Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / Bengal's Famine of 1943: Churchill, War, and Colonial Neglect
Transcript
- Lucas: If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, you know we've covered Bengal's medieval kingdoms, the Mughal conquest, the early British plunder. But perhaps the darkest chapter came in the 20th century, during World War II — the Bengal Famine of 1943. It killed an estimated two to three million people, and it wasn't just a natural disaster. Luna: I've heard that Churchill's policies made it worse, but I don't know the details. Lucas: That's a big part of it. The famine had multiple causes. First, there was a devastating cyclone in October 1942 that hit the Bengal coast, destroying rice crops and flooding vast areas. Then a fungal disease called brown spot hit what remained. But the real culprit was the British response. Lucas: In early 1942, the Japanese had taken Burma, which was a major source of rice for Bengal. To prevent supplies falling into enemy hands, the British implemented a 'denial policy' — they removed or destroyed hundreds of thousands of boats in the Bengal delta, essentially crippling the region's internal transport and fishing. They also confiscated rice stocks in areas thought vulnerable to invasion. Luna: So they deliberately destroyed the means of survival before the famine even started. Lucas: Exactly. Meanwhile, Britain was fighting the war in North Africa and Europe, and Churchill's government prioritized military needs over civilian. Food shipments from Australia and other parts of the empire were diverted to European theaters, even as Bengal starved. Churchill himself, in private correspondence, referred to Indians as 'a beastly people with a beastly religion' and opposed sending aid. Lucas: There was a Bengal Famine Code — a set of principles from the 1880s that required early intervention — but it was deliberately ignored. The Governor of Bengal, Sir John Herbert, and Viceroy Linlithgow downplayed the crisis. It wasn't until late 1943, after massive international pressure and the fall of the Axis in North Africa, that significant grain shipments arrived, but by then millions had died. Luna: So the British had the tools to prevent it but chose not to use them. Lucas: That's the tragic conclusion of many historians. The famine wasn't just a failure of rain or crops — it was a failure of policy, of imperial priorities. Amartya Sen, the Nobel-winning economist who grew up in Bengal, later used the famine to develop his 'entitlement theory' — arguing that famine is not always about food availability, but about people's ability to access food. In Bengal, the poor lost their entitlements when their boats were destroyed, their jobs vanished, and prices skyrocketed. Lucas: Sen's work fundamentally changed how we think about famine. And the political fallout was huge — it fueled the Quit India Movement and deepened distrust of British rule, accelerating the push for independence. Luna: It's remarkable — and sobering — how a single event can reshape entire academic fields and political movements. Lucas: Absolutely. And speaking of reshaping perspectives — you know, we deliberately don't run ads on these episodes. We think history should be accessible, not interrupted. If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It's a small way to keep the conversations going, especially on heavy topics like this. Lucas: Exactly. Now, one more layer to the famine: the role of international aid. There were private relief efforts by the Ramakrishna Mission and the Hindu Mahasabha, but also by the British Communist Party and even the US, which sent grain under the Lend-Lease program — though much of it was later diverted to Europe. Luna: So even American aid meant for Bengalis didn't always reach them. Lucas: Right. The British government in London controlled the allocation of shipping and grain, and they consistently prioritized the war effort. There's a famous exchange where Churchill's Secretary of State for India, Leopold Amery, pleaded with him to release wheat from Australia, and Churchill responded by asking why Gandhi hadn't died yet. It was that callous. Lucas: The famine also had long-term demographic and economic effects. Villages were depopulated, traditional systems of patronage broke down, and many survivors migrated to cities like Kolkata, swelling the slums. The trauma is still remembered in Bengali literature — for example, in Bhabani Bhattacharya's novel 'So Many Hungers!' and in the film 'Ashani Sanket' by Satyajit Ray. Luna: I didn't realize the cultural impact went so deep. What about the official British response after the war? Lucas: The British government set up a commission of inquiry, but it largely whitewashed the role of policy. It was only later historians, like Madhusree Mukerjee in her book 'Churchill's Secret War', who documented the extent of the denial. Today, it's seen as one of the great preventable famines of the 20th century. Lucas: And it's a reminder that history doesn't just happen — it's made by decisions, by priorities. When you put empire or war above human life, the consequences are catastrophic. Luna: Thank you for covering this, Lucas. It's a hard story, but an important one. Lucas: It is. And it connects to so many threads we've explored — the exploitation of Bengal's resources, the upheavals of war, and the resilience of its people. If you want to read more, I'd point you to those books by Mukerjee and Sen. And as always, we'll be back next time with another piece of Bengal's hidden history.