Demography and social economy, 2019, 4(38):11-29
doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/dse2019.04.011
UDC 314.116–026.24(477) «1921–1923»(477)
JEL CLASSIFICATION: J 11

О.M. Gladun
Dr. Sc. (Еconomics), deputy director
Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
01032, Kyiv, Blvd.Taras Shevchenko., 60
E-mail: gladun.ua@gmail.com
ORCID 0000-0001-6354-6180

O.P. Rudnytskyi
Researcher
Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
01032, Kyiv, Blvd.Taras Shevchenko, 60
ORCID 0000-0001-5661-8596

N.V. Kulyk
Chief Economist
Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies
of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
01032, Kyiv, Blvd. Taras Shevchenko 60
E-mail: nataliyakylik@gmail.com
ORCID 0000-0002-2022-6117

UKRAINE’S DEMOGRAPHIC LOSSES DURING THE FIRST SOVIET FAMINE 1921–1923
Section: DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESSES AND POPULATION STATISTICS
Language: Ukrainian
Abstract: In the first half of the twentieth century, Ukraine experienced three famines. The least researched in the demographic aspect is the famine of 1921–1923. The purpose of the study was to estimate the demographic losses of Ukraine in the period of famine of 1921–1923 by causes of death, by settlement and by sex and age. The article presents the main results of the estimation of the losses of humanity of the UkrSSR due to the famine of 1921–1923. The estimation of losses is based on the methodology of demographic reconstruction developed by one of the authors. The advantage of this methodology, despite the complexity and laboriousness, is that its use protects the researcher from the subjectivism inherent in calculating population losses from incomplete information from fragmentary sources. An information base was formed that most adequately restores the time series of indicators of the number, composition and movement of the population for the period 1920–1926. During the formation of the information base, the quality of statistical data was evaluated and the correction was made accordingly. The estimation of demographic losses of the UkrSSR in 1921–1923 was conducted in the territorial borders at the date of the census of 1926. For the first time, estimates of losses were separately obtained for residents of the Ukrainian urban and rural population for each year of famine, by sex and age groups. The estimate of direct losses (excesses deaths) for the entire period of famine is 935.8 thousand people, of which 12.2 % are in cities, 87.8% – in the rural areas. The uneven distribution of direct losses by years is revealed: the maximum falls on 1922 (54.4 %), while on 1921 – 31.5 %, on 1923 – 14.1 %. It was determined that the sexual structure of losses is characterized by a significant advantage of the male: the excess deaths in 1921–1923 were 555.9 thousand men and 379.9 thousand women (59.5% and 40.5% respectively). It has been confirmed that children and the elderly are the most vulnerable during social disasters: 54.4 % of excess deaths are accounted for by these two age categories. It has been found that the losses of humanity in the early 1920s were the result not only of a famine tragedy but also of mass epidemics. For the first time, the literature identifies the components of direct losses of the population in 1921–1923 from famine (502.5 thousand people or 53.7 %) and epidemics (433.4 thousand people or 46.3 %). Indirect losses (lost births), which make up 1029.0 thousand, were also estimated for the first time. The state policy of the Soviet authorities on assistance to the starving territories of Ukraine, which influenced the size of demographic losses, is shown.
Key words: famine of 1921–1923, demographic losses of the UkrSSR, excesses deaths, lost births.
References:
1. Pashuto, V.T. (1964). Golodnye gody v drevnej Rusi [The hungry years in ancient Rus]. Ezhegodnik po agrarnoj istorii Vostochnoj Evropy, 1962 - Yearbook on the agrarian history of Eastern Europe, 1962. Minsk [in Russian].
2. Borisenko, E.P., & Paseckij, V.M. (1988). Tysjacheletnjaja letopis’ neobychnyh javlenij prirody [Millennial chronicle of unusual natural phenomena]. Moscow [in Russian].
