The Bengal Famine of 1770: A Colonial Catastrophe

When the East India Company tightened its grip on Bengal after Plassey, the consequences were devastating. In 1770, a famine killed an estimated 10 million people — a third of the region's population. But was it a natural disaster, or a man-made catastrophe? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the policies that triggered the famine: the Company's exorbitant land taxes, its monopoly on grain, and the ruthless 'revenue farming' system introduced by officials like Muhammad Reza Khan. They examine eyewitness accounts from Company servants and Indian chroniclers, and trace how the famine shaped British attitudes toward colonial rule — from Warren Hastings to Edmund Burke. The episode also considers the long shadow of the famine on Bengali memory and the contentious question of responsibility. A crucial chapter in the hidden history of Bengal, told with nuance and depth. #BengalFamineOf1770 #EastIndiaCompany #WarrenHastings #MuhammadRezaKhan #BritishColonialism #RevenueFarming #GrainMonopoly #EdmundBurke #Murshidabad #Calcutta #IndianHistory #ColonialCatastrophe #18thCentury #HistoryOfFamine #Bengal #SouthAsianHistory #History #FexingoHistory #BengalHistory #PalaEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo