The 1921–1922 famine in Tatarstan was a result of war communism policy, realized in Tatar ASSR as well as elsewhere in the USSR. It started in autumn 1921. More than 2,000,000 peasants starved, particularly in Arsk, Sviyazhsk, Mamadysh, Menzelinsk, Spassk, Tetyushi and Chelny kantons.
At the end of 1921, the special committee Tatpomgol was established to cope with the famine. Right up to August 1922, Tatpomgol imported 8,000,000 pood (Russian pounds) of food, including 2,000,000 seed, with a loan. 210,000, mostly children, were evacuated to Central Asia, Belarus and Siberia.
The emergency feeding points were established throughout the republic. The Soviet government invited international organizations, such as International Workers Relief and American Relief Administration to improve the situation. On July 1, 1922, more than 1,600,000 were fed in those emergency points. The number of the victims is estimated at 400,000 to 600,000. 86,000 farms disappeared (16.2% of the total). After the famine, the leadership of the republic was dismissed.