war-time atrocities committed through hunger and what steps the international community can take to prevent similar events from happening in the future.
Definition of Hunger and War: Starvation Genocide
Hunger and war can be directly linked to one another in a number of ways. War can mean the disruption of food supply networks, which can lead to a shortage of food, malnutrition, and starvation. Forced migration places a further strain on food resources. Hunger can also be used as a weapon of war, as occurred during the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and in the Soviet Union in the 1940s. The destructive use of hunger in occupied eastern Europe is known as starvation genocide. In this case, populations were deprived of food as a deliberate policy of violence, resulting in mass famine in areas under Soviet and Nazi occupation.
Famine in Eastern Europe Through the 1930s
Famine was a persistent problem in eastern Europe from the 1920s through the war-ravaged 1940s. For example, in 1932–1933, the Soviet Union experienced a devastating famine caused by the policies of agricultural collectivization, which disrupted traditional peasant farming systems. This Stalinist-era famine was estimated to have killed as many as 10 million people, particularly in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Even without the added strain of World War II, the Soviet Union had already seen mass starvation on an unprecedented scale.
Hunger and War: German Occupation
During the German occupation of eastern Europe, food was deliberately withheld from the civilian population as a form of genocide. In addition to Germany’s well-documented policy of extermination of Jews and other ethnic groups, hunger was also used as a tool of terror and extermination, resulting in famine affecting millions.
There were two main aspects of German food policies in occupied Poland and the Soviet Union which led to mass starvation. Firstly, in Poland, German authorities took control of the country’s food supplies and redistributed them to their own population, while the Poles were left to starvation. Secondly, in the Soviet Union, the German military deliberately withheld food resources and confiscated any supplies found in occupied territories, thus preventing the local population from accessing food.
Hunger and War: Soviet Occupation
Like the Germans, the Soviet Union also used hunger as a weapon of war, resulting in the death of many civilians. In some cases, the Soviets implemented similar food policies to the Germans, with the majority of resources being diverted to the Soviet Army, while inhabitants of occupied territories faced starvation.
In addition, during the Soviet occupation, the collectivization of agriculture was continued, leading to the displacement of peasants from their farms, the destruction of food stocks, and the seizure of food resources for redistribution within the Soviet Union. As a result, over 4 million people are believed to have perished due to starvation in the Soviet-occupied territories.
Effects of Hunger and War: Unparalleled Suffering
The effects of hunger and war were catastrophic, resulting in immense suffering and death. Alongside the devastating physical effects, there were severe psychological impacts, especially on children and the elderly, who were especially vulnerable to malnutrition and disease.
The death toll of starvation and war in eastern Europe is difficult to quantify, with estimates ranging from 7 million to 20 million people who were killed or whose lives were drastically altered by the extreme hardship and hunger. In some areas, the entire population was decimated and entire villages were left desolate.
International Condemnation
The international community has condemned the inhumanity of starvation as a war tactic. Alongside the United Nations’ Charter of Human Rights which clearly states that food shall be considered a basic need, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court lists starvation as a form of torture, inhuman and cruel treatment and a war crime.
The use of hunger as a weapon of war in occupied eastern Europe was a devastating and atrocious act. The scale of human suffering and death has been unprecedented, leaving behind a legacy of pain and trauma. It is the duty of the international community to ensure that such terrible crimes are never repeated and to ensure that individuals and populations are never again denied their right to food.