10 Famines That Altered The Course Of History — Page 2 of 2

5. Time of Troubles

Russia has had her share of problems. So much so that a period of years was labelled “Time of Troubles”. In this very “time of troubles” did the Russian famine strike, wiping off 1/3^rd of the population, the death toll reach 2 million eventually? It was caused due to a volcanic winter caused by an eruption of a volcano; the effects of it were felt as far as Japan.

6. During the Mughal rule

Image Source

In the two years of 1630-32, the Deccan famine created havoc with the Indian population. It was one of the worst famines to occur during the Mughal rule. Nearly 2 million Indians were killed. When three staple crops fail, people are left with nothing to eat. That led to hunger, lowered immunity and hence disease and as a last resort, displacement.

Image Source

7. When it dries up, wrecks people and blocks itself from life

Image Source

This famine is something we all have read in our history books. The Great Bengal famine of 1770 killed nearly 10 million people. The cause for this famine was the ruthless force of the British government to cultivate opium and indigo instead of food crops. The extent of depopulation was so high; the previously habituated areas became inaccessible for decades, wilderness took over.

8. That thing over there, No, that’s not a prank. It’s an actual human skull

Image Source

Hyderabad, Southern Maratha, Deccan, Gujrat and Marwar regions saw this famine in all its destructive glory and gory. The famine was named the “skull famine” after the situation in those areas, where the dead were left to rot wherever and the skulls were strewn everywhere. It lasted from the year 1789-95 and in its wake, it killed 11 million people.

Image Source

A painting from the “Holodomor through the Eyes of a Child” exhibit.

9. The summer that never was

Image Source

In the year 1816, Europe, North America and Asia faced the wrath of a volcanic eruption of 1815. Nothing grew, people were displaced and it snowed in peak summers. It was rightly termed the worst famine of the 19^th century.

10. Great famine of 1876-78

This famine was the start of everything. Due to the negligence of the Britishers 5.5 million lives were lost in this famine of 1880. Britishers insisted on huge imports, meagre rations and cultivation of cash crops, rather than food crops. At the end of this famine a commission was constituted and the Indian National Congress too emerged shortly after. A questioning of the British rule had begun and the rest is history.

Share with:

Comments

comments

1 2