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Dissertation Information for Nicholas Ganson

NAME:
- Nicholas Ganson

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History

SCHOOL:
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA) (2006)

ADVISORS:
- Donald Raleigh

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Michael H. Hunt
- Peter Coclanis
- David M. Griffiths
- E. Willis Brooks

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Famine of victors: The Soviet hunger of 1946--1947 in historical and global perspective

Abstract: This social and political history of the Soviet famine of 1946-47 is the first extensive English-language study of an enormously significant yet little explored historical crisis. The famine, which came on the heels of enormous devastation from World War II and intense drought in 1946, coincided with the dawn of the Cold War. I consider the famine in this complex historical context. The dissertation also places the famine of 1946-47 in a comparative framework in an effort to contribute to our understanding of famine causation. In seeking to offer a record of the famine with breadth of perspective, I strive equally to pay attention to detail and offer insights into Soviet state and society after the war. This dissertation draws on previously classified materials from central Russian archives, as well published documents from Ukraine and Moldova, memoir literature, and official American and British documents of the time.

Chapter 1 surveys the devastation caused by the Nazi invasion, evaluates how the Soviet elite addressed postwar agricultural problems, and determines how these measures affected society. Chapter 2 uncovers the efforts of the Soviet Red Cross in saving the lives of children during the famine and considers the impact of government decrees in September 1946 on agencies that sought to combat child mortality. Chapter 3 describes the food distribution system in towns and cities prior to the onset of famine and describes the reactions of Moscow's working population to the government's ration reforms. Chapter 4 grapples with the issue of resistance during the famine and provides insight into popular attitudes toward the state. Chapter 5 examines the shifting climate of international food aid after World War II and considers Soviet food policies in the context of the emerging Cold War. Chapter 6 looks at the Soviet postwar food crisis in comparative perspective in order to isolate the aspects of the Soviet experience that contributed to high famine mortality. I isolate distinctive features of the famine and draw parallels with other notable famine tragedies in modern history, including those considered "totalitarian."

MPACT Scores for Nicholas Ganson

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2009-04-19 22:36:52

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Students under Nicholas Ganson

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None