The Famine of 1770: How Bengal's Riches Brought Ruin

In 1770, Bengal — the richest province of the Mughal Empire — was devastated by a famine that killed an estimated 10 million people, roughly a third of its population. This episode explores the causes and consequences of the Bengal Famine of 1770, which occurred just five years after the East India Company acquired the diwani, or right to collect revenue. Lucas and Luna discuss the Company's disastrous revenue policies, the role of Warren Hastings, the hoarding of grain by Company officials and Indian merchants, and the brutal irony that Bengal's agricultural wealth was exported while its people starved. They also examine the famine's long-term impact on Bengal's economy and society, and how it foreshadowed later famines under British rule. Drawing on accounts from contemporary observers like William Bolts and the official inquiry led by Warren Hastings, this episode reveals a tragedy born of colonial extraction and administrative neglect.

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