The Great Famine of 1876–1878 in British India
- Date
- 1876–1878
- Category
- Social & demographic
- Region
- India (Madras, Bombay, Deccan)
- Era
- Modern
- Significance
The Great Famine of 1876–1878 devastated southern and central India—chiefly the Madras and Bombay presidencies, Mysore, Hyderabad and parts of the Central Provinces—after the failure of the monsoon rains, with modern demographic estimates placing the death toll at roughly 5.5 to 9.6 million, often cited around 8 million.
The catastrophe unfolded under the viceroyalty of Lord Lytton, whose administration adhered rigidly to laissez-faire economic doctrine. Relief works were tightly restricted, and the so-called 'Temple wage' set by Famine Commissioner Richard Temple in 1877 provided rations so meagre that labourers performing heavy work received less sustenance than later considered survivable. Even as millions starved, large quantities of grain continued to be exported from India, and a lavish imperial Durbar was held at Delhi in 1877 to proclaim Queen Victoria Empress of India. Public criticism of the inadequate response contributed to the establishment of the Famine Commission of 1880 and the first Famine Codes. The famine became a searing indictment of colonial economic policy and is frequently invoked in debates over the human costs of empire and the relationship between markets, governance and mass mortality.
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Empires active in 1876–1878
- German Empire1871 CE – 1918 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- Empire of Japan1868 CE – 1947 CE
- Russian Empire1721 CE – 1917 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Qing Dynasty1636 CE – 1912 CE
Related social & demographic events
- Emancipation of the serfs in Russia3 March 1861 (19 February O.S.)
- The Great Irish Famine1845–1852
- Influenza pandemic of 1918–19201918–1920
- The Holocaust and the 'Final Solution'1941–1945
- Bengal Famine of 19431943–1944
- Atrocities of the Congo Free State1885–1908
Further reading
The wider story
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