Drought and Famine: Crash Course World History #208
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
Steve
Not sure you did as good a job as you normally do in covering these topics in a 10 minute video. Your observations about the role of government, specifically, really could use one more edit, in my opinion. You showed excellent examples of how the government policies exacerbated the problem. But you seem to suggest that the answer is for the government to act more compassionately and -connect- people with the food that exists but that they can not access for various reasons. There are several problems with that way of simplifying the matter. The most basic is that governments do not have a magic wand to make food just appear. That food has to be produced by someone else. What, exactly, does a government -connecting- those people in need with available food look like? Any honest assessment would have to conclude that a free market does a much better job than governments do. There-s a lot more to be said on both sides of that, but my point is that it-s more than just a hole in your analysis, it-s a potentially very problematic conclusion stated as fact.
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Not sure you did as good a job as you normally do in covering these topics in a 10 minute video. Your observations about the role of government, specifically, really could use one more edit, in my opinion. You showed excellent examples of how the government policies exacerbated the problem. But you seem to suggest that the answer is for the government to act more compassionately and -connect- people with the food that exists but that they can not access for various reasons. There are several problems with that way of simplifying the matter. The most basic is that governments do not have a magic wand to make food just appear. That food has to be produced by someone else. What, exactly, does a government -connecting- those people in need with available food look like? Any honest assessment would have to conclude that a free market does a much better job than governments do. There-s a lot more to be said on both sides of that, but my point is that it-s more than just a hole in your analysis, it-s a potentially very problematic conclusion stated as fact.
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Aman
55 million Indians died due to the 31 famines that occurred during the 120 years of British Occupation
By the 18th century India accounted for 22. 6% of the world's income, but by the end of the British rule in 1947, it was reduced to a mere 3. 8%. At the beginning of the 20th century, -the brightest jewel in the British Crown- was the poorest country in the world in terms of per capita income. That's how India, which was once one of the richest countries of the world, has now been reduced to the poster boy for third world poverty.
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55 million Indians died due to the 31 famines that occurred during the 120 years of British Occupation
By the 18th century India accounted for 22. 6% of the world's income, but by the end of the British rule in 1947, it was reduced to a mere 3. 8%. At the beginning of the 20th century, -the brightest jewel in the British Crown- was the poorest country in the world in terms of per capita income. That's how India, which was once one of the richest countries of the world, has now been reduced to the poster boy for third world poverty.
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Shreeya
For everyone reminding us of the Irish famine, it was mostly due to crop failure and not really inefficient, or mostly deliberate misallocation of food. Moreover, the Indians who died due to British rule and the Bengal famine are almost 4 times those who died in the Irish potato famine. Gimme some credit here, dude. Also, I can't help feeling you want that mentioned because it's one of the few things that happened in Ireland worth mentioning. Seriously, no offence intended.
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For everyone reminding us of the Irish famine, it was mostly due to crop failure and not really inefficient, or mostly deliberate misallocation of food. Moreover, the Indians who died due to British rule and the Bengal famine are almost 4 times those who died in the Irish potato famine. Gimme some credit here, dude. Also, I can't help feeling you want that mentioned because it's one of the few things that happened in Ireland worth mentioning. Seriously, no offence intended.
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Tom
Amartya Sen is a very biased person he blames the brits, but then claims they didnt really have control of the whole of India. Also there were regular famines throughout indian history most caused by the aquiescence or ignorance of the Mughal Muslims! Funny he didnt mention that! almost like he is a stereotypical leftist ideologue. but then a 10 min video for history! Most of his videos are very simplistic and come from a certain angle! Cliche course world history! :)
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Amartya Sen is a very biased person he blames the brits, but then claims they didnt really have control of the whole of India. Also there were regular famines throughout indian history most caused by the aquiescence or ignorance of the Mughal Muslims! Funny he didnt mention that! almost like he is a stereotypical leftist ideologue. but then a 10 min video for history! Most of his videos are very simplistic and come from a certain angle! Cliche course world history! :)
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SikanderG
The Indian famines don't show that capitalism is the problem. They were caused by excessive taxation, which has nothing to do with 'laissez faire'. You also didn't mention that the famine that resulted from Mao's 'Great Leap Forward' was the result of the nature of communist production, and not merely totalitarianism, which in any case is not unrelated to the nature of communist production.
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The Indian famines don't show that capitalism is the problem. They were caused by excessive taxation, which has nothing to do with 'laissez faire'. You also didn't mention that the famine that resulted from Mao's 'Great Leap Forward' was the result of the nature of communist production, and not merely totalitarianism, which in any case is not unrelated to the nature of communist production.
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Phantom
the british reduced rebellions in india by providing funding and support to the local nobility. that's why the majority of the locals are dirt poor and the nobility is about as rich as they were when they were removed from power. also the princes of indian states had a good while before independence to empty out their treasury.
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the british reduced rebellions in india by providing funding and support to the local nobility. that's why the majority of the locals are dirt poor and the nobility is about as rich as they were when they were removed from power. also the princes of indian states had a good while before independence to empty out their treasury.
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shadowhawk
Ive lived in Florida for around 24 years, been through like 10 or more large hurricanes.
The day before a hurricane a 24 pack of water is around $3. 50, and its at every gas station.
I don't think hoarding causes too many problems since I buy like 5 every hurricane.
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Ive lived in Florida for around 24 years, been through like 10 or more large hurricanes.
The day before a hurricane a 24 pack of water is around $3. 50, and its at every gas station.
I don't think hoarding causes too many problems since I buy like 5 every hurricane.
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Ant
-The truth is always nuanced- This has to be one of the most unerrated points ever made. It is often too easy to describe one extreme or the other in an appealing manner but the real truth of any matter nearly always lies in the indescribable grey area in the middle.
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-The truth is always nuanced- This has to be one of the most unerrated points ever made. It is often too easy to describe one extreme or the other in an appealing manner but the real truth of any matter nearly always lies in the indescribable grey area in the middle.
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Yo
This video is not politically correct by today's standards. Two times during this video it was mentioned that Communist leaders Mao and Stalin purposely starved their own people. I'm reporting John Green to Bernie Sanders. He'll get to the bottom of this. LOL
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This video is not politically correct by today's standards. Two times during this video it was mentioned that Communist leaders Mao and Stalin purposely starved their own people. I'm reporting John Green to Bernie Sanders. He'll get to the bottom of this. LOL
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Scott
I expected there to more about the role that supply opium to China so as to control world trade contributed to the under production of food in India. The Anglophone worlds are so ignorant to the misery their culture has foisted on others.
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I expected there to more about the role that supply opium to China so as to control world trade contributed to the under production of food in India. The Anglophone worlds are so ignorant to the misery their culture has foisted on others.
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