3. Gladun, O.M., Kulyk, N.V, & Rudnytskyi, O.P. (2018). Chyselnist, sklad i rukh naselennia [Population, composition and movement of the population]. Entsyklopediia istorii Ukrainy, Tom “Ukraina - ukraintsi” - Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine, Vol. “Ukraine - Ukrainians”. Kyiv: Naukova dumka [in Ukrainian].
4. Makarenko, I.P. (2014). Evoliutsiini peredumovy vynyknennia holodu v periody sotsialno-ekonomichnykh kryz [Evolutionary prerequisites for famine in periods of socio-economic crises]. Demohrafiia i sotsialna ekonomika - Demography and Social Economy, 1, 180-189. - doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/dse2014.01.180 [in Ukrainian].
5. Gurevich, M.B. (1923). Golod i sel’skoe hozjajstvo Ukrainy [Ukraine’s famine and agriculture]. Har’kov [in Russian].
6. Ptuha, M.V. (1925). Naselenie Kievskoj gubernii [Population of Kyiv province]. Kiev [in Russian].
7. Voblij, K.T. (1923). Vlijanie vojny na brachnost’, rozhdaemost’ i smertnost’ [Influence of war on marriage, birth rate and mortality]. Znanie - Knowledge, 6, 5-9 [in Russian].
8. Ostapenko, S. (1920). Kurs statystyky i demohrafiia (Chyslovyi metod i demohrafiia) [Course statistics and demography (Numerical method and demography)]. Kamianets-Podilskyi [in Ukrainian].
9. Ulianov, L.D. (1938). Epidemii na Ukraini pid chas imperialistychnoi viiny i interventsii [Epidemics in Ukraine during the imperialist war and intervention]. Zbirnyk z pytan sanitarnoi statystyky - Collection of sanitary statistics. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
10. Materialy o social’no-gigienicheskom sostojanii ukrainskoj derevni [Materials on the social and hygienic condition of the Ukrainian village]. (1924). Har’kov [in Russian].
11. Khomenko, A.P. (1925). Pryrodnyi rukh naselennia naivazhlyvishykh mist USRR v 1923 rotsi [Vital movement of the population of the most important cities of the USSR in 1923]. Kharkiv [in Ukrainian].
12. Korchak-Chepurkivskyi, Yu.O. (1927). Rukh naselennia USRR pered svitovoiu viinoiu [Movement of the UkrSSR population before the World War]. Pryrodnyi rukh naselennia Ukrainy v 1924 rotsi z ohliadom pryrodnoho rukhu pered svitovoiu viinoiu - Vital movement movement of the population of Ukraine in 1924 with an overview of the vital movement before the World War. Kharkiv [in Ukrainian].
13. Movchan, O.N. (1985). Uchastie trudjashhihsja Ukrainskoj SSR v obshhenarodnoj bor’be s golodom i ego posledstvijami (1921-1923 gg.) [Participation of the workers of the Ukrainian SSR in the nationwide struggle against hunger and its consequences (1921-1923)]. Extended abstract of candidate’s thesis. Kiev [in Russian].
14. Dramaretskyi, B.B. (1997). Holod 1921-1923 rokiv v Ukraini [Famine of 1921-1923 in Ukraine]. Extended abstract of candidate’s thesis. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
15. Kyrylenko, V.P. (2015). Holod 1921-1923 rokiv u Pivdennii Ukraini [The famine of 1921-1923 in southern Ukraine]. Extended abstract of candidate’s thesis. Mykolaiv. Reyriebed from htth://resource.history.org. ua/item/0013157 [in Ukrainian].
16. Semenova, A.S. (1955). Demograficheskie poteri v pervoj mirovoj vojne [Demographic losses in the First World War]. Uchenye zapiski Moskovskogo jekonomiko-statisticheskogo instituta - Scientific notes of the Moscow Economic and Statistical Institute, Vol. 6, 85-122. Moscow [in Russian].
