Drought and Famine: Crash Course World History

[@harunsuaidi7349]

"Nothing is natural about some starving while others have plenty." Well said, John!

[@WhyUbrown]

Your description of the Indian famine is almost identical to the story of the Irish famine just with words like Indian/cotton/rice swapped with Irish/wheat/potato. It's spooky.

[@isaacargesmith8217]

Because Britain was too busy eating to give a shit.

[@saintsolider3359]

Also swap 60 MILLION deaths to 1 million.

[@rafaeldias5059]

The problem with monoculture

[@noblefjn]

@@isaacargesmith8217 also the fact many working britons were without food due to the corn laws which made them import heavily from Ireland...and they decided not to stop during the famine

[@cros13]

​@@rafaeldias5059 It wasn't voluntary monoculture. Here in Ireland, land was repeatedly seized from our native population and granted to absentee landlords and transplanted colonists. Laws such as the Penal Laws altered inheritance rules to strip the majority of land ownership. In the space of barely over 100 years we went from 90% of the land in Irish/Norman-Irish hands to less than 10%. Practically the entire population of 8 million people were farming cash crops for large landlords in effective indentured servitude and supporting their family on one small field. Literally the only diet that could support the population under these conditions was one primarily composed of potato supplemented with small quantities of oats. When (inevitably) the combination of the blight mold and conducive weather occurred in the 1840s, the source of 80-90% of the calories for the vast majority of the population was wiped out.... however Ireland was still producing sufficient calories in other food stuffs (primarily the wheat cash crop) to feed nearly double our population. The british not only continued export of the wheat/fish/vegetable cash crops to their markets, they sent troops to guard the shipments. They also continued to enforce the "Corn laws" for most of the period of the famine, which restricted, taxed and even entirely banned (when the price was over pre-set levels) food imports and artificially increased food prices. Grains were imported... for animal feed... while people starved. Absent british landlords evicted starving Irish families, famine "work" projects and workhouses (which in their Irish form were basically concentration camps) were established to "teach morality and work ethic", riven with disease and often with punishment beatings even to the point of deliberate extended torture and death. A small amount of Maize and corn kernels none the mills in Ireland were equipped to handle was delivered in aid, while the english blocked much external charity.... but we still commemorate donations by indian cities/states like Kolkata and Maharashtra, American First Nations like the Choctaw nation and the Turkish Ottomans. 170 years later our population is still lower than in 1840, as far as I'm aware we're the only country in the world that can say that. That's in part why it's a touchy subject.

[@Drigger95]

"Let's prefer to look for the fingerprints of humans where we would prefer to see the acts of God." Wow. Profound John. Really illuminates the case of the Bengal famine.

[@ScottHoe101]

I completely agree. Amazing quote.

[@lajutubisto5206]

Let's *remember to look

[@forcaanali7235]

I anoint thee, Sir John Green of Deepville.

[@jasonvanw]

"Perhaps we should look for the fingerprints of humans where we would prefer to see acts of god" I love that line.

[@enlightedjedi]

All sane people do!

[@alexhood2886]

enlighted Jedi me personally think humanity is insane and I know that mean me too.?!!!!

[@davincecool]

John Green is bae.

[@crashcourse]

In which John Green teaches you a little bit about drought, which is a natural weather phenomenon, and famine, which is almost always the result of human activity. Throughout human history, when food shortages strike humanity, there was food around. There was just a failure to connect those people with the food that would keep them alive. There are a lot of reasons that food distribution breaks down, and John is going to teach you about them in the context of the late-19th century famines that struck British India.

[@dt7099]

Can you please make a crash course section about electronical engineering or digital electronics please I would really love the help

[@levnekov]

When will you get to Napoleon?

[@Ryan-Gartland-Ryan-Gartland]

Lewis Ridley Why is Napoleon so important? That is just one question away from 'when will we get to the next war?'

[@Chamelionroses]

Animation and video production in quality takes time folks. Not all things work so well and quickly in press of a button.

[@wisdomleader85]

"30% of the world are starving. 30% of the world are obese. The fat ones are eating the skinny ones food."------Ricky Gervais.

[@Walenium]

2:22 Not only that, you can live in North West South East Asia!

[@drewster3o5]

I swear, these comments don't take into consideration that these crash course videos are 10 minutes long. Lets see you guys make an educational 10 minute video on every single instance of famine that's happened through recorded history lol

[@aquilakhanam7431]

Shouldn't the 19th century Indian map include Pakistan and Bangladesh, representative of what "India" meant at the time?

