The causes of the bengal famine marginal revolution. The bengal famine of 1943 was a devastating famine in the bengal province of british india during world war ii. Understanding and preventing famine and famine mortality jeremy swift summary famine prevention is possible but requires, among other things, a better theoretical basis, building on comparative, interdisciplinary and historical research. Amartya sen, in his reply to my letter the truth about the bengal famine, nyr, march 24, wrote.
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. Moreover, british rule had some distinctly positive effects. 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. The food situation in india was tight from the beginning of the second world war, with a series of crop failures and localized famines. Jul 31, 2015 the rains of 1769 were dismal and herein the first signs of the terrible draught began to appear. There was one more result of the battle of plassey and battle of buxar. Bengal, which prior to the partition of india covered the state of west bengal in india and bangladesh, suffered from a calamitous famine in 1943, when two million people died of starvation 1. The bengal famine of 1943 arose precisely because improvements introduced under british rule collapsed under the strain of the second world war. Bureau of statistics bbs was created by the government by merging four. Aug 01, 2017 the deadliest famines in the world are all associated with large scale suffering, death, and great economic losses. The people of bengal are not unfamiliar to famines. The british exported the grain, pushing up prices and leaving the. The original famine in the 17th century india brought on by the british free traders set an actual precedent.
His analysis of the bengal famine is a case in point. Aug 12, 2016 the great bengal famine of 1770 was a famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the lower gangetic plain of india. British authorities took advantage of wartime censorship to keep the news quiet. An account of the bengal famine of 1943 by richard stevenson 2. The great bengal famine of 1770 was a famine between 1769 and 1773 that affected the lower gangetic plain of india. Your post has proved my point jack, bengal was, very sadly, nothing out of the ordinary for people to be treated that way. 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. Bengal famine of 1943 wikipedia republished wiki 2. Bengal famine of 1943 a photographic history part 1. Dec 05, 2016 the bengal famine of 1943 struck the bengal province of british india presentday west bengal, odisha, bihar and the country of bangladesh during world war ii following the japanese invasion of burma. Further, the treasure of nawab sirajuddaula was looted in such a way that 20% was appropriated to the zamindars and.
Still more disgracefully, he said in a jocular way. The role that currency played in the great bengal famine. Millions were impoverished as the crisis overwhelmed large. The role that currency played in the great bengal famine of 1770.
But unlike the 1943 famine, these ones were essentially the outcomes of the natural disasters aggravated by the human greed and foolishness. Bengal famine of 1943 rice supply 5% lower than previous 5 years % higher than 1941 9% higher per capita than 1941 amartya sen, 1978. 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. The bengal famine of 1943 is one among several famines that occurred in britishadministered bengal. Shanti mukherjee, for teaching me the rudiments of bengali. Understanding humanitarian action in south asia overseas. Tauger seems to think he can get an adequate picture of total food supply in bengal from the data from just two rice research stations in two districts in undivided bengal which had twentyseven districts by quoting the generalizations made by. Pdf entitlement, shortage, and the 1943 bengal famine. In 1943, millions of people in bengal starved to death, with most historians setting the toll at 34 million. Most historians blame his confidant and adviser, frederick lindemann, for advocating the policy of.
Political artist chittaprosad vividly captured the human cost of the 1943 bengal famine, a calamity that scarred the last years of british rule in. It was established by the merge of roman syria and roman. The bengal famine by brian chatterton the new york. The famine only ended because bengal thankfully delivered a strong rice harvest by 1944.
The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of 10 million people, reducing. Was churchill largely to blame for the bengal famine of 1943. A gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772 anirban uncategorized december 20, 2010 december 22, 2010 5 minutes 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. It is estimated that around 3 million indians died from starvation and malnutrition during the period making the number of indian deaths higher than the two world wars, the entire independence movement and the massive carnage that followed partition of.
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. Among the worst affected areas were birbum and murshidabad in bengal. Dec 20, 2010 a gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772 anirban uncategorized december 20, 2010 december 22, 2010 5 minutes 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. The economist and philosopher amartya sen, who lived through the 1943 bengal famine as a young member of a prominent family that fed the destitute, opened his seminal book poverty and famines. I avoided this aspect of sens work because his conclusion of sufficiency in bengal has been seriously challenged. Bruce rosssmith letters, 11 may is unfair in blaming churchill entirely for the bengal famine. Mukerjee delves into official documents and oral accounts of survivors to paint a horrifying portrait of how churchill, as part of the western war effort, ordered the diversion of food from starving indians to already wellsupplied. Sovietfamine 1932l1934 ukraine stalinscollectivizationofagricultureand transferofmillionsoftonsofgrainfrom ukrainetorussialeadstonationalfamine. The britishled government of india, indian politicians plus british officials, ignored the problem as it developed, denied the problem when it became s. Understanding the bengal famine, 194344 through the. Little is known about death tolls in the many earlier indian famines, but the great bengal famine of 1770 was the first of a series in india under british colonial rule. Although food production did fall slightly in 1943 compared with previous years, it was still percent higher than in 1941, when there was no famine. It is estimated that around 3 million indians died from starvation and malnutrition during the period making the number of indian deaths higher than the two world wars, the entire independence movement and the massive carnage that followed partition of india.
