Harvest of despair

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“If I find a Ukrainian who is worthy of sitting at the same table with me, I must have him shot,” declared Nazi commissar Erich Koch. To Nazi leaders, Ukrainians were seen as Untermenschen—subhumans—yet the fertile land was prime for Lebensraum expansion. After eliminating Jews, Roma, and Bolsheviks, Ukrainians were to be exploited for the master race's agricultural needs. Karel Berkhoff paints a stark portrait of life in the Third Reich’s largest colony, where a mix of German nationalism, anti-Semitism, and racist views led to a reign of terror and genocide. Understanding Ukraine's response to this assault requires examining the effects of decades of oppressive Soviet rule, which fostered a mentality that hindered solidarity and contributed to the lack of resistance against the Germans. Berkhoff challenges conventional narratives of wartime Eastern Europe by exploring collaboration and local anti-Semitism in a nuanced manner. He delves into the brutal Nazi administration, the genocide of Jews and Roma, the deliberate starvation of Kiev, mass deportations, the role of ethnic Germans, and the struggle for survival amidst chaos. This work offers a gripping depiction of ordinary people navigating extraordinary challenges.