Some estimate as high as 20 Million! The big one is how many people died from the famines — (5 million!!)
So let’s say the conservative estimate is 8.8 million— that’s a lot. Especially if you consider indirect death from poor living conditions and lack of medical care?
Total it up
To provide a rough estimate of the total number of deaths attributed to Joseph Stalin’s policies, let’s consider the main categories:
- Great Purge: Approximately 700,000 to 800,000 executed.
- Gulag Deaths: Estimates vary widely, but let’s consider a range from 1 million to several million. For a conservative estimate, we might use 2 million.
- Famine Deaths (including the Holodomor): Again, estimates vary, but a common range is 3 to 7 million. We can use an average figure of 5 million.
- Deportations and Ethnic Cleansings: These numbers are less clear, but they likely add hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to the total.
Adding these figures together:
- Great Purge: ~800,000
- Gulag Deaths: ~2,000,000
- Famine Deaths: ~5,000,000
- Deportations/Ethnic Cleansings: Let’s conservatively estimate 1,000,000 (though this could be higher)
The total, based on these conservative estimates, would be around 8.8 million. However, it’s important to remember that these are rough estimates and the actual number could be significantly higher, particularly if one includes broader impacts of his policies, such as indirect deaths from poor living conditions, lack of medical care, etc. Some estimates go as high as 20 million or more, reflecting the immense human cost of Stalin’s regime.
Estimating the number of people who died due to Joseph Stalin’s policies is complex and controversial, with historians and scholars providing various figures based on different methodologies and interpretations of available data. Here are some key points to consider:
- Great Purge Deaths: During the Great Purge of the late 1930s, it’s estimated that hundreds of thousands were executed. Some estimates suggest around 700,000 to 800,000 executions.
- Gulag Deaths: Millions were sent to Gulag labor camps, where many died due to harsh conditions. Estimates for the total number of deaths in the Gulags vary widely, with some figures suggesting up to several million.
- Famine Deaths: The Holodomor in Ukraine (1932-1933) and other famines resulting from forced collectivization policies likely caused millions of deaths. Estimates for the Holodomor alone often range from around 3 to 7 million, though the exact numbers are debated.
- Deportations and Ethnic Cleansings: Forced deportations of various ethnic groups also resulted in numerous deaths, though specific numbers are harder to ascertain.
Overall, total estimates for the number of deaths under Stalin’s regime vary significantly. Some historians suggest a figure of around 20 million, while others propose higher or lower numbers. The discrepancies arise from differences in source interpretations, definitions of what constitutes deaths “under Stalin” (e.g., whether to include famine deaths), and the challenges of working with incomplete historical records.
It’s important to note that these numbers are more than just statistics; they represent a tragic period in history with profound human suffering and loss.