Famines and Poverty Under British Rule
Modern History › Economic Impact of British Rule · Topic 28.6
Regular famines became a common feature of daily life under British rule. In this account they were not just the result of food scarcity but a direct result of the poverty unleashed by colonial forces, and about 2.8 crore people are said to have died in famines between 1850 and 1900. The nationalists argued that India was poor and growing poorer because of British policies, and so the poverty was man-made, explainable and removable.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Economic Impact of British Rule
At a Glance
- Pattern Famines recurred regularly
- Deaths About 2.8 crore, 1850 to 1900 (estimate)
- Cause (this account) Poverty unleashed by colonial forces, not only food scarcity
- Nationalist view Poverty man-made and removable
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Economic Impact of British Rule
Where Does It Fit?
This is the sixth topic of the category on the economic impact of British rule. The previous topic covered the commercialisation of Indian agriculture. This topic covers famines and poverty. The next topic covers the late development of modern industry. Previous topic: Commercialisation of Indian Agriculture.
How Common Were Famines?
The regular recurrence of famines became a common feature of daily existence in India. These famines were not just the result of scarcity of foodgrains, but a direct result of the poverty unleashed by colonial forces in India. Between 1850 and 1900, about 2.8 crore people died in famines. The figure is an estimate. The famine of 1943 in Bengal, which fell later and had its own wartime causes, is covered in Gandhi’s Fast and the Famine of 1943.
Why Were Famines Linked to Poverty?
The argument is that people died not because food did not exist in the country but because they could not afford it or had been left without means to grow it. The conditions that left them without a margin are those described in the earlier topics: artisans pushed to the land, the peasant bound by the triple burden of the government, the zamindar and the moneylender, the stagnation of agriculture, and the exposure of cultivators to the swings of the market.
| Contributing condition | Where described |
|---|---|
| Ruin of artisans and ruralisation | Charter Act of 1813: one-way free trade Tariffs Nearly 80 per…">Deindustrialisation: Ruin of Artisans and Handicraftsmen |
| Triple burden on the peasant | Ruralisation and the Impoverishment of the Peasantry |
| Absentee landlords and low productivity | Intermediaries, Absentee Landlordism and the Ruin of Old Zamindars |
| Price swings, debt and the Deccan riots | Commercialisation of Indian Agriculture |
How Did Famine Relate to the Structure of the Economy?
The account treats famine as a symptom of conditions that existed in ordinary years: a majority of the population living near the margin, with no savings to draw on when a harvest failed or prices rose. In a society where most of the people were cultivators and landless labourers, with little other employment since the handicrafts had declined, a poor harvest meant the loss of both food and income at once. The cultivator who had sold his produce at low prices to the moneylender after the harvest had nothing to eat when the next harvest failed, and he could not buy food at the higher price. The growth of a market in foodgrains, with exports and railways drawing grain from one region to another, meant that famine prices could be set by distant demand, and those without cash could not get food even where it existed.
The agricultural, revenue and trade policies described in the earlier topics all affected this margin: heavy revenue demands, the shift to cash crops, the loss of artisan employment and the lack of public spending on irrigation, agricultural education and relief. The nationalists, in particular Dadabhai Naoroji and Romesh Chandra Dutt, used the famine figures to argue that the system of government was itself a cause of death, an argument pressed in the Congress in the later nineteenth century.
What Did the Nationalists Say About Poverty?
The basic assertion of the early nationalists was that India was poor and growing poorer because of British imperialism, and that since the causes of India’s economic backwardness were man-made, they were explainable and removable. Poverty was seen as a problem of raising the productive capacity and energy of the people, or of national development, which made poverty a national issue and helped rally all sections of society around common economic issues. Development was equated with industrialisation, based on Indian and not foreign capital. The full critique is in Economic Drain and the Nationalist Critique.
As an analytical point, the account connects famine to the structure of the economy and not only to the failure of the harvest, which is why it became a political argument in the nationalist movement: if the causes were in policy, they could be changed by a change in government. The rural conditions that gave rise to revolts are in Early Peasant Movements: Indigo Revolt, Pabna Leagues and Deccan Riots.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Famine statistics The 1850-1900 figure is often cited
- Man-made poverty A core nationalist claim
- Link to the structure of the economy Connects the earlier topics in the category
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the late development of modern industry. Next topic: Late Development of Modern Industry.
Key People and Terms
- Famine A severe food scarcity causing mass starvation
- Colonial poverty Poverty caused by colonial structures
- Man-made Caused by human policy
- National issue A problem affecting the whole country
- Productive capacity The capacity to produce goods
- Drain The outflow of wealth from India
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Famines recurred regularly.
- About 2.8 crore died, 1850 to 1900 (estimate).
- Famines a result of poverty, not only scarcity.
- Poverty seen as man-made and removable.
- Poverty made a national issue.
Do Not Confuse With
- Scarcity and poverty Famine from lack of food versus lack of means
- Famine of 1943 and the nineteenth-century famines Wartime causes versus long-run colonial poverty
- Man-made and natural Causes in policy, not only weather
Memory Hook
Food existed, money did not: the famine was a verdict on the economy.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the causes of famines and the nationalist view of poverty. These points add depth.
- Scale Frequent famines
- Cause Colonial structures
- Politics Poverty as a national issue
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Why were famines frequent in British India, and how did the nationalists interpret them?”
How to Answer
- Scale Frequency and deaths.
- Causes Structural poverty.
- Nationalists Man-made poverty.
- Conclude Link to policy.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How frequent were famines under British rule?
The regular recurrence of famines became a common feature of daily existence in India, and about 2.8 crore people are estimated to have died in famines between 1850 and 1900, though the figure is an estimate.
Why were the famines not just a result of food scarcity?
They were a direct result of the poverty unleashed by colonial forces, since people lacked the means to grow or buy food after artisans were ruined, peasants were burdened by revenue, rent and debt, and agriculture stagnated.
What did the early nationalists say about poverty?
They said India was poor and growing poorer because of British imperialism, that the causes of backwardness were man-made and could therefore be explained and removed, and that poverty was a national problem of raising the productive capacity of the people. They also held that poverty was therefore a national problem.
How did nationalists link poverty and industrialisation?
They saw development as industrialisation based on Indian and not foreign capital, since foreign capital replaced and suppressed Indian capital, causing economic drain and strengthening British control over India. They therefore urged Indian capital for development.
Was the famine of 1943 part of the same pattern?
The Bengal famine of 1943 is described separately as a largely man-made famine with wartime causes such as diverted foodstuffs, lost rice imports, mismanagement and profiteering, which fits the broader argument about policy and poverty under British rule.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 About 2.8 crore people are estimated to have died in famines between 1850 and 1900.
It is an estimate.
2 Famines in British India were due only to scarcity of foodgrains.
They were a result of poverty unleashed by colonial forces.
3 Early nationalists held that India's poverty was man-made.
They called it explainable and removable.
4 The nationalists wanted development through foreign capital.
They wanted Indian capital.
5 Poverty was treated by nationalists as a national issue.
It rallied all sections.
Related Topics
Browse the full Modern History index