Hunger Games of History

Famine, marked by widespread food scarcity, stems from factors like war, natural disasters, crop failure, poverty, economic crises, or government policies. Throughout history, every inhabited continent has witnessed famine, with Southeast and South Asia, as well as Eastern and Central Europe, enduring the highest toll during the 19th and 20th centuries. Deaths from famine have significantly decreased since the 1970s, though Africa has been the most affected continent since 2010.

In the South Asian subcontinent, notably India and Bangladesh, famines were recurrent, with British rule contributing to millions of deaths in the 18th to early 20th centuries. Indian agriculture, reliant on the monsoon, faced major famines like the Bengal famine of 1770, Chalisa famine, Doji bara famine, and the Great Famine of 1876–1878. Droughts and policy failures exacerbated these crises. Some attribute the severity of famines during British rule to government inaction, though by the 20th century, famine occurrences diminished, except for the 1943 Bengal famine linked to World War II complications. By 1877, the famine had extended its grip to encompass portions of the Central Provinces, the North-Western Provinces, and a small area of Punjab. The total affected area spanned an expansive 670,000 square kilometers (257,000 square miles), causing distress to a staggering population of 58,500,000. Estimates of excess mortality during the famine range from a minimum of 5.6 million human fatalities to a maximum of 9.6 million fatalities.
Referred to as both the Southern India famine of 1876–1878 and the Madras famine of 1877, this tragic event left an indelible mark on the history of the region during the British colonial era.

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