[@ultimatemokkel9565]

yo bro.. same question

[@ssam00]

Aquila Khanam Yes it should. And British Era famines affected regions that are now part of Bangladesh. Probably Pakistan too.

[@BlueEvilDragon]

West Bengal + Bangladesh = Bengal

[@BlueEvilDragon]

Names of India 1C. BCE Bhāratavarṣa(realm of Bhārata) (Vishnu Purana) c. 486 BC Hidush (Naksh-i-Rustam) c.400-300 BC Hodu (Book of Esther(Bible)) 440 BC India (Herodotus) 300 BC India/Indikē (Megasthenes) 100 CE or later Bhāratam (Vishnu Purana) 140. Indoi, Indou (Arrian) 590. Hind (Istakhri) 650 Five Indies (Xuanzang) 944. Hind, Sind (Masudi) 1020 Hind (Al-Birūnī) 1205 Hind (Hasan Nizāmī) 1298 India the Greater (Marco Polo) India the Minor Middle India 1328. India Friar Jordanus Catalani 1404 India Minor (Ruy González de Clavijo) Other Āryāvarta Bhārata Jambudvīpa Nābhivarṣa Drāvida Hind / Hindustan Tianzhu Hodu

[@RazorEdge2006]

The map of India does include Bangladesh, but doesn't include Pakistan.

[@heisei7361]

This Channel needs a KZbin Emmy Award. If there isn't one then someone better invent it asap!

[@oscareaceves]

Thank you every one at Crash Course. I love to learn but have had issues doing it on my own until now. Your shows might not help me become any smarter than I am, but they sure have changed my view of our reality. Crash Course has provided me with a picture of the world that allows me to ask better questions, and reminds me that we truly are a global society.

[@theeNappy]

In Dallas, you can be driving south on East Northwest Highway.

[@enlightedjedi]

Head scratching!

[@sexykids6500]

That's Texas for ya.

[@Ikelae]

One of the most important episodes you have ever published, Thank you Mr. Green.

[@rahuljaiswa]

I see a lot of people saying the British left great infrastructure and we should be grateful to them. Let me tell you, we had over 15 major famines in India between 1765-1947 and each time you had a million people dying because of absolute starvation. The number varies from 1-10 million during various famines. Nothing justifies this. And the railways we're purely mobilise raw materials and was not opened to the general public till they thought they could eak out a profit from it. And in the historical context , the British ruled till the middle of the 20th century which is not very long ago. We we're not treated as citizens but subjects of the empire. And we were subjected to the unthinkable. And as if that wasn't enough before they left they divided the country leaving to another million deaths during the partition. And if you think you can say your sorry and act as if it was all in the past, then something is seriously wrong with you.

[@PastPresented]

At least we have some detailed reports top make estimates about the number of deaths in famines during British rule. If you go _back_ 182 years from 1765 instead of forward, you get around 90 famines, most of which we only know about because European traders went to pick up their seasonal orders for Indian products and found little merchandise but lots of very thin corpses.

[@venmis137]

Ok. I'm sorry, but it happened decades before I was born by people I don't even know. Why should I be responsible for something that I had no part in? Should all the English be responsible to the oppression of my country centuries ago, or even 50 years ago? No, because most of them had nothing to do with it. Blame the people in charge at the time who made decisions motivated by hate or personal desire, not the people today who didn't participate in this.

[@sarthaksharma5772]

@@venmis137 his point is that some people still claim that Britishers were angels sent to India and the worst ones even goes as low as saying that Indians deserved tl die due to overpopulation. Instead of just accepting the bads of colonialism, a section of people in Western countries just ignore the fact that millions were killed because of that.

[@AP-xb4tv]

@@venmis137 He's not blaming modern Brits. He's just saying it's a big deal. Not something to be brushed off lightly as having happened a long time ago. It's not even been a 100 years.

[@hoseadavit3422]

@@venmis137 Indeed you have nothing to do with it but glorifying and justifying the evil of your ancestor isn't right as well and the best way you can help relieve the suffer anceator and it's descendant is to condemn the evil of your ancestor and try to build a better relationship with the people who suffer at the hand of your old blood You can't fix the past but you can fix the present This is coming from an Indonesian who's ancestor also suffer from colonial Dutch

[@amanatee27]

Thanks for leaving the "special thanks" animation at the end up a bit longer! I like watching what Thought Bubble makes and seeing the names of those who are generous enough to donate at that level!

