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Bengal famine of 1943

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Bengal famine of 1943

The Bengal famine of 1943 was a major famine in the Bengal province in British India during World War II. An estimated 2.1–3 million, out of a population of 60.3 million, died of starvation, malaria and other diseases aggravated by malnutrition, population displacement, unsanitary conditions and lack of health care. Millions were impoverished as the crisis overwhelmed large segments of the economy and social fabric. Historians have frequently characterised the famine as "man-made", asserting that wartime colonial policies created and then exacerbated the crisis. A minority view holds that the famine arose from natural causes.
  • Background 

  • Pre-famine shocks and distress 

  • Famine, disease, and the death toll 

  • Social disruption 

  • Relief efforts 

  • Economic and political effects 

  • Media coverage and other depictions 

  • Historiography