Abstract
The paper starts with a summary of conditions in pre-colonial India and continues through to the birth of the public health sector in 19th century England. It then discusses the effects of drought on India and the results of the great famines on both agriculture and industry, looking at the responsibility of Britain in terms of preventing disaster via prevention and aid strategies and their ultimate failure in both areas. The spread of disease, in particular cholera is explored and again, Britain's contribution in this area is discussed.

From the Paper
"The colonisation of India was, for the British, the proverbial jewel in the crown, a new land of vast resources, unsystematic government and an animal-like people who, at best, were a cheap source of labour. But as the drought of 1876 decimated the population in a famine as cruel as any the Europeans had experienced, it became apparent that the British government would need to take steps to prevent a repeat of the devastating mortality rates produced by such a phenomenon. A certain responsibility to their precious colony would have to be shown."

Tags:agriculture, britain, cholera, colonisation, drought

Abstract
This paper gives an in-depth examination of the Great Bengal Famine of 1943, which had a death toll of around five million people.According to the paper, a Commission was formed following the catastrophe to assess the damage and to place responsibility. The paper further shows that the initial death toll was considered to be an under-estimate. This is followed by a closer look at the primary issue, which is the cause.

From the Paper
"... examines the Great Bengal Famine of 1943, with a death toll of around five million people. A Commission was formed to assess the damage and to place responsibility, and on member though there had been an under-estimate of the number dead. The primary issue now is the cause. There are three rice crops in Bengal. Aman is sown in May and June and harvested as a winter crop. Aus is sown in April and harvested in August or September. Boro is planted in November and harvested in Spring. The winter crop is the most important, and in 1942 the autumn crop was slightly below normal and the winter crop also a bit less than normal, at 83 percent of the preceding four years. This was because of a cyclone in..."

Tags:bengal, famine, study

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the Great Irish Famine and explains the extensive personal suffering endured by the civilians. It provides a political background and events leading up to the famine as well as demographic, social and political consequences thereof.

From the paper:

"In researching this topic, I discovered that the Great Famine in Ireland was identified by several designations: the Irish Potato Famine, the Great Hunger, the Great Famine, and the Great Starvation. Although its title cannot depict the true nature of the suffering, the language used to describe this period will vary by the speaker. For example, those who describe the famine with innocuous images often refer to it as the Irish Potato Famine. This title brings to mind weather, nature, and blight, the result of acts of God. The Great Hunger and The Great Famine conjures a more realistic perception of suffering and death. However, some refer to it as The Great Starvation to convey the belief that the Irish suffered and starved in the midst of surplus; that the famine was a ?symbol of the exploitation of a whole nation by its oppressors.?"

Tags:government, British, hunger, starvation, suffering, death, exploitation, potato, politics, workhouses, poverty

Abstract
This paper argues the thesis that, while there does exist evidence supporting the contention that the Ukrainian famine must be understood in terms of the Soviet regime's policy of collectivization, nonetheless Stalin bears primary personal responsibility for the famine. The paper then attempts to demonstrate that the famine was a consequence of two distinct policy directives of the Soviet leadership under Stalin with regards to the famine: the total collectivization of agriculture as an element of the modernization plans of the Soviet Union and use of terror as a weapon to control unsettled and potentially rebellious populations and groups.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Historical Debate
The Failed Policy Theory
The Famine of Terror - Stalin's Famine in a Larger Context
Conclusion

From the Paper
"It should be noted that historians disagree with Ellman on this point, and argue that the mass deportation plan was abandoned not because Stalin saw Famine as being more efficient, but because "of the unwillingness and inability of the regional authorities to assimilate such a large number of people" (Davies and Wheatcroft 630). However, a critical reader would note that this objection does not actually contradict Ellman's argument. It is undeniable that Stalin and the Soviet leadership decided to abandon the mass deportation policy at this time. However, Ellman's primary contention - that the existence of the mass deportation policy as an example of Stalin's intention to use Terror as a political weapon on a large-scale against the population of the Ukraine, occurring immediately before the Famine itself, leads to the logical conclusion that the Famine was, at least in part, an attempt to achieve the political end that Stalin was unable to achieve with mass deportation - remains fundamentally unchallenged."

