1-WWI+Famine

=__The Russian Famine of 1921__= =What were the causes of the 1921 Russian Famine? How was it characterized—what populations were most affected, in what ways, and why? = In the nineteenth and twentieth century, droughts were common in Russia. One would occur approximately every 5-7 years. However, 1921 brought a drought that devastated Russian crops and caused the 1921 Russian Famine. For example, the average yearly rainfall in Samara was 38.8mm. In 1921, it was only .3mm. Bolshevik government policies only exacerbated the problem. Prior to the outbreak of famine, the government sent investigators to examine the prospects of the famine. They determined that only five regions were at risk, and thus the government did not properly prepare. After the famine began, the government did not properly respond and actually hurt Russian farmers through communist grain laws in which the farmers were forced to give up large portions of their crops to government and city workers. The wars that occurred prior to the famine also led to increased suffering and decreased food production. Millions of Russian civilians had been killed in World War I and many of their health care facilities had been destroyed. Additionally, during the Russian Revolution of 1918, many of the fighting sides would take food from peasants when they passed farms. This led peasants to produce less food even without the drought.

In 1921, the Russian government admitted that it had almost no food reserves. This meant that the famine was unstoppable by domestic efforts. Russian peasants (especially farmers) across all of Russia were devastated by the famine. The total area affected by the drought spanned more than 1000 miles across. Approximately 60% of peasants could not produce enough food to care for their family, and the communist government instituted grain laws in which they would take grain from peasants and give it to city workers.

===What were the objectives of the Herbert Hoover’s American Relief Administration in Russia during the famine, and to what extent were they achieved? === The American Relief Administration, on the surface, wanted to stop the famine and suffering in Russia. In this regard they achieved mild success. The ARA employed over 120,000 Russian workers and sent over one million tons of grain to Russia. It is estimated that the ARA fed over ten million Russians each day. Five million civilians starved to death despite the efforts of the ARA. By 1923, the famine ended. The ARA did not stop it, but it did mitigate some effects of the famine.

The ARA had political goals in Russia as well. The ARA was formed to provide food aid across much of Europe. In 1919, a plan began to form to provide aid to Russia as well. The ultimate goal was to stop the Bolshevik revolution from succeeding by stopping the poverty and misery that was fueling it. The plan failed, and in a way defeated itself. Russia had created the All-Russian Famine Relief Committee in order to fight the famine. It was based on non-communist policies and some anti-Bolshevik leaders saw it as a way to reduce the Soviet influence in the government by increasing its power. However, the Bolshevik government under Lenin was able to bypass the need for the growth of the Committee by accepting the terms of the ARA and using it to fight the famine.

What were the effects of the famine on the course of the Russian Revolution?
The famine almost ended the Russian Revolution. Fights had begun to break out against the communist government as people starved and farmers were stolen from. One such example is the Kronstadt Mutiny, in which soldiers, sailors, and civilians revolted against the Bolshevik government. It was unsuccessful, but illustrates the battle for power in the government. The famine and acceptance of the ARA also set back some communist developments. The Soviet government was forced to give up some control over the economy through the institution of the New Economic Policy in order to prevent further uprisings. The ARA was also given power within Russia until it was shut down in 1923 upon the discovery of Russian grain exports. The Bolsheviks maintained power through the famine, but the famine threatened their continuity and significantly weakened the institution of communism.

Works Cited:
Edmonson, Charles M. "The Politics of Hunger: The Soviet Response to Famine, 1921." //Soviet Studies// XXIX.4 (1977): 506-18. //JSTOR//. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. .  "The Great Famine of 1921." //Russian Revolution//. Alpha History, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. < http://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/great-famine-of-1921/>.  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times; font-size: 16px;">Starbuck, Dane. "Online Library of Liberty." //Online Library of Liberty//. Liberty Fund, Inc, 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. <http://oll.libertyfund.org/? option=com_staticxt>.

=The Central European Famine of 1919-1920=

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the outbreak of the war in 1914 Britain declared a blockade on the central powers. Britain's overwhelming seapower made the blockade an impenetrable force. They issued a comprehensive list of contraband that all but prohibited American trade with the Central powers, and in early November 1914 declared the North Sea to be a War Zone, with any ships entering the North Sea doing so at their own risk. The blockade was unusually restrictive, considering foodstuffs as contraband as well. Complaints stated that this blockade was breaking international law. The Germans regarded this as a blatant attempt to starve the German people into submission and wanted to retaliate in any sort of way.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What were the primary causes and processes of the famines in the former German & Austro-Hungarian? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The treaty of Versailles at the end of the war that compromised changed Europe and shaped the course it would take. Factors of the treaty included the set up an entirely new order in the area and also offended many allies. Many people hoped that the new nation states would allow for a new era of prosperity and peace in the region, free from the bitter quarreling between nationalities. This hope proved far too optimistic. Changes in territorial configuration after World War I included:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Territories at the end of the war? **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Establishment of the Republic of Austria and the Hungarian Democratic Republic with the removal of the Habsburg Family.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Borders of newly independent Hungary did not include two-thirds of the lands of the former Kingdom of Hungary including large areas where the ethnic Magyars were in a majority. The new republic of Austria maintained control over most of the predominantly German-controlled areas, but lost various other German majority lands in what was the Austrian Empire
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bohemia, Moravia, and the western part of Dutchy of Cieszyn and Carpathian Ruthenia formed the new CzechSlovakia.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Galicia eastern part of Dutchy of Cieszyn northern Country of Orava and northern Spisz was transferred to Poland.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">the Southern half of the Country of Tyrol and Trieste were granted to Italy.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, Balkan state formed on December 1, 1918.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Transylvania and Bukovina formed YugoSlavia


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What efforts were undertaken to alleviate the famine, and what were the motivations for them? **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The German government made strong attempts to counter the effects of British blockage. The Hindenburg Programme of German economic mobilization launched on 31 August 1916. It was designed to raise productivity by the compulsory employment of all men between the ages of 17 and 60, and a complicated rationing system initially introduced in January 1915 aimed to ensure that a minimum nutritional need was met, with "war kitchens" providing cheap mass meals to impoverished civilians in larger cities. All these schemes enjoyed only limited success, and the average daily diet of 1,000 calories was insufficient to maintain a good standard of health, resulting by 1917 in widespread disorders caused by malnutrition such as scurvy, tuberculosis.The blockade was lifted on 17 January 1919 when the Allies allowed the importation of food.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Arguments were stated that the blockade led to revolutionary uprisings in Germany and caused the collapse of the Kaiser′s administration. The blockade starved Germany and the Central Powers into defeat in 1918, but others maintain that while the German population did indeed go hungry as a result of the blockade, Germany′s rationing system kept all but a few from actually starving to death. Nevertheless, it is still accepted that the blockade made a large contribution to the outcome of the war; by 1915, Germany′s imports had already fallen by 55% from their prewar levels and the exports were 53% of what they were in 1914. Specifically there were shortages in Coal, fertilizer, grain, potato, meat, dairy.The food shortages caused looting and riots, not only in Germany, but also in Vienna and Budapest. The food shortages got so bad that Austria-Hungary hijacked ships on the Danube that were meant to deliver food to Germany.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">"The Blockade of Germany." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The National Archives | Exhibitions & Learning Online | First World War | Spotlights on History //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. The National Archives, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Starling, Ernest. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Ernest Starlings Analysis of the Energy Balance of the German People During the Blockade 14-19 //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. London: Royal Society, 2003. Print.