The Great Bengal Famine of 1770: East India Company's Man-Made Catastrophe

In 1770, Bengal experienced one of the deadliest famines in history, with an estimated ten million deaths — roughly one-third of the population. But this was no natural disaster. Lucas and Luna explore how the East India Company's policies after the Battle of Plassey created the perfect conditions for catastrophe: exorbitant land taxes, the monopolization of grain, and the diversion of rice fields to opium poppies. They trace the famine's roots to the Company's assumption of the diwani (revenue collection rights) in 1765, the ruthless collection methods of officials like Warren Hastings, and the devastating impact on Bengal's peasantry. The episode also examines the colonial response — or lack thereof — and the long-term consequences, including the rise of famines as a tool of imperial control. Drawing on contemporary accounts from Company officials and Bengali poets, this episode reveals a famine that was not an act of God but a man-made tragedy that reshaped Bengal's economy and society for generations. #BengalFamine1770 #EastIndiaCompany #WarrenHastings #Diwani #OpiumTrade #BritishEmpire #ColonialIndia #ManMadeFamine #BengalHistory #Murshidabad #Plassey #FamineStudies #EconomicHistory #SouthAsia #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo