Soviet policy of agrarian depletion of Ukraine: the 1946–1947 famine

In the conditions of war, the issue of food security of the population is urgent and important. Ukrainian historical experience contains dramatic pages of post-war famine. It is necessary to analyze the reasons and actions that caused it in order to avoid such a social catastrophe. The object of the study is the economy of Ukraine after the end of the Second World War. The subject of the study is the reasons, political and economic determinants and consequences of the famine of 1946–1947. The purpose of the article is to identify the economic reasons of the famine based on a comprehensive analysis of the events that took place on the eve of and during 1946–1947. Methodological approaches are determined by the content of the article and are based on interdisciplinary techniques. The research methods of economic history, demography, social psychology and the corresponding categorical apparatus are used. First, the prerequisites for the emergence of famine are considered, namely the consequences of the Second World War for the Ukrainian economy and the weather and climate conditions of that period. In the second part of the article, the main events and reasons that led to the emergence of famine after the Second World War are given directly. The third part is dedicated to revealing the short- and long-term consequences of the famine of 1946–1947. In the results, it is determined that economic policy measures caused the transformation of the food crisis into a humanitarian disaster. Objective prerequisites and political and economic causes of famine are distinguished.