Bengal Famine 1770: Background, Causes & More | UPSC Notes

The Bengal famine 1770 took place between 1769 and 1773 during which the British were ruling some territories in India. In the Bengal famine, around 10 million people died. The Bengal famine was one of the disastrous famines that took place in the Indian subcontinent during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Monsoon failure and the policies put forth by the British East India Company were the major cause of the great Bengal famine of 1770. Apart from Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bangladesh were also affected by this famine of 1770. 

This article on Bengal Famine 1770 talks about the background and consequences of the famine which are very useful for the upcoming UPSC IAS Examination.

About the Bengal Famine 1770

In 1768, there was an indication of famine with the partial shortage of crops which was not considered. With the failure of the South-East monsoon in the following year, there was a severe drought which eventually led to the failure of the crops. No effective measures were taken by British officials in 1769. Since the situation was not addressed, by the beginning of 1770 there was starvation on a wide scale and eventually, people began to die from starvation.

Bengal and Bihar were the worst affected provinces and it even extended to Jharkhand and Orissa. In addition to this, smallpox began to spread rigorously in Bengal in 1770 and as a result around 70,000 people died.

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Background of the Bengal Famine 1770

Following the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Buxar, the Treaty of Allahabad was signed between the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II and the British East India Company in 1765. Under this treaty, the British East India Company got Diwani rights (Right to collect tax on behalf of the emperor) over Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

The peasants were paying about one-tenth of their produce as tax to the Mughal emperor. With the transfer of Diwani rights, the British East India Company increased the tax to 50%. In Bengal, they collected land tax as well as tariffs on trade. Peasants usually stored excess production in order to meet unfortunate situations such as crop failure. With the increase in the tax rate, the peasants were unable to maintain these safety nets. In addition to this, the peasants were forced to cultivate cash crops such as indigo, and poppy which yielded high profits to the British East India Company. This reduced the production of edible crops to a large extent.

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Bengal famine 1770 Causes

Some of the major causes of the Bengal famine include the following:

• The primary cause of the famine was a series of natural disasters that severely affected the agriculture of the region. The region experienced a prolonged drought, followed by a severe flood. This resulted in the failure of crops and a sharp decline in food production.
• The British East India Company was the ruling authority in Bengal at that time. It failed to take adequate measures to prevent or mitigate the impact of the famine. There was a lack of effective relief efforts and policies to address the food shortage and provide assistance to the affected population.
• The oppressive land revenue policies imposed by the British administration exacerbated the plight of the peasants. High taxes and revenue collection left the agricultural population impoverished. They were unable to cope with the food shortages and rising prices.
• Hoarding and speculation by merchants and traders further aggravated the food crisis. They stockpiled grain and artificially inflated prices, making food inaccessible for the common people.
• The famine also resulted in social disruption and breakdown of traditional support systems. The loss of livelihoods, migration, and desperation led to widespread social unrest, looting, and violence.

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Consequences of the Bengal Famine 1770

As a result of the Bengal Famine in 1770, approximately 10 million people died out of starvation. Due to famine, a large number of the population went into jungles in search of food which resulted in depopulation. Most of the cultivated lands were abandoned. Due to the shortfall of income, the British East India Company raised the taxes further. There was a cloth famine in Bengal, where most of the poor people were either naked or barely covered. There was also a scarcity of clean clothes.

The Bengal famine of 1770 lasted till 1773 though the affected provinces received good amounts of rainfall towards the end of 1770. Despite the great famine, the British East India Company recorded the highest profits compared to the previous years. Famines were the tragic consequences of British rule in India and they occurred every decade. After the famine of Bengal 1770, the devastating famine that took millions of lives was the great Bengal famine of 1943.

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