[@smilegirl900]

"There is nothing natural about some starving while others have plenty. In short, let's remember to look for the fingerprints of humans where we would perhaps prefer to see acts of God."

[@schmittelt]

I've always said, "Starvation is the most unnecessary way to die, in a world of too much food."

[@enlightedjedi]

Many say that!

[@SangoProductions213]

"Eat your veggies, there are children starving in Africa." -Mum "Here, take them to 'em." -me

[@SangoProductions213]

LegoGirl1990 was referring to myself. perhaps "dick" would have been a more appropriate description. it's kinda a smart-alek way of addressing a bad saying. it's the most basic of guilt trips that parents use for getting kids to eat their food...but makes no sense. (and if they weren't kids, they'd know that...kinda like religion, but that's another issue)

[@SangoProductions213]

Yes you are. It's still a horrible saying.

[@schmittelt]

Here, I'll fix this. If you don't want your broccoli, I'll have it. I love broccoli.

[@KannikCat]

Much goodness in here - “Fingerprints of humans” is a great reminder, especially given how much food is produced right now (albeit much of it in an externalized-cost and depleting way, though that’s another story...), how much food is wasted, and how much food is even over-consumed. Famine is not a production problem (and we don’t need any crazy strategies to “feed the world” with more growth), certainly not in our own backyard and not oversees either. Looking at it from the perspective that people are going hungry is of our own devices lets us be honest and I doubly like it as it gives us agency in it all.

[@sinecurve9999]

That closing gave me the shivers! Well done! :)

[@swithcblade444]

Some inaccuracies in the video 1.The shutting down of the textile industry was not because "they were unable to compete with the industrial revolution", the shutting down of the industries was actually caused by the british who banned the processing of raw materials.The textile industry at the time had the highest output in the world. Textile workers who resisted had their hands chopped off. This preceded the industrial revolution, and ultimately allowed it to happen. similar fate befell the ship building industries and other industries too. 2. The farmers did not "choose" to grow cash crops. The brits forced them to do so, anyone not growing Indigo,poppy, or cotton was punished..

[@PastPresented]

"Textile workers who resisted had their hands chopped off" Contemporary evidence please.

[@nicolasmarioaiello]

Thank you John Green for continuing to produce Crash Course episodes! Crash Course is a beacon of light in a world of Real Housewives.

[@kinpatsu37]

"The truth is always nuanced!" So you might say that it... resists simplicity?

[@Chamelionroses]

Convincing everyone poverty or famine is controllable by human behavoir is not an easy thing. Love how you say things as they are. Thanks also for the idea of happiness videos. Excellent videos all together I do think.

[@alexanderrose1556]

Wait WHO is this guy, and where is stan!??!

[@enlightedjedi]

=))

[@enlightedjedi]

John imposed taxes made him disapear!

[@jiayilim1986]

This is John Green-Author of "The Fault in our Stars". He also has a KZbin channel called vlogbrothers.

[@enlightedjedi]

Jia Yi Lim =))

[@CamelsHighOnCrayons]

Jia Yi Lim I thought you were kidding about that just then. I never realised he was the author.

[@notbadsince97]

9:49 what a powerful statement

[@ajayhunt5942]

Was that a Jungle Book reference during 5:38 or am I stuck in my childhood???

[@Thutil]

Actually, ThoughtBubble is stuck in your childhood.

[@Googaliemoogalie]

Yea man, The Jungle Book takes place in India

[@310018918]

What a beautiful, eloquent conclusory quote. Your literary talent shows beyond just novels.

[@section6pleasecrawl153]

Almost exactly what took place in Ireland again under British administration during the 1840s

[@RumoSenpai]

I love how the ad before this was for Twix. Great connection to the issue of the video... you know famine and stuff. Thanks Mars Inc.

[@MrGregory777]

Hey i am from north-eastern South America

[@enlightedjedi]

Good on you, would that bee French Guyana?

[@MrGregory777]

No Suriname.

[@enlightedjedi]

MrGbere777 I tried! I guess you could provide some info on how dutch treated locals, so people in the comments won't keep complaining about how it's all about British colonialism!

