▁of ▁sab ot age . ▁They ▁cultiv ated ▁far ▁smaller ▁port ions ▁of ▁their ▁land ▁and ▁worked ▁much ▁less . ▁The ▁scale ▁of ▁the ▁Ukrain ian ▁fam ine ▁has ▁led ▁many ▁Ukrain ian ▁sch ol ars ▁to ▁argue ▁that ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁deliber ate ▁policy ▁of ▁gen o cide ▁against ▁the ▁Ukrain ian ▁people . ▁Other ▁sch ol ars ▁argue ▁that ▁the ▁massive ▁death ▁tot als ▁were ▁an ▁in ev itable ▁result ▁of ▁a ▁very ▁poor ly ▁planned ▁operation ▁against ▁all ▁pe as ants , ▁who ▁had ▁given ▁little ▁support ▁to ▁Len in ▁or ▁St alin . ▁▁ ▁In ▁Ukraine ▁alone , ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁people ▁who ▁died ▁in ▁the ▁fam ines ▁is ▁now ▁estimated ▁to ▁be ▁ 3 . 5 ▁million . ▁ ▁The ▁USS R ▁took ▁over ▁Est onia , ▁Lat via ▁and ▁Lith u ania ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 0 , ▁which ▁were ▁lost ▁to ▁Germany ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 1 , ▁and ▁then ▁recovered ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 4 . ▁The ▁collect iv ization ▁of ▁their ▁far ms ▁began ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 8 . ▁Using ▁terror , ▁mass ▁kill ings ▁and ▁deport ations , ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁pe asant ry ▁was ▁collect iv ized ▁by ▁ 1 9 5 2 . ▁Agricult ural ▁production ▁fell ▁dram atically ▁in ▁all ▁the ▁other ▁Soviet ▁Republic s . ▁ ▁Rap id ▁industrial ization ▁In ▁the ▁period ▁of ▁rapid ▁industrial ization ▁and ▁mass ▁collect iv ization ▁preceding ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁Soviet ▁employ ment ▁figures ▁experienced ▁exponential ▁growth