Tags:policy, class, terror

Abstract
Sociologists have from time to time attempted to define famine by highlighting one or more aspects of this multi-sided phenomenon. Most definitions usually emphasize only some of the attributes of famine, such as scarcity of food, or persistent starvation, while others tend to concentrate on the social, political or economic reasons that have led to widespread famine in particular regions at a given time. The paper argues that definitions which attempt to describe famine as "severe shortage of food" or "food shortage leading to widespread death from starvation" or "regional failure of food production and/or distribution" overlook the fact that famine may be chronic undernourishment leading to malnutrition that is sometimes exacerbated by a particularly poor crop yield or by other social conditions or political reasons that render foodstuffs inaccessible to a portion of a country's population. The paper shows, furthermore, that these definitions totally ignore the fact that famine may even occur within a region which has a sufficient food supply that is unevenly distributed, or a particular region where international aid is regularly sent and misappropriated by a small coterie which is usually appointed by local government.

From the Paper
"It is also necessary that western aid should intensify not simply in the form of food provision when death decimates the population of countries due to sudden drops in the availability of food, but also by providing the technical knowledge and frameworks for the building of factories that will produce a steady tonnage of nitrogen fertilizers that will increase the local crop yields. Distribution and accessibility of staple foodstuffs is at present inadequate and in some cases steadily in decline."

Tags:Malthusian, theory, anti-malaria, UNICEF

Abstract
The paper explains that the only authority in Somalia are local warlords with no internationally recognized government. The paper describes the terrible conditions in Somalia of longstanding drought and high infant mortality rate that have only been exacerbated by the ongoing political turmoil. The paper relates that starving Somalis can try to leave and become refugees in a foreign land. Yet, the warlords and clan leaders want their starving citizens to stay and it is difficult to get past the roaming militias. The paper concludes that for the time being, Somalia appears to be destined to remain on its current, tumultuous path.

From the Paper
"Somalia is a coastal nation in eastern Africa. Somalia has been much in the news in the past decade, mainly for its ongoing famines and civil wars. In the mid-1990s, U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton sent peacekeeping troops to Somalia to try to stabilize the situation there and to get much needed food to starving people (since most food aid previously sent had been intercepted by warlords). This peacekeeping mission did not go well, due to the lawlessness in Somalia, and U.S. troops were forced to withdraw. Somalia continues to be a nation in a state of chaos and struggle, with no immediate relief in sight. The current prospects for Somalia's future are uncertain."

Tags:warlords, famine, drought, turmoil

Abstract
This paper examines social and economic factors which have assisted in spreading world hunger. The writer provides many shocking statistics about the plight of famine driven nations and how famine always seems to hit third world countries. The paper also looks at efforts made by the UN and other organizations to assist these nations. The phenomenon of hunger in America is analyzed as being one of non-caring, more than environment or political problems.

From the Paper
"World hunger has invaded our universe with the tyranny of a thousand Napoleon armies. This agent of destruction exists all around the world and affects millions of people. It is my determination that world hunger is eradicated in every corner of the world. The removal of this dreadful quandary is of the utmost importance if we are to ensure a hunger free environment for generations to come."

Tags:famine, nation, UN, america, africa, asia, third, world, drought, food, shortage, children, statistics

Abstract
This essay summarizes and critiques Elizabeth Perry's social history of peasant rebellions in the north east Huai-pei region of China with particular reference to the Nien Rebellion of 1851-1863, the Red Spears movement 1911-1948 and Communist infiltration and mass mobilization of the peasant masses between the mid-1920s and 1945. The basic thesis of the author is that the outbreak of collective violence in the region was the product of ecological factors, basically the cycle of flood, drought and famine to which it had been subject for centuries, and in reaction to which it was a survival strategy

From the Paper
"REBELS AND REVOLUTIONARIES IN NORTH CHINA 1845-1945

This essay summarizes and critiques Elizabeth Perry's social history of peasant rebellions in the north east Huai-pei region of China with particular reference to the Nien Rebellion of 1851-1863, the Red Spears movement 1911-1948 and Communist infiltration and mass mobilization of the peasant masses between the mid-1920s and 1945. The basic thesis of the author is that the outbreak of collective violence in the region was the product of ecological factors, basically the cycle of flood, drought and famine to which it had been subject for centuries, and in reaction to which it was a survival strategy. The form of that revolt, primarily predatory behavior such as the banditry of the Nien period or the village protection of the Red Spears period, was affected by the social structure and the influence of outside ..."

Abstract
The paper discusses how developed countries have caused the African countries to remain dependent on them and perpetually poor. The paper further reveals that global warming has caused an increase in floods, droughts, food shortages, lack of farmland, shortages of useable water and an increase in infectious diseases. The paper discusses how the lack of farmland is causing Africans to allow high levels of deforestation, a major factor causing climate change. The paper clearly illustrates that unless drastic changes are made soon, the Sub-Saharan people are at an even greater risk than normal of illness, food shortages and death.
The paper includes a color map of Africa as well as a table of carbon dioxide emissions of developed and developing nations.

From the Paper
"The move from colonialism to independence didn't bring the expected results to these countries. With the "help" of the IMF and WTO they went from one kind of control to another. In order to receive aid to establish themselves, severe restrictions were put in place that kept them from competing in the global economy, restrictions that the core countries weren't subjected to. This, and other inequalities, keeps the poor Sub-Saharan countries down, while the rich developed countries continue to get richer. An unequal balance of trade, with the core countries always in control of the expensive secondary goods, and the periphery exporting the cheaper primary goods, has put financial gain in the hands of everyone involved except the periphery. Greedy transnational corporations build their products in African and other underdeveloped countries, taking advantage of their labor force with pathetically low wages. Half the population of Africa lives on less than one U.S. dollar a day. The price of their exports, such as sugar, cocoa and coffee, keeps dropping, while the price of imports continues to increase."

Tags:climate, change, drought, poverty, famine, water, malaria, deforestation

Abstract
In this article, the writer looks at the history of Darfur and the difficult situation faced by the people in Darfur. The writer relates that the country where Darfur is situated is in Sudan and this was ruled by the United Kingdom till 1956. The writer notes that the country has not been free from natural and man made plagues like a bankrupt economy, war-ravaged lands, violent Islamic militancy and existing conflicts due to differences in religion, and culture and natural calamities like droughts and famines. The writer concludes that peace comes to human groups only when there is a certain amount of satisfaction of their expectations and the expectations vary from area to area and groups to groups. This is a part of what one may call culture.


Outline:
Introduction
Analysis
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The cheapest method of getting these items from those countries was to occupy them and "rule" them. The objective of the "rule" was not to look after the well-being of the people ruled, but to ensure the smooth availability of the goods in demand by the West. However, it became essential after the Second World War for United Kingdom to grant freedom to these countries, not because they felt generous, but due to their inability to control those countries. The battle over the Suez Canal in neighboring Egypt bears testimony to this contention. The new rulers of Sudan were not the most enlightened as those people had been systematically butchered by the previous rulers in their interest to rule, but were the people who were most loyal to the previous rulers as this was felt to be a safe option for them to retire.
Ultimately, some of the companies of the ruling country still had "assets" in the ruled country, though they generally consisted of old and outdated plant and machinery, or pieces of land in the country ruled, or stocks of money of the ruled land. They would not permit the ruling elite to withdraw till their pound of flesh was ensured. While all this was going on, the unity of the countries that were left could not be ensured. In some cases, the departing rulers themselves broke up the country like India into India, Pakistan and later, Bangladesh."

Tags:Sudan, rule, droughts, famine