The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of 10 million people, reducing. Sens film begins with a long shot of a typical country road, edged on either side by arching banyan trees, cutting through the vast bengali. The great bengal famine of 1770 was a famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the. No, because the british empire did not exist in 1770. Famine, revolution and the british east india company prashant prashad econ 3050 economic history economic factors are deeply ingrained among the causes of historical events a trading company, with the intention of making financial profit by trade. In 1943, millions of people in bengal starved to death, with most historians setting the toll at 34 million. The famine only ended because bengal thankfully delivered a strong rice harvest by 1944. Then again, i read the book a very long time ago, so perhaps its time to read it again. Bengal famine of 1943 a photographic history part 1. The famine of bengal from 1770 to 1772 is known as the great bengal famine of 1770. The official famine inquiry commission reporting on the bengal famine of 1943 put its death toll at about 1. Around the time of the famine of 1770 estimated 10 million deaths, the land tax was increased from 10% to 50%. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of 10 million people one out of three, reducing the population to thirty million in.
A disastrous famine affected the lower gangetic plains of india including the regions of. A gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 1770 1772. The statement that the great bengal famine of 1770 was one of a series of famines in india under british colonial rule that would continue killing tens of millions of indians into the late 19th century and beyond suggests that these famines were due to british rule. A comparison of the 1770 famine in bengal and the 1897 famine in chotanagpur famine research has gained ground in. This famine claimed an estimated 10 million in bengal, india from 17691773.
Economy, social structure, and politics, 19191947 cambridge university press, 1986 and in peasant labour and colonial capital. The month of april 1770 witnessed calamities like drought, crop failure, disease and death griping all of bengal, bihar and orissa. The only major famines in bengal in the past three centuries have been in 1770, 1866, and 194344. Gideon polya, an australian biochemist, has called the bengal famine a manmade holocaust. Generally sufficient rainfall and low variability, relative to. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of about 10 million people. Though the soldier is unaware, these women have turned to prostitution out of desperate starvation because of the famine. I, too, have read late victorian holocausts, but i didnt recall there being information about the 1770 famine. Farmers were also told to plant indigo and opium poppy instead of rice, and were told not to stock them too much fear of hoarding.
Continuing my rapid reading of choice texts from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, i came across what was purported to be an excerpt of a letter from bengal by someone present in the doab at the time. Anirban uncategorized december 20, 2010 december 22, 2010 5 minutes. The first of these famines started in 1770, followed by severe ones in 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and lastly 194344. Bengal famine of 1770 the bengal famine of 1770 was a catastrophic famine that between 1769 and 1773 affected the lower gangetic plain of india. The people of bengal are not unfamiliar to famines. The role that currency played in the great bengal famine of 1770. The role that currency played in the great bengal famine. The impact of these ideas in the context of india is part of this study on famines in bengal in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Understanding the bengal famine, 194344 through the. The famine had a drastic impact on the lower part of the gangetic plain in india starting from bihar right up to bengal. Aykroyd, who was a member of the famine inquiry commission and was primarily responsible for the estimation, conceded that the.
Was the british empire responsible for the great bengal. Indias agricultural policies are based, in part, on a history of periodic famines, such as the famine of 1943 and chronic food shortages after independence in 1947 and into. The months when the impact of the famine were most severe in 1974 were july through october, largely the same as in the 1770, 1866 and 1943 bengal famines. It is estimated that over three million people died from starvation, malnutrition and related illnesses during the famine. The first of these was in 1770, followed by severe ones in 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and lastly 194344. I thought the books overview of south asian famines was specific to the british raj that is, 18581947. Bose has also discussed the causation of the bengal famine in his authoritative study, agrarian bengal. The bengal famine by brian chatterton the new york. The bengal famine of 1770 killed 10 million people, or. Famines were still present even in the final years before the country secured its independence from britain in 1947. Article pdf available in wire december 2016 with 140 reads. The areas covered also included the present day west bengal, bihar, jharkhand, odisha, and. Bengal was supposedly one of the richest countries in the. In mrinal sens 1980 film, akaler sadhaney in search of famine, a smart, middleclass film crew from calcutta descends on a humble bengali village to shoot a movie on the bengal famine of 1943.