[@MrGregory777]

well i was born way after the Independence and yes Suriname was a British colony. Don't forget the English traded us away to the dutch for new york. We drive on the proper side of the road. Well all i can say is, slavery is bad and oppression sucks but Suriname was not that much of a priced colony for the dutch unlike Indonesia, so they were happy when we parted ways and did not invest as much in us

[@enlightedjedi]

MrGbere777 Thanks I actually knew little about Suriname!

[@caramida9]

I propose the make a "water bucket challenge", where everyone who is challenged has to dump a bucket of water over some growing crops, in order to raise awareness about famines... that sounds pretty practical...

[@9_-_-_-_-_swo]

What about Ireland's? :((

[@9_-_-_-_-_swo]

Yeah, it was a defining movement in our history and what led to the Irish diaspora and rise of nationalism which would in turn lead to us seeking independence from the U.K. .

[@BrentDG91]

Filipa Ferreira The famine was also caused by the British policies, the Irish still produced other crops and livestock to feed the majority of the population but most of them were shipped off to Britain.

[@9_-_-_-_-_swo]

Filipa Ferreira Not really, the English Whigs took a similarly laisez-faire to the famine in Ireland, after the Peel administration was kicked out. They made the Irish dependent on cheap potato crops and even Peel's more helpful approach was poorly considered at best, and more or less cost him his position. The Irish population is only now just reaching levels similar to before the famine.

[@9_-_-_-_-_swo]

The English aren't and weren't evil villains, but the fact is that they had a large responsibility to Ireland as part of it's state, and totally underestimated the catastrophe of the famine.

[@xelgringoloco2]

Yeah what the hell it was a big ass deal. Mass Irish immigration to the colonies and Irish immigrants or Navvie's building railways in Scotland and England. The tensions between the British and Irish. Irish immigrants bringing the sectarian conflict to Scotland. The Orange March is still practiced in Glasgow because of those immigrants!

[@DavidRuizTijerina]

I just LOVED the statement at the end.

[@thedumbpirate]

CrashCourse is my shit

[@enlightedjedi]

I'm thinking about making a crash-course video my opening wedding song!

[@roandluc]

Hello John Green, fantastic videos. Recently I have seen the movie "The fault in our stars" and I saw you in the airport scene. This has led me to some investigation and then I found out you are an accomplished writer. I would like to bow my hat to your awesomeness sir. Keep up the good work, the movie raised my interest to read more of your work. Thank you.

[@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx]

If "Northeast South America" gets you riled up, you'll REALLY hate a street here in Dallas, Texas: East Northwest Highway.

[@Bronckus]

Im loving the Cherno Alpha with the Deutscheland insignia

[@saijeyaprakash8117]

9:49 actually one of the most influential things I've heard all day.

[@oxmeganlox]

Talking about the Irish famine would have made an interesting comparison to India. It would have been nice if it was mentioned.

[@rahulnidharia159]

Megan Lynch I Agree. But, it could not be compared. Let me tell you why. Irish famine-1 million deaths while Indian famines at the hands of British- 30 million deaths

[@IndieGirl10100]

Everybody knows you as the author of "the Fault in Our Stars," but to me you'll always be known for your Crash Course videos :)

[@bouipozz]

"The truth is always nuanced" This has to be one of the most unerrated points ever made. It is often too easy to describe one extreme or the other in an appealing manner but the real truth of any matter nearly always lies in the indescribable grey area in the middle.

[@treymedley]

One of the best videos in this series yet. Thank you. And to those who seem to be confused as to what liberalism (as a political stance) actually is. Liberalism is not, simply, higher taxes. Liberalism argues for a more equitable distribution of tax structure (progressive taxes) and that these tax revenues should be re-invested according to a hierarchy of a) greatest need, b) within the community among whom the taxes are taken (though "community" is often ill-defined, sometimes intentionally so), and c) greatest positive impact. The result is that (usually) liberals argue that tax revenues are reinvested domestically focusing first upon food, shelter and basic assistance, followed by education and healthcare and other social services, followed by larger public works projects, and finally by things associated with the arts. India at the turn of the 19th-20th century is laissez-faire because the only intervention the British took was to excise taxes which did not benefit the community from which they were taken. In other words, the only intervention was to take taxes. This is laissez-faire coupled with imperialism, leading to the peculiar (but not uncommon) episode in India at this time.

[@brodete]

John Green + Crash Course - Saying it how it is/was. Good on you bro.

[@death2link]

And thus, thousands of people googled dearth.