17. Rudnytskyi, O., Levchuk, N., Wolowyna, O., & Shevchuk, P. (2015). 1932-34 Famine Losses with in the context of Soviet Union. Faminesin European Economic History: The Last Great European Famines Reconsidered. D. Curran, L. Luciuk, A. Newby (Eds). New York.
18. Rudnutskyi, O., Levchuk, N., Wolowyna, O., Shevchuk, P., & Kovbasiuk, A. (2015). Demography of man-made human catastrophe: The case of massive famine in Ukraine 1932–1933. Canadian Studies on Population, 42 (1/2), 53-80. doi: https://doi.org/10.25336/P6FC7G
19. Levchuk, N.M., Boriak, T.H., Volovyna, O., Rudnytskyi, O.P., & Kovbasiuk, A.B. (2015). Vtraty miskoho y silskoho naselennia Ukrainy vnaslidok Holodomoru v 1932-1934 rr.: novi otsinky [Losses of urban and rural population of Ukraine as a result of the Holodomor in 1932-1934: new estimates]. Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal - Ukrainian Historical Journal, 4, 84-112 [in Ukrainian].
20. Volovyna, O., Plokhii, S.M., Levchuk, N.M., Rudnytskyi, O.P., Kovbasiuk, A.B., & Shevchuk, P.Ye. (2017). Rehionalni vidminnosti vtrat vid holodu 1932-1934 rr. v Ukraini [Regional differences in losses from the famine of 1932-1934 in Ukraine]. Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal - Ukrainian Historical Journal, 2, 76-116 [in Ukrainian].
21. Naselenie Ukrainy po dannym perepisi 1920 g. (Svodnye dannye po gubernijam i uezdam) [The population of Ukraine according to the census of 1920 (Summary data on provinces and counties)]. (1923). Statistika Ukrainy - Statistics of Ukraine, Vol. 1. Issue 11, No28. Har’kov: CSU UkrSSR [in Russian].
22. Naselenie v gorodah Ukrainy na 15 marta 1923 g. Chast 1. [Population in the cities of Ukraine on March 15, 1923. Part І.] (1924). Har’kov [in Russian].
23. Krasnaja Armija i flot Ukrainy po dannym Vsesojuznoj gorodskoj perepisi 15 marta 1923 g. [The Red Army and Navy of Ukraine According to the All-Union City Census of March 15, 1923]. (1924). Har’kov: CSU UkrSSR [in Russian].
24. Khomenko, A.P. (1924). Sproba vrakhuvannia naselennia USRR na 1 sichnia 1924 roku [The attempt to take into account the population of the Ukrainian SSR on January 1, 1924]. Bjuleten’ Central’nogo Statisticheskogo Upravlenija Ukrainy - Bulletin of the Central Statistical Office of Ukraine, 19 (75), 33-37 [in Ukrainian].
25. Pryrodnyi rukh naivazhlyvishykh mist Ukrainy v 1923 r. [Vital movement of the most important cities of Ukraine in 1923]. (1925). Statystyka Ukrainy - Statistics of Ukraine, Vol. III, Issue 1, No 70. Kharkov: TsSU USRR [in Ukrainian].
26. Korchak-Chepurkivskyi, Yu.O. (1928). Sproba analizu perepysnykh chysel malykh ditei na Ukraini [An attempt to analyze the census numbers of young children in Ukraine]. Visnyk statystychnyi - Bulletin of statistics, 2, 153-158 [in Ukrainian].
27. Rudnytskyi, O.P., Levchuk, N.M., Volovyna, O., Shevchuk, P.Ye,, & Kovbasiuk, A.B. (2015). Demohrafiia shtuchno vyklykanoi liudskoi katastrofy: masovyi holod [Demography of artificially caused human catastrophe: mass famine]. Demohrafiia ta sotsialna ekonomika - Demography and the social economy, 2, 11-30. - https://doi.org/10.15407/dse2015.02.0111; 3, 43-63. - doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/dse2015.03.003 [in Ukrainian].