About 250 years ago, bengal suffered a debilitating famine under colonial rule, partially brought on by changes in the colonial. But unlike the 1943 famine, these ones were essentially the outcomes of the natural disasters aggravated by the human greed and foolishness. There have been several significant famines in the history of bengal now independent bangladesh and the indian state of west bengal including. Bengal famine of 1770 bengal famine of 1770 the bengal famine of 1770 was a catastrophic famine that between 1769 and 1773 affected the lower gangetic plain of india. It killed approximately 10 million people, millions more than the jews incarcerated during the second world war. Rural bengal since 1770 cambridge university press, 1993. Hoarding by indian merchants in calcutta following the japanese conquest of burma was the starting point. Bengal, india now bangladesh and west bengal what was the bengal famine death toll. A gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772. After winning the battle of plassey, the 35 year young man clive returned to england in 1760 with a fortune of 3 lakh pounds and a rent of 27 thousand pounds per year. The britishled government of india, indian politicians plus british officials, ignored the problem as it developed, denied the problem when it became s. It was later estimated that ten million indians had perished in the terrible outbreak. There was one more result of the battle of plassey and battle of buxar. When there was a danger of serious famine in bengal in 19434, churchill announced that the indians must learn to look after themselves as we have done there is no reason why all parts of the british empire.
Bengal famine of 1770 must count as one of the greatest catastrophes of the eighteenth century and, indeed, of modern times. An estimated 10 million people died of starvation and famine triggered epidemics that also affected the regions of assam, odisha, jharkhand and bangladesh. The bengal famine of 1770 monideepa chatterjee third year, roll no. The famine of 1770 devastated western and northern bengal, bihar and orissa which at that time com prised only the district of midnapur. A disastrous famine affected the lower gangetic plains of india including the regions of bengal and bihar between 1769 and 1773 where rd of the population perished. They also introduced violent tax collecting practices which increased the east india companys. Famine in bengal occurred during years 17691773 under the era of english east india company. The year 20 marks the 70th anniversary of the bengal famine which resulted in the death of an estimated 1. The famine is supposed to have caused the deaths of an estimated 10 million people, approximately onethird of the population at the time. Was churchill largely responsible for the bengal famine of.
In this process many families were separated, while many others were totally. Like all famines the supply of food is not as important as the ability to pay. An american soldier, arriving shortly after the height of the famine ended, picks out a prostitute. Previously, when famines had hit the country, indigenous rulers were quick with useful. Both policies of the mughal empire and the british east india company were blamed for the widespread famine. It began after a failed monsoon in 1769 triggered drought and poor rice harvests. For it is one of the earliest and most devastating examples of the dangers inherent in concentrating land resources for the export of cashcrops without first insuring the primacy of the producers own food sovereignty. The first signs indicating the coming of such a huge famine manifested in 1769 and the famine itself went on till 1773. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of 10 million people, reducing the population to thirty million in bengal, which. Estimates for the total loss of life in all of these exceeded thirty million.
This famine was no exception as prices skyrocketed and the poor in rural areas suffered. Further, the treasure of nawab sirajuddaula was looted in such a way that 20% was appropriated to the zamindars and the corrupt. A comparison of the 1770 famine in bengal and the 1897 famine in chotanagpur famine research has gained ground in both asia and africa in recent times and it is. Pdf the role that currency played in the great bengal famine of. Kallie szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in asian history and culture. None of them was as catastrophic as the 1770 famine. The first evidence of famine in the northern districts of bengal began to emerge in november 1769 arresting official attention. The great bengal famine of 1770 is destined to become the textbook example of how the profitmotive can cause famine. The abc has to a significant degree censored reportage of the australiacomplicit 19421945 bengal famine bengali famine, bengali holocaust in which the british, with australian complicity, deliberately starved 67 million indians to death in 19421945.
The 1974 famine was a rural phenomenon and people traveled miles from rural to urban areas in search of food. British east india company and the great bengal famine. The first of these famines was in 1770 and was ghastly brutal. The great bengal famine of 1770 was a famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the lower gangetic plain of india. The famine of 1770 chapter 10 land and local kingship in. Other factors did play an important part in the famine. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the u. The british east india company which was a private company not under the control of the british government contributed to the famine by forcing local farmers to grow opium instead of food cro. Was churchill largely to blame for the bengal famine of 1943. Previously, when famines had hit the country, the indigenous rulers of india were quick and used different means to avert the famine. Bengal famine of 1943 a photographic history part 1 the bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided bengal now independent bangladesh and the indian state of west bengal in 1943. The east india company, famine and ecological conditions in.
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