April 01, 2011

On PBS this Month: The Great Famine


Today, Herbert Hoover – the 31st president of the United States (1929-1933) – is probably most associated with the onset and deepening of the Great Depression. Few know that prior to his presidency he was a successful international mining engineer (and had some lucrative investments in Russia before the Revolution), and later headed up the ARA (American Relief Administration), designed to deliver needed foreign aid to Belgium in the aftermath of World War I.

What is more, as head of the ARA and then, from 1921, in the administration of President Warren G. Harding (who succeeded Woodrow Wilson in what is still the biggest landslide election in American history, after which his presidency spiraled downward into scandal) as Secretary of Commerce, he headed up the largest humanitarian aid effort in U.S. history to that point. In a massive campaign funded by a $20 million from Congress as well as plenty of private donations, the ARA in 1921 and 1922 aided a Russia torn by a horrendous famine, from which more than 5 million would die.

As a result, some have claimed that Hoover was responsible for saving more human lives than any other person in history. Whatever the case, the ARA effort in Russia, lead by 300 Americans and over 100,000 Russians, in 1922 fed 11 million starving Russians in over 19,000 kitchens from the western borders of Russia to east of the Urals, battling against huge odds, including a horrible winter, decimated rail transport, and a less than cooperative Soviet leadership (Lenin was convinced that the ARA was seeking to support and build an anti-Soviet resistance).

This fine documentary, based on The Big Show in Bololand, brings the ARA effort to life through amazing film footage and excellent still imagery. We meet a few of the Americans who led the effort, and learn some interesting facts – like that 10% of the Americans who went over to Russia for ARA came back with Russian brides. But the most fascinating revelation is that Hoover saw and sold the ARA effort not as a fundamentally humane/humanitarian effort, but as a means to subverting the Soviet state (which he loathed) – yet not in the manner which Lenin feared. Instead, Hoover hoped that if the common Soviets witnessed an efficiently run aid effort (and the abundance capitalism provided), they would be swayed by the superiority of the capitalistic system, tossing off the chains of communism.

Years later Hoover would say he thought the ARA effort had the opposite effect, that it had "set them [the Soviets] up in business." The interesting thing about Hoover's economic argument for aid is that is in direct contrast to his and the Harding administration's stance in March 1921, when it denied Soviet Russia's request for trade relations with the U.S. At that time, the administration determined (even though it was already clear that famine or at least depression was on the horizon – this being one of the key factors for Lenin's argument for NEP) that "the supplies which Russia might now be able to obtain [through trade] would be wholly inadequate to meet her needs." And that "it is idle to expect resumption of trade until the economic bases of production are securely established. Production is conditioned upon the safety of life, the recognition by firm guarantees of private property, the sanctity of contract and the rights of free labor." [from the text of Secretary of State Charles Hughes' statement, NYT 3/26/1921]

In short, the administration said that, while it sympathized with the plight of the Russian people, unless they changed their economic system, there was no reason to extend a hand in trade. Therefore, while the scale and effect of the ARA effort in 1922 was monumental and heroic, it is nonetheless worth considering if that effort might have been easier, less costly, and resulted in even more lives saved, if the U.S. had in fact negotiated a trade deal with the Soviets in the spring of 1921, before the worst of the famine had hit.

The Great Famine is scheduled to appear on PBS Monday, April 11, 2011, on The American Experience. Check local listings for broadcast times.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955