What was Stalin's response to the Kulaks' defiance?

He used forced starvation and deportation to oppress and punish them. As a large and productive sector of society Stalin knew the best way to deal with them was to break them up so they were no longer such a large, troublesome force. By sending them to more inhospitable parts of Russia they were less productive and starvation was often the outcome. Many means with which they could have produced food (tools, supplies etc) were not even given to them in the first place. Any crops they were able to produce ended up being taken by the state and over time the Kulaks were eradicated from Soviet society.