It appears to be an element of both. Kazaks were primary pastoral nomads, with little history of agriculture -- Soviet state to characterize them as "backward." The collectivization effort by Stalin in the early 30's destroyed Kazakhstan's economy, which was not suitable for industrialized farming, and resulted in the famine and death of 1.45 million people. However, we are reassured by the fact that, "Mass death...was not an objective the policy makers set out to achieve, but rather the price they were prepared to pay as long as they could achieve the goal of gaining political and economic control over the region."

-According to an article written by Niccolo Pianciola in the Harvard Ukranian Studies 25 no3/4 (2001)