NB: “The Victorian era spans the 63 years of Queen Victoria’s reign over Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901.”

Book Summary

“Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World” by Mike Davis is a critical examination of the catastrophic famines that struck various regions during the late 19th century, particularly in India, China, and parts of Africa. The book explores the interplay between global climatic events, specifically the El Niño phenomenon, and the economic and political structures of colonialism that exacerbated these disasters. Davis argues that the famines were not merely natural occurrences but were significantly shaped by imperial policies and practices that prioritized profit over human life. The work critiques the historical narratives surrounding these events and highlights their role in the emergence of the modern “Third World.”

Essential Themes and Historical Context:

1. Introduction
   • Overview of the book’s thesis and objectives
   • Introduction to the concepts of climate, famine, and imperialism
   • The significance of the El Niño phenomenon in global history
2. The El Niño Phenomenon
   • Explanation of the El Niño climate pattern and its effects
   • Historical instances of El Niño-related weather anomalies
   • The relationship between climate variability and agricultural production
3. Famines of the Late Victorian Era
   • Detailed accounts of major famines in India, China, and Africa during the late 19th century
   • Examination of the scale and impact of these famines on local populations
   • Case studies of specific famines and their socio-economic contexts
4. Colonial Policies and Economic Exploitation
   • Analysis of colonial practices that contributed to famine conditions
   • The role of cash crop economies and land dispossession
   • Critique of British colonial governance and its neglect of local needs
5. Racial and Class Dimensions of Famine
   • Exploration of how race and class influenced the severity of famine impacts
   • Discussion of the social hierarchies that shaped access to resources
   • The role of discrimination in the distribution of aid and relief efforts
6. Resistance and Responses to Famine
   • Examination of local responses to famine crises
   • Accounts of resistance movements and community solidarity
   • The role of international humanitarian efforts and their limitations
7. The Legacy of Late Victorian Famines
   • Reflection on the long-term consequences of these famines for affected regions
   • Discussion of how these events contributed to the formation of the “Third World”
   • Analysis of the historical memory and narratives surrounding colonial famines
8. Conclusion
   • Summary of key arguments and insights from Davis’s analysis
   • Call for recognition of the interconnectedness of climate, economy, and imperialism
   • Implications for contemporary discussions on food security and climate justice

This global environmental and political history “will redefine the way we think about the European colonial project” (Observer). “

Late Victorian Holocausts_eBook

Late Victorian Holocausts. … sets the triumph of the late 19th-century Western imperialism in the context of catastrophic El Niño weather patterns at that time . . . groundbreaking, mind-stretching.” —The Independent

Examining a series of El Niño-induced droughts and the famines that they spawned around the globe in the last third of the 19th century, Mike Davis discloses the intimate, baleful relationship between imperial arrogance and natural incident that combined to produce some of the worst tragedies in human history. Late Victorian Holocausts focuses on three zones of drought and subsequent famine: India, Northern China; and Northeastern Brazil. All were affected by the same global climatic factors that caused massive crop failures, and all experienced brutal famines that decimated local populations. But the effects of drought were magnified in each case because of singularly destructive policies promulgated by different ruling elites. Davis argues that the seeds of underdevelopment in what later became known as the Third World were sown in this era of High Imperialism, as the price for capitalist modernization was paid in the currency of millions of peasants’ lives.

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