2. What is a Famine?
Extreme scarcity or shortage of food
3. The Great Worst on Record
Chinese Famine Lasted 3 years
1958-1961
Statistics
of deaths
are disputed
Between 15-43 million
people were killed
including lost births
One of the least
understood events in
human history
Came at a time
when China thought
it was ending its
famine cycle
4. Chinese Famine Second worst in
of 1907 history
Brief but deadly
24 million people
were killed
In a matter of
months
Could be first-worse
since it exceeds the
lowest reported
death toll from the
Great Chinese
Famine
5. Lasted 6 years
Indian Famine Between 1896-1902
Worstfamine in
Indian history
Considered the
most disastrous
famine of that time
19 million people
killed
Caused by
Shortage of food
grans
Escalating prices
6. Lasted 5 years
Bengal Famine of 1769-1773
1770 Famine was blamed
on the British East
India Company’s
rule
For greedy principals
Caused about 10
million deaths
About 1/3 of the
population
Affected the lower
portion of India
7. Believed to have
been caused by the
Russian Famine of
hard times during
1921 World War I
Between 5 – 10
million deaths
8. Also known as the
Great Irish Famine Irish Potato Famine
Took place
between 1845-1852
Caused by potato
disease that
destroyed crops
One million people
died
Another million
emigrated
9. Food Scarcity causes
Increased food prices
Decrease in consumption of other
goods & services
Increase in unemployment
Decrease in income
Decrease in government income
Government makes decision
Increase aid to starving
Remove tariffs on foreign goods
10. Famine Myths Actual Causes
Not enough food Not a result of a
singular cause
Too many people
Long series of
social, political and
Bad weather economic
processes and
policies
“It’s not the rains, it’s the rulers. … drought
has not been as devastating to Ethiopians as
their own autocratic governments.” – Bill
11. Works Cited
Bird, D. [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://www.ranker.com/list/the-worst-droughts-and-famines-i n-
history/drake-bird
Chang, G. H., & Wen, G. J. (1997). Communal dining and the Chinese
Famine of 1958-1961. Chicago Journals, 61(1), 1. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/452319?uid=37396
40&ui d=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101117304371
Charles M, E. (1977). The politics of hunger: The soviet response to
famine, 1921. Europe-Asia Studies, 29(4), 506. Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0966813770841
1152
Kte'pi, B. (n.d.). Chinese famine (1907). Retrieved from
http://sageereference.com/abstract/disasterrelief/n31.xml
Murphy. (2005, August 19). Underlying causes of famine. Retrieved from
http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/underlying-causes-of-
famine/
The History Place. Irish potato famine. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/begins.
htm
