Naimark depicts Stalin as the mastermind behind the dekulakization campaign; Stalin ordered the attack, supervised the operations, and made it clear that the kulaks were to be “eliminated as a class: killed, displaced, deported, and dispersed to special colonies” (58). Stalin was also keenly aware of the atrocious conditions in the special colonies and sometimes even cut funding for the colonies, making the lives of the kulaks even more unbearable. Naimark asserts that “Stalin's indifference to this suffering and death was certainly murderous, even genocidal” (53). While there is no doubt that Stalin was a ruthless murderer, it is questionable whether Stalin intended to destroy the kulaks as a class. Overall, it appears that Stalin targeted anyone who challenged his policies. Thus, the category of "kulaks" was actually a group of dissidents rather than a particular social or political group.