Postmortem on the bengal famine asian survey university of. Historical research on the great bengal famine has recently grown. The 1943 bengal famine, which is often called as the great bengal famine was engineered by winston churchill the revered war prime minister of england using war time censorship and destruction of crops and boats in coastal areas. The 1943 famine stands out because it was undoubtedly a manmade debacle aggravated by. Churchills shameful role in the bengal famine time. It greatly increased the importance of trade, from between one and two per cent of national income to over twenty per cent by 19. A famine occurs when there is a food crisis in a particular area, causing mass starvation. Understanding the bengal famine, 194344 through the british. The deadliest famines in the world are all associated with large scale suffering, death, and great economic losses. The 194243 bengal famine occurred in spite of a good harvest in bengal and surplus grain stocks in other parts of india.
The bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided bengal now independent bangladesh and the indian state of west bengal in 1943. The bengali famine the international churchill society. In 1943, some 3 million brownskinned subjects of the raj died in the bengal famine, one of historys worst. Sep 29, 2017 the bengal famine was a severe famine that occurred in british indias bengal province in 1943, during world war ii. Altogether about 3 million people may have died as a result of the famine as disease killed those weakened by starvation 2. What are some good books on the bengal famine of 1943. A gruesome firsthand account of the bengal famine of 17701772.
The estimated number of victims that succumbed to death due to diseases, starvation, population displacement, malnutrition, lack of medical care, and the unsanitary environment is estimated at 2. Repeat of great bengal famine unlikely thanks to fungicides. The international churchill society ics, founded in 1968 shortly after churchills death, is the worlds preeminent member organisation dedicated to preserving the historic legacy of sir winston churchill. An estimated 10 million people died of starvation and famine triggered epidemics that also affected the regions of assam, odisha, jharkhand and bangladesh. The famine is estimated to have caused the deaths of about 10 million people. Apr 08, 2015 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 should not feel the pinch in the same way as the mother country has done. It is, based on unreliable and inaccurate statistics. The results were famine and devastation for the people. Indias agricultural policies are based, in part, on a history of periodic famines, such as the famine of 1943 and chronic food. Tauger seems to think he can get an adequate picture of total food supply in bengal from the data from just two rice research stations in two districts in undivided bengal which had twentyseven districts by quoting the generalizations made by the author of an article that. The 1943 bengal famine has been cited by amartya sen and others as a classic example of market failure. The causes of famine a refutation of professor sens.
The bengal famine of 1943 was the only one in modern indian history not to occur as a. Pdf this article outlines an amendment to amartya sens entitlement approach to famines and applies it to the bengal famine of 1943. The bengal famine of 1943 struck the bengal province of british india presentday west bengal, odisha, bihar and the country of bangladesh during world war ii following the japanese invasion of burma. It is undeniably true and sen shows it lucidly that one cannot have a precise idea of the. Entitlement failure food production is the bengal famine of 1943, which happens to be one of the most intensively studied famines. By combining such nonlinear dynamics in consumption with the. An estimated 10 million people died of starvation and faminetriggered epidemics that also affected the regions of assam, odisha, jharkhand and bangladesh. Notes bengal famine of 1943 famine, and that crop failure alone could not be expected to develop into a famine unless speculative forces became an appraisal of the famine active. I think the most authentic and rich source for examining and finding evidences against churchill in this incident is madhusree mukerjees book, churchills secret war, which reveals a side of churchills largely ignored in the west and considerably tarnishes his heroic sheen.
Neogy revealed at the famine enquiry that the manual itself began. Understanding and preventing famine and famine mortality. At a time when leadership is challenged at every turn, that legacy looms larger and remains more relevant than ever. Key aspects of that task concern, first, the relationship between starvation, disease and death. About 250 years ago, bengal suffered a debilitating famine under colonial rule, partially brought on by changes in the colonial. The year 20 marks the 70th anniversary of the bengal famine which resulted in the death of an estimated 1. Was churchill largely responsible for the bengal famine of. In odisha, one third of the population died due to famine. Churchill not entirely to blame for bengal famine letters. Examples include the great bengal famine of 1943 in which food output was only 5% below. The causes of famine a refutation of professor sens theory peter bowbrick1 abstract this article argues that sens theory of famine will lead to the wrong diagnosis and the wrong remedies for famine and will therefore worsen the situation. The rains of 1769 were dismal and herein the first signs of the terrible draught began to appear. The famine occurred mainly in the modern states of west bengal and bihar but also hit orissa, jharkhand and bangladesh. Bangladesh, famine 1974, amartya sen, fad, entitlement approach.