When the Citizens of an entire region of Russia became Cannibals

For a year, a region of Russia had to resort to the sale of human flesh and cannibalism in order to survive.

Rest of human flesh on the ground. Pic Courtesy of: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannibalism_during_Russian_famine_1921.jpg

In early 1921, one of the most severe famines known in history began. In the Volga region of Russia. It is true that during that time, the entire Russian nation was going through a crisis, misery and hunger could be found in every corner of the nation. But, to understand how it is possible that an entire region had to resort to cannibalism to feed itself, we must first understand, how it was that they got to that point in the first place.

During the First World War, the country’s agricultural production suffered a halt. A break that worsened with the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then with the Russian Civil War. In addition, the country was suffering from intermittent droughts, droughts that worsened the situation, to the point, that in 1921, it became a national catastrophe. Local administrations knew of the problem, but when they tried to make an effort to remedy the crisis, it was too late.

Human parts for sale. Pic Courtesy of: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki

The situation escalated to such an extent that the peasants of the region attacked each other and killed each other…