Punkonomics (@DearBalak)

via The Bengal Famine: How the British engineered the worst genocide in human history for profit.

An important chapter in Western Civilization that isn’t prominent in the history books.

“I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits.”    -Winston Churchill

“After taking over from the Mughal rulers, the British had issued widespread orders for cash crops to be cultivated. These were intended to be exported. Thus farmers who were used to growing paddy and vegetables were now being forced to cultivate indigo, poppy and other such items that yielded a high market value for them but could be of no relief to a population starved of food. There was no backup of edible crops in case of a famine. The natural causes that had contributed to the draught were commonplace. It was the single minded motive for profit that wrought about the devastating consequences. No relief measure was provided for those affected. Rather, as mentioned above, taxation was increased to make up for any shortfall in revenue. What is more ironic is that the East India Company generated a profited higher in 1771 than they did in 1768.”