The Bengal Famine (1943) - A Man-Made Holocaust
“I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits.”
The British had a ruthless economic agenda when it came to operating in India and that did not include empathy for native citizens. Under the British Raj, India suffered countless famines. But the worst hit was Bengal. The first of these was in 1770, followed by severe ones in 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and lastly 1943-44. Previously, when famines had hit the country, indigenous rulers were quick with useful responses to avert major disasters. After the advent of the British, most of the famines were a consequence of monsoonal delays along with the exploitation of the country’s natural resources by the British for their own financial gain. Yet they did little to acknowledge the havoc these actions wrought. If anything, they were irritated at the inconveniences in taxing the famines brought about. The Bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided Bengal (now independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) in 1943. It is estimated that over three million people died from starvation, malnutrition and related illnesses during the famine.
In 1943, between 1.5 million and 3 million people are estimated to have starved in the Indian state of Bengal. Initial investigations suggested that this was the direct result of a food shortage, but closer analysis later suggested that the causes of the Great Bengal Famine were largely human. There was actually more food available in 1943 than there had been in 1941, a year in which there had been no famine, and market speculation on rocketing rice prices has been identified as the main contributing factor.
Winston Churchill, the hallowed British War prime minister who saved Europe from a monster like Hitler was disturbingly callous about the roaring famine that was swallowing Bengal’s population. He casually diverted the supplies of medical aid and food that was being dispatched to the starving victims to the already well supplied soldiers of Europe. When entreated upon he said, “Famine or no famine, Indians will breed like rabbits.” The Delhi Government sent a telegram painting to him a picture of the horrible devastation and the number of people who had died. His only response was, “Then why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”
At around the same time, the Japanese were occupying Burma and cut off rice imports which accounted for around 20% of the total rice consumption in the state. These two factors combined meant that the rice production in 1943 was down on the previous year and precipitated the Great Bengal Famine.
However, later analysis of the statistics showed that the overall availability of rice was only down 5% on the previous year, and was in fact 13% higher than it had been in 1941. Furthermore, increased wheat exports should have more than compensated for the diminished rice crop and as an aggregate figure there was no real shortage of food in Bengal that year. The price of rice had been forced up by the rumour of shortage rather than an actual crop failure; market speculators had precipitated the famine.
The people who died during the Great Bengal Famine died because they could not buy the food that was present; both because they could not afford it and because it was withheld by speculators. While the southern crop failure was caused by meteorological conditions the previous year it was far from enough to cause a famine on its own. Both human and climatological factors combined and over 1.5 million people died as a result, despite the fact that there was no real state-wide food shortage.
-Winston Churchill
The British had a ruthless economic agenda when it came to operating in India and that did not include empathy for native citizens. Under the British Raj, India suffered countless famines. But the worst hit was Bengal. The first of these was in 1770, followed by severe ones in 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and lastly 1943-44. Previously, when famines had hit the country, indigenous rulers were quick with useful responses to avert major disasters. After the advent of the British, most of the famines were a consequence of monsoonal delays along with the exploitation of the country’s natural resources by the British for their own financial gain. Yet they did little to acknowledge the havoc these actions wrought. If anything, they were irritated at the inconveniences in taxing the famines brought about. The Bengal famine of 1943 occurred in undivided Bengal (now independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) in 1943. It is estimated that over three million people died from starvation, malnutrition and related illnesses during the famine.
In 1943, between 1.5 million and 3 million people are estimated to have starved in the Indian state of Bengal. Initial investigations suggested that this was the direct result of a food shortage, but closer analysis later suggested that the causes of the Great Bengal Famine were largely human. There was actually more food available in 1943 than there had been in 1941, a year in which there had been no famine, and market speculation on rocketing rice prices has been identified as the main contributing factor.
Winston Churchill, the hallowed British War prime minister who saved Europe from a monster like Hitler was disturbingly callous about the roaring famine that was swallowing Bengal’s population. He casually diverted the supplies of medical aid and food that was being dispatched to the starving victims to the already well supplied soldiers of Europe. When entreated upon he said, “Famine or no famine, Indians will breed like rabbits.” The Delhi Government sent a telegram painting to him a picture of the horrible devastation and the number of people who had died. His only response was, “Then why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”
Natural Causes of the Great Bengal Famine
During the Second World War there were three major rice crops in Bengal: aman, harvested in winter; aus, harvested in autumn, and boro harvested in spring. The most important of the three was the winter crop, which accounted for around 70% of the total rice production in the state, but a cyclone during the winter of 1942 affected much of this crop in the southern, coastal regions. Subsequent disease after excessive rains and flooding destroyed even more.At around the same time, the Japanese were occupying Burma and cut off rice imports which accounted for around 20% of the total rice consumption in the state. These two factors combined meant that the rice production in 1943 was down on the previous year and precipitated the Great Bengal Famine.
Market Speculation and Rocketing Rice Prices
The Japanese occupation of Burma triggered a spike in rice prices as speculators began to buy up the Bengal crop; the cost of rice nearly trebled in the six months following December 1942. At the same time, many of those who had been left destitute by the southern storm began to descend on the state capital in Calcutta. There was a widespread panic and the assumption that there was a shortage of rice, which only served to force the price up further.However, later analysis of the statistics showed that the overall availability of rice was only down 5% on the previous year, and was in fact 13% higher than it had been in 1941. Furthermore, increased wheat exports should have more than compensated for the diminished rice crop and as an aggregate figure there was no real shortage of food in Bengal that year. The price of rice had been forced up by the rumour of shortage rather than an actual crop failure; market speculators had precipitated the famine.
The people who died during the Great Bengal Famine died because they could not buy the food that was present; both because they could not afford it and because it was withheld by speculators. While the southern crop failure was caused by meteorological conditions the previous year it was far from enough to cause a famine on its own. Both human and climatological factors combined and over 1.5 million people died as a result, despite the fact that there was no real state-wide food shortage.