The great Bengal famine, during the Second World War, in which about 3 million people died, occurred in:

The great Bengal famine occurred in 1943, during the Second World War; about 3 million people are estimated to have died of starvation, malnutrition and disease.

Causes:

• The failure of the rice crop in parts of Bengal due to a cyclone (October 1942) and plant disease.
• The Japanese occupation of Burma (1942) stopped the import of rice from Burma, which was an important source of food for Bengal.
• The British "denial policy": fearing a Japanese invasion, the authorities removed or destroyed boats and stocks of rice in the coastal areas of Bengal, which disrupted fishing, transport and trade.
• Wartime inflation and hoarding: prices of rice rose sharply, and traders hoarded grain to make profits.
• Priority was given to supplying food to the army, war workers and the city of Calcutta.
• The government was slow to declare a famine and to organise relief; food was even exported from India during the crisis.
• Many historians have criticised the policies of the British government, including those of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, for making the famine worse.

Effects:

• The poorest groups, such as landless labourers, fishermen, artisans and small peasants, suffered the most.
• Many people migrated to Calcutta in search of food, and died on the streets.
• Diseases such as cholera, malaria and smallpox spread.

The Famine Inquiry Commission:

It was set up under Sir John Woodhead (1944), and its report blamed the government for failing to control the food supply.

The economist Amartya Sen:

In his book "Poverty and Famines" (1981), Amartya Sen argued that the Bengal famine was caused not by a shortage of food, but by a collapse in the ability of the poor to buy food (their "entitlements"), due to rising prices and falling incomes.

In art and literature:

The artist Chittaprosad and the painter Zainul Abedin made famous drawings of the famine.

Earlier famines:

The Bengal famine of 1769-1770, under Company rule.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1937, 1946 and 1951 are not the year of this famine.