Bengal Famine 1943

• 4-5 million Indians died
• no actual food shortage
• man made famine
  • $\because$ food exported to Europe to meed needs of soldiers and Europeans
• needs of army, Europeans priority over indian lives
• japan controlled Burma
  • $\therefore$ food imports from Burma stopped
  • Poor supply chain management

Impact

• huge distrust of brits (favor english lives)
• Winston Churchill denied prohibition of export from India despite Linlithgow’s requests
• by 1943, most brit politicians except Churchill were sympathetic to India
• Churchill criticized as Hitler in Britain and public opinion in Britain shifted more in favour of Indian independence