During Stalin's regime, the agricultural landscape was transformed with the imposition of collectives, forcing peasants into large farming units. This drastic change met with considerable resistance, resulting in the disappearance of around five million individuals—including men, women, and children—who were often sent to remote labor camps, never to be seen again.

In Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts," the author highlights the harsh reality faced by these individuals under Stalin's rule, illustrating the severe consequences of the government's policies. The loss of countless lives underscores the brutality of the era and the lengths to which the state would go to enforce its will on the population.