Ukraine Commemorative 2007

[Scottishmoney]

 

Beginning in the 1920's Iosif Stalin began institutionalizing agriculture in the USSR, this resulted in peasants losing land that they had held since the 1860's, and it being collectivized into Kolkhoz, or collective farms. In Russia proper there was a marked resistance to this, the so called "Kulaks" or landed peasants that were not going along with socialization of agriculture, beginning in 1929. By 1932 this programme began in earnest in Ukraine, and resistance was much greater. The government accused peasants of hoarding grain and not selling it to the state, and seized any and all grain, land, homes etc. in their efforts. As a result they created a false famine, resulting in the deaths of betwixt 2.5 and 3 million Ukrainians, Russians, Tartars etc. in Ukraine. The great majority of the victims were Ukrainian nationals.

 

This coin commemorates the 75th anniversary of the "Holodomor" or death by hunger, aka a genocide and both terms are noted on the reverse of the coin. The emblematic little girl, emaciated from this starvation is the subject of the obverse of the coin, so helpless and innocent. The reverse of the piece has an image from a memorial to the event, with the legend "Holdomor - Genocide of the Ukrainian People 1932-1933".

 

This event marked the beginnings of one of the great dictators of the 20th centuries pogroms against humanity, few people now would equate Iosif Stalin with being responsible for murdering more people than even Adolf Hitler, but he managed to, he had 30+ years to wrought destruction in his own USSR, against Russians, Ukrainians, everybody that he could not have found favour with. When the fascists from Germany invaded Ukraine in 1941, the Ukrainians initially welcomed the Germans as liberators, figuring they could only be better than Stalin. Sadly they were wrong.

[NumisMattic2200]

Very nice history again Scottish, love the way you sell your coins

Kolkhoz, Kulaks, Holodomor... learn as you go..

[jlueke]

Very interesting history. That's what I love about coins, the way they can communicate.

It's too bad that humans are slow learners and that while most call people like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao evil

they do little to stop the same things from occurring in the present day.

Of course that's one reason many themes on coins repeat themselves and why ancient themes

can easily be co-opted for modern events both good and bad.

[grivna1726]

The reverse of the piece has an image from a memorial to the event, with the legend "Holdomor - Genocide of the Ukrainian People 1932-1933".

 

What does "ПАМ'ЯТАЙМО!" mean?

 

It is a very moving piece. Where can it be obtained?

[Scottishmoney]

ПАМ'ЯТАЙМО! means REMEMBER! I bought this from a seller in Israel, so far my contacts in UA have not been able to get the german silver examples like this one, only the 20 Hryv. silver which is very expensive. My contact in Israel had only this last one, I was also hoping Greg on Chervonets.com would have one, but not so far, they seem to be a coin that sold pretty much in UA and not outside UA. I really need another one too, so if my contacts in Zaporizhiya or Ivano-Frankivsk can get these I will PM you.

[grivna1726]

ПАМ'ЯТАЙМО! means REMEMBER! I bought this from a seller in Israel, so far my contacts in UA have not been able to get the german silver examples like this one, only the 20 Hryv. silver which is very expensive. My contact in Israel had only this last one, I was also hoping Greg on Chervonets.com would have one, but not so far, they seem to be a coin that sold pretty much in UA and not outside UA. I really need another one too, so if my contacts in Zaporizhiya or Ivano-Frankivsk can get these I will PM you.

 

Thank you for the information and your kind offer.

 

Usually, I have little interest in recent coins. However, this coin is an exception.

[Antikvarius]

Yes, it is a thing to remember! My grandmother lost ALL of her relatives in the village during that famine and hardly stood alive by herself (she was 11 y.o. at that time). Almost every family in our region can tell the similar story because so many died. She told me some terrible things about those years that I never forget. Some people today praise Stalin for being a great man. I'm not one of them.

[Antikvarius]

Forgot to say that I was trying to find this coin, but wasn't able to even look at it. This Saturday going to the main coin market and hopefully will get it.

[grivna1726]

Yes, it is a thing to remember! My grandmother lost ALL of her relatives in the village during that famine and hardly stood alive by herself (she was 11 y.o. at that time). Almost every family in our region can tell the similar story because so many died. She told me some terrible things about those years that I never forget. Some people today praise Stalin for being a great man. I'm not one of them.

It is little known in the West. Some websites are beginning to appear which tell what happened, like this one:

 

http://www.holodomor.org.uk/

[Scottishmoney]

Yes, it is a thing to remember! My grandmother lost ALL of her relatives in the village during that famine and hardly stood alive by herself (she was 11 y.o. at that time). Almost every family in our region can tell the similar story because so many died. She told me some terrible things about those years that I never forget. Some people today praise Stalin for being a great man. I'm not one of them.

 

 

I am sorry to hear of your family suffered through this, be thankful your grandmother could recount for you the story of this time and that it is not forgotten.

 

Sad thing is, while millions dying Ukraine and rest of USSR, USSR was exporting grain to Germany and west so Stalin could have cash for building 5 year plan factories.