[@tensequel7818]

glad to see you back john, you are looking a lot better

[@soapibubblesthestrange9972]

loving the Welcome to Night Vale shirt :D

[@amanshukla8758]

55 million Indians died due to the 31 famines that occurred during the 120 years of British Occupation By the 18th century India accounted for 22.6% of the world's income, but by the end of the British rule in 1947, it was reduced to a mere 3.8%. At the beginning of the 20th century, "the brightest jewel in the British Crown" was the poorest country in the world in terms of per capita income. That's how India, which was once one of the richest countries of the world, has now been reduced to the poster boy for third world poverty.

[@theladysiona]

Awesome District 9 reference!

[@OrionFyre]

I absolutely love the closing thought.

[@omgrek]

I love the jungle book reference at 5:40

[@alexandraRatliff]

So many green brothers videos to watch today! Yay!

[@enlightedjedi]

It's a trait!

[@angiewagner9232]

When Mowgali and Baloo pop up in the back! #JungleBook

[@fearthemutt1331]

There was also Baguira.

[@TheDraconifors]

This episode was one of the more enlightening for me. It made me think differently about famine and how it occurs.

[@redmos2001]

I'm only passingly familiar with the work of Amartya Sen, but I thought that the most important corollary of the notion that "famines are man-made" is that "famines don't happen in democracies". This is to say that, when people are able to vote, politicians tend to resolve the crises in their lives because, well, keeping your job is good motivation. People don't vote for the politicians that let people starve to death. That seems to me an important lesson that got missed in this episode.

[@billyk3933]

That last sentence was so eloquent. Well said, John!

[@PaulCDehlinger]

I know John Green is trying to stay impartial to which ideologies tend to create more human suffering but calling British Imperialism Laissez faire is being blatantly dishonest.

[@PaulCDehlinger]

You lost me. What was the point you where trying to make?

[@PaulCDehlinger]

I don't know what gave you the impression.that I'm British. My only point was that calling authoritarian government policy Laissez Faire was inaccurate.

[@muuao5207]

Paul Dehlinger Sorry didnt mean to generalize all brits

[@PaulCDehlinger]

I mean I don't really care if you generalize British people or not but I just don't want my criticism of John's argument to be dismissed because you think I have some kind of personal loyalty to Britain.

[@PaulCDehlinger]

But they didn't and that's my point. Laissez Faire doesn't just mean the absence of government welfare. It means not interfering in the lives of the people. He pointed out that the Indians where in the situation that they where in due in large part because British taxes on the poor forced them to replace food crops with cash crops. High taxation isn't part of the principles of a Laissez Faire government. Now I will agree that Adam Smith's assumption that famine is only caused when governments try to alleviate said suffering is incorrect but the British Government of India is not an example of Laissez Faire principles causing famine.

[@kootney1c3]

Glad to have you back John!

[@mrsirwesterwester]

great job as always but i was promised vikings and i want vikings!

[@enlightedjedi]

Are you referring to the american football team?

[@ObSkillz1]

enlighted Jedi I assume you're joking... Please tell me you're joking...

[@enlightedjedi]

ObSkillz1 I assume you're joking!

[@mrsirwesterwester]

enlighted Jedi no i'm talking about the ancestral warriors of my homeland

[@enlightedjedi]

mrsirwester wester Are you from Minnesota? :)

[@nemodot]

El Niño is associated with lots of rain here in Argentina, my town is almost doubling the amount of yearly rainfall, fom 650 to 1200mm. it's an extremely wet year, a lot of fields in the pampas are becoming inundated, the same happened with another el niño episode about 12 years ago.

[@cirusMEDIA]

The volume in this episode was all over the place!!! ...pleaseeeee normalize before publishing!

[@cirusMEDIA]

oh yeah, it was still super informative and helpful as always! :)

[@BrianHutzellMusic]

Other people have posted this comment, but I will echo them. “Let’s remember to look for the fingerprints of humans where we would perhaps prefer to see acts of God.” This is one of my very favorite lines from John Green in any of his works, video or otherwise.

[@xenakiis]

Most, if not all, of those points appear to be borrowed from the book "Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World" by Mike Davis. I wonder if they didn't mention it in the video because its title and cover (look it up) would look too disturbing and/or anti-British for the video's demographic. (like, how can you still enjoy Doctor Who's Victorian setting after that?)

[@krim7]

How can Americans enjoy tales of the Wild West when it caused nothing but hardship for Natives and the poor white folk?

