The 1918 Volga Famine: How Lenin's Grain Dictatorship Killed Millions

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating Volga famine of 1921-1922, a catastrophe that killed an estimated five million people in Soviet Russia. They uncover how Bolshevik grain requisitioning, known as prodrazvyorstka, combined with drought and civil war to create a man-made disaster. The conversation traces the policy from its origins under War Communism to its catastrophic outcomes in the Volga region, and examines the international relief effort led by the American Relief Administration under Herbert Hoover. Lucas explains how Vladimir Lenin's ideology clashed with the urgent need for foreign aid, and how the famine became a political weapon for both the Bolsheviks and their critics. Along the way, they discuss the role of the Cheka in suppressing famine resistance, the controversial decision to export grain while people starved, and the long-term consequences for Soviet agricultural policy. This episode draws on eyewitness accounts, official records, and the work of historians like Orlando Figes to paint a stark picture of a tragedy that reshaped Russia.

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