Famine and epidemic crises in Russia, 1918-1922: the case of Saratov

The Russian population crises which occurred between 1918 and 1922 were perhaps the most serious undergone by any civil population in recent times. Although well-known by contemporary observers, they have paradoxally seldom been studied in spite of there being abundant sources. An example is given here: Saratov, which was the largest city in the Volga region and the centre of the 1921-1922 famine. The article studies in detail the sources, then undertakes a close examination of the population crises. One consequence of the famine was that the number of births dropped by 43% and there were peaks of mortality greater than 100%. It is shown that the food situation deteriorated in 1920, became extremely serious in 1921 and highly acute in 1922. Over and above this could be added the devastation caused by cholera and typhus fever which were spread by the movements of the refugees most severely affected by the crises. All the same, the famine had an overall effect on mortality of which all types increased which, in the end, carried more weight in demographic terms than the epidemiologic effects which were, however, more spectacular.