[@rachelwells813]

That one problem that causes all of the bad events in history: COLONIZATION. colonization has been responsible for the majority of the worst events in history as well as lasting negative effects such as poverty, disease and racism . ex. the colonization of North American and the famine in India- colonization

[@bibliofowl]

"Let's remember to look for the fingerprints of humans where we would perhaps prefer to see acts of god." New favorite quote.

[@hellobal100]

Applause to John Green "THE BEST VIDEO EVER..." and an honest eye

[@gabriellaureano2570]

Crap i thought America was evil but Britain you scary

[@rjfaber1991]

It didn't really matter that it was Britain, it would have been exactly the same in the princely states, or in the Asian colonies of France or the Netherlands, if the circumstances were the same. Practically everybody in the late 19th century adhered to very strict classical liberalism, where government intervention in the market was a total no-no. If anything, the British were just trying to do the best they could within that framework. Suffice to say it didn't work of course, but then that's why such complete classical liberalism is practiced virtually nowhere anymore.

[@Laughing_Chinaman]

i dont think we were especially evil compared to humans as a whole, while Britain did profit form the slave trade for example we didn't start it but we were one of the first to abolish it and helped a hell of a lot to end it by blowing up slave ports all down the african coast

[@AMS97PS3]

You cannot apply our morals to their time. It isn't fair. This was the 1800's, you live in the 2000's. Big difference.

[@igorkorzun5988]

PitchBlackFox Again, doesn't change the fact that you people were able to afford the cities you have only thanks to slave trade. Also, seriously, the famine you caused?! I'm Russian and I know Stalin did horrible things, but he was the single evil dictator of a country. You guys got together and agreed to fuck up nations

[@enlightedjedi]

French Haiti was not any heaven either!

[@nathanyoung3266]

Yay. Your back. We missed you a lot Mr. Green.

[@nicholasdaniels488]

"...let's remember to look for the fingerprints of humans where we would perhaps prefer to see acts of god." - One of the best summations of a Crash Course episode yet.

[@bethanoggg]

Love this series atm!

[@bethanoggg]

At the moment, AT THE MOMENT.

[@nookdew]

5:10 "And when droughts struck again at the turn of the 20th century the British raised taxes 24% and then confiscated the land of farmers that refused to pay." *farmers who refused to pay For shame John. For shame. You're the one who taught me not to refer to people as "that." I feel betrayed.

[@Laharal55]

Brilliant quotable sentence at the end that sums it all.

[@TheVoiceofReason0220]

Dammit John! I came here expecting a talk about the Irish Potato famine! Please make one!

[@carroll8423]

yeah probably the most famous famine

[@STAROMEGA54]

he did sort of in population, sustainably and mualthus episode

[@TheVoiceofReason0220]

^ you are awesome. That's not exactly what I wanted but it will do. Thanks for looking out.

[@sarahfitzgerald1000]

I completely agree a million irish people emigrated to the USA during that famine. that's why a lot of American people have irish ancestors. it's currently 57 seconds in and I am already disappointed

[@sarahfitzgerald1000]

it's also the reason Ireland has such a small population now. at the time of the Irish famine there were 10 million here and now we've only got nearly 5 million and that's after 1500 years like goddamn that's pretty substantial

[@wasteofskinsrc]

I would love to see a Crash Course International Law. It's so relevant to today's world, but a lot of people, myself included, don't have a whole lot of idea *what* laws exist, and the impact that those laws have on our lives. Just a thought.

[@G0sentrick]

GMOs FTW!

[@Googaliemoogalie]

weeeelllllll...GMOs typically have patients. So now farmers have to pay a premium for seeds and soil just to grow crops that don't generate a profit that makes sense. it's a huge issue now.

[@shemmita]

I loved the ending of the video. There's hope…and rainbows and puppies and happiness. Humans cause famine, we might as well do something to fight against it.

[@scarletcrusade77]

4:15 I love how it only highlights present day UK rather than how it actually was back then, we did own Ireland back then so all of ireland should of been highlighted.

[@tucker1000000]

Well he said Briton. Ireland was only part of the united kingdom. In fact northern Ireland shouldn't even be highlighted as its not part of Briton

[@tucker1000000]

*Britain

[@rjfaber1991]

Canada, Australia and New Zealand, vast swathes of Africa and half the Caribbean were also part of Britain back then, not to mention large portions of India itself, so it's inaccurate anyway.