28. Pryrodnyi rukh naselennia Ukrainy v 1924-1926 rr. [Vital movement of the population of Ukraine in 1924-1926]. (1927-1929). Statystyka Ukrainy - Statistics of Ukraine, Vol. 106, 117, 154. Kharkiv [in Ukrainian].
29. Tsentralnyi arkhiv vyshchykh orhaniv vlady ta upravlinnia Ukrainy [Central Archives of Higher Authorities and Administration of Ukraine]. (1422-1433). Fund 582, An. 1, files 72, 73, 154, 156, 158 [in Ukrainian].
30. Khomenko, A.P., & Kolner, R. (1930). Suchasna smertnist nemovliat v UkrSRR [Modern infant mortality in the UkrSSR]. Kharkiv [in Ukrainian].
31. Korchak-Chepurkivskyi, Yu.O. (1929). Tablytsi dozhyvannia i spodivanoho zhyttia liudnosti UkrSRR. 1925-1926. [Tables of survival and life expectancy of the Ukrainian SSR people. 1925-1926.]. Kharkiv: CSU UkrSRR [in Ukrainian].
32. Vsesojuznaja perepis’ naselenija 1926 g. [All-Union population census 1926]. (1931, 1935). Vol. XLVII, XLVIII. Moscow: Socjekgiz [in Russian].
33. Itogi vesennego obsledovanija v 1922 g. [Results of the spring survey in 1922]. (1922). Har’kov [in Russian].
34. Itogi vesennego obsledovanija v 1923 g. [Results of the spring survey in 1923]. (1924). Har’kov [in Russian].
35. Veselova, O.M. Marochko, V.I., & Movchan, O.M. (2008). Holodomory v Ukraini: 1921-1923, 1932- 1933, 1946-1947. Zlochyny proty narodu [Holodomors in Ukraine: 1921-1923, 1932-1933, 1946-1947. Crimes against the People]. Drohobych [in Ukrainian].
36. Sorokin, P. (1922). Golod kak faktor. Vlijanie goloda na povedenie ljudej, social’nuju organizaciju i obshhestvennuju zhizn’ [Hunger as a factor. The effect of hunger on people’s behavior, social organization and social life]. Petrograd [in Russian].
37. Ulianych, V.I. (2004). Teror holodom i povstanska borotba proty henotsydu ukraintsiv u 1921-1933 rr. [Terror by famine and insurgency against genocide of Ukrainians in 1921-1933]. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
38. Tablytsi infektsiinykh zakhvoriuvan na terytorii Ukrainy za 1910-1925 rr. [Tables of infectious diseases in the territory of Ukraine for the years 1910-1925]. (n.d.). CDAVO. Fund 342, An. 1, file 2905, 1-116 [in Ukrainian].
39. Materialy pro diialnist ustanov okhorony zdorov’ia ta epidemiolohichnyy stan respubliky za 1925-1926 rik [Materials on the activity of health care institutions and the epidemiological state of the republic for 1925- 1926]. (1927). Kharkiv [in Ukrainian].
40. Tkachenko, I. (2007). Sanitarnyi stan ta borotba z epidemiiamy v radianskii Ukraini: 1920-ti rr. [Sanitary status and control of epidemics in Soviet Ukraine: 1920s]. Problemy istorii Ukrainy: fakty, sudzhennia, poshuky - Problems of Ukrainian history: facts, judgments, searches, 17, 345-375. Kyiv [in Ukrainian].
41. Krutsyk, R.M. (2015). Chekistske dos’ie okupovanoi Ukrainy [The Chekist Experience of Occupied Ukraine]. Zbirnyk dokumentiv - Collection of documents Vol. 1, 1048; Vol. 2, 992; Vol. 3 1216. Kyiv: Presa Ukrainy [in Ukrainian].

» pdf