Do you think that the famines in India were the creation of the British? Why?

Yes, the famines in Indian were a creation of British hands as these were caused by massive decline in the productivity of agriculture and handicraft sectors. Both these sectors had suffered because of British policies.

AGRICULTURE

The British ruined Indian agriculture through:

1. Permanent Settlement system, which raised taxes and demanded the taxes be paid in cash. This led to vicious cycles of borrowing from money lenders, which ultimately made the farmers worse-off

2. Diverting land from food crops to cash crops to supply the British industries.

3. Forcing farmers to cultivate indigo on their land and manipulating markets to lower the purchasing price of indigo.

HANDICRAFTS

The Indian handicrafts industry received massive blows because of:

1. Massive imports of cheap, England produced cloth into Indian market. Made on mechanised mills, it was of finer quality and lower price.

2. Extension of the Railways which made it easier to carry imported goods to the cities and raw materials to the ports. This made it difficult for the Indian industries to procure raw materials for themselves.

3. Increasing import duties on Indian goods into British markets, which reduced the export demands of our goods.