[@tucker1000000]

Britiain is just the island of England, Scotland and Wales

[@DimetriKhan]

ste tuck *Great Britain

[@AymanKhan]

7:20 its sorta like yin and yang, its got the best sounds of death and birth simultaenously

[@melissakerr1873]

That was a really great episode. I was wondering though if the map at 4:19 is incorrect? India and Bangladesh are included as a part of the British Raj, but Pakistan is not. Shouldn't it be included? There's a good chance that I'm wrong though. :)

[@thelastinuit]

"Best wishes, John Green" - AH! Best line ever!

[@Rexxae]

Hey John! You actually appeared in our textbook in the Netherlands! (16-17 y/olds)

[@enlightedjedi]

Really?

[@iamnotme8999]

Elaborate, please.

[@SangoProductions213]

indeed. enlighten us.

[@isaacargesmith8217]

Have a picture?

[@Rexxae]

I will try to take a picture soon, it was about naming authors of books (pretty simple, since its the beginning of the year) The teacher was just probing our knowledge of some writers. Since I am an internet addict, I watch that ^, but nobody else knew of it. god I love boasting hahaha

[@paoloibayan7055]

The ending quote always gives me the feels.

[@nittyjee]

As always, excellent. Shortcomings: The British were anything but laissez-faire - the East India company was a government-backed private monopoly, taking control of private trade and public affairs. You mention textiles, money and food - they abolished local textile production, took control of granaries, and taxed people in a currency created by them and not of the locals' choosing. Whether or not you agree with the idea of free trade, this was not free trade whatsoever. One more thing - you only mentioned examples from the modern era... I'm really curious about it more historically. I feel that famine happened less before the modern era, I could be wrong.

[@TheAmphicyon]

+nittyjee Any time people hoard and they do, and prices rise due to hoarding of food, yes it is the FREE MARKET at work. No government intervention.

[@rigormortis6481]

+TheAmphicyon So apply Laissez faire principles in giving out aid to starving people, but do not do the same for everything else. Sounds quite hypocritical, doesn't it ?

[@TheAmphicyon]

I don't approve of hoarding and yes what the British were doing was not totally dependent on the free market. Pure capitalism doesn't work any more than pure communism because of human nature.

[@jessicalee333]

"Laissez-faire approach to starvation" is what he said, and that's exactly what they had. "Laissez-faire" is not an economics term, it's just a French phrase, meaning "let it be" or "leave it alone" and the British left it alone, to let it happen without interference - that's WHY it's used as an economics term.

[@maame176]

Fetus John Green's shirt is FRICKEN AMAZING😍

[@giovanifm1984]

Did you use Colonial India as a Laissez Faire liberalism example? what about those high taxes? what about the Crown's military forces that were in there forcing some policies? India didn't had a free market nor "laissez faire" capitalism. Not even close. India's Famine was caused by Britain, caused by a state. Adam Smith was right afterall

[@3000kristian]

giovanifm1984 I am not sure you know what laissez faire means. It means you dont fuck with the market. It has nothing to do with taxes nor military. Unless they tax only certain products or use the military to manipulate the market. They did go with the laissez faire approach. They could have changed the supply to counter the high demand but they didn't. It is true they made it even worse with policies. But laissez faire was their market solution.

[@TapOnX]

3000kristian all taxes -> fucking with the market

[@3000kristian]

TapOnX It is not directly fucking with the market. You know govs have to collect taxes to even exist. But then again you are probably an anarchist who doesn't understand human phsychology...

[@3000kristian]

Diana Peña The govt CAN be the reason people don't starve. Depends on how competent and incorrupt previously mentioned government is.

[@TapOnX]

3000kristian Diana Peña Then maybe some level of what we've established as "fucking with market" is a necessary evil. But it doesn't make it any less true, especially if we talk about high level of taxation.

[@CaptainHoers]

The case study here has a lot of similarities to the Irish Great Famine (1845-52). British government policy and laissez-faire economics exacerbating an externally-caused drop in food production. Instead of India's land use change, Ireland had the potato blight, and the British government's response came down to setting up workhouses and continuing to export the other food grown in Ireland at the time. A million people died, and a million more emigrated. Ireland's population is still below what it was in 1845 by the same margin.

[@DrOSami]

"And then, the British happened."!!

[@novabythelake]

To John and Hank Green's parents: you are awesome. John and Hank: thanks for being the best part of KZbin.

[@laurenmeegan9215]

How could u not talk about the IRISH Famine IRELAND??

