Beyond Soviet Sources: Analysis of the Great Famine in Kazakhstan (1930-1933) in German Diplomatic Reports

Abstract

The Great Famine, which affected almost every region of the Soviet Union from 1931 to 1933 and caused devastation in Kazakhstan, has been studied through Soviet archival documents for many years. Recent studies show that German reports during the famine, which spanned the years when it was very difficult to obtain information from within the Soviet Union, contained nuanced insights and discourses that could contribute to identifying different perspectives, illuminating the multifaceted nature of the famine, and contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the tragedy. However, as at the beginning of the Great Famine studies, the use of German reporting is focussed on Ukraine and its surroundings. In this respect, the discovery of German archives from within Kazakhstan on the famine years goes beyond the Soviet narrative to examine the German perspective, analysing the insights in the reporting of the period that also influenced the world of ideas of the national intellectuals in emigration. In this study, the extent to which German sources overlap or contradict Soviet archival documents and contemporary studies, and how the tragedy of the Kazakh people is perceived are scrutinised. In this context, it is aimed to contribute to the historical re-evaluation of the Great Famine in Kazakhstan and the development of an alternative narrative.