[@indianageorge6430]

He does in a different video about population

[@fredspengeman6707]

Lauren Meegan Not big enough.

[@unknowninternationalcuntde7172]

Everyone knows of it

[@tripchaup1831]

The famine he talked about here killed 4 times the people who died in Irish famine.

[@Gemstonewriter]

I've often imagined the very distant future where only a few things from our time are kept on record. I really hope that the crash courses are one of those. 50% because they are some of the most intelligent and beautiful things I've ever seen, and 50% so that Historians can look at the awesome names on events John Green makes and start using them.

[@adamborison3054]

But most of the "drought belt" (good name) isn't even in the Southern Hemisphere. China, India, half of Africa, part of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia are in the Northern while only most of Indonesia, South America, and half of Africa are South.

[@PastPresented]

There's not a lot of temperate-belt land south of the Equator.

[@Regnbuesolv]

If anyone is interested in British Imperialism and its failures, read George Orwell's essays on the subject. He was in the military police in Burma during the 1920s and the treatment inflicted upon the Burmese was not massively different. He also discusses it in Road to Wigan Pier comparing the lot of the working classes in Britain and India. Not everyone agreed with the Empire!

[@MukaMoko]

And then there's the ice bucket challenge >___> ...But drought, right...?

[@EffectiveKill]

Better not shower or take baths that wastes so much more water than a bucket

[@SapphireCrook]

EffectiveKill Just take less. Some people here insist on daily showers. The obsession with being clean (or better, smelling nice) has gone too far. The shampoo industry won and now we pay the price!

[@MukaMoko]

Don't even mention flushing the toilet D:

[@DeathBringer9000]

Diana Peña farm-grown meat is old news. stem-cell vatmeat is the where the party's at.

[@sion8]

I mean do you understand the Water Cycle?!

[@Sciencegames21]

NIGHTVALE SHIRT!!!! I knew that spider deer looked familiar! Good job Crashcourse for staying 'hip with the kids'

[@clairelefalala7556]

This could have used a bit more information about the Irish Potato Famine.

[@dannycasserly697]

Claire Lefebvre ikr, i search crash course world history Ireland and I get this 👍

[@Memento--Mori]

Claire Lefebvre Genocide. There you go.

[@demianhaki7598]

God, I love CrashCourse so much! Also, Adam Smith is probably the economic equivalent of Friedrich Nietzsche. Brilliant and misunderstood.

[@edwnx0]

7:40 - Sound like US Republicans.

[@MadMage86]

+Edwin Contreras it's not even the first time [by a long shot] that Republican ideology has failed to acknowledge historical parallels that are... well, pretty good examples of why "that might not be a great idea", to put it simply. The recent Housing Bubble? Hey, look - Britan already did that. It's known as the South Sea Bubble. Trump's platform of blaming everything on a [disliked] minority population? Oh, hello there Hitler. The complete de-regulation of companies? Yeah, because child labor and 12 hour shifts were fanfuckingtastic. Basing political decisions on religious dogma? Sure, EVERY FAILED THEOCRACY EVER.

[@heckalit8818]

+MadMage86 I'm pretty sure what you guys are talking about is US conservatism, not republicanism, republicanism twisted into a whole load of stupid bullshit, not being for the people for realsies.

[@42stea]

+Cousin Skeeter I have grown to accept that there is global political terminology and american political terminology. Welcome to America where Liberalism is Leftism, Libertarianism is Conservatism, Republicanism is Rightism, Socialism is Authoritarianism, and words have little historical meaning. (just to clarify this is gross over simplification for comic effect)

[@MadMage86]

Cousin Skeeter I'll grant that, but in the US there isn't much of a distinction between the two among it's adherents. Similar to their inability to distinguish between the USSR, communism and socialism.

[@edwnx0]

I wasn't talking about republicanism. I'm talking about the American political party. Republicans with a capital "r".

[@TheIzbean]

Welcome back John!!! Stan was lovely, but I won't lie, I missed you (even you from the past)

[@strawbeebop]

WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE SHIRT

[@thelogIady]

Yeah!

[@SpazzyMcGee1337]

I appreciate that the video focusses on how famines are manmade. Nature throws curve balls from time to time, but humanity could always have been more prepared or could have responded in a better fashion. There has always been enough food on Earth to feed every human. It's just tough to distribute food using the same economic system that distributes luxuries. There may be a rich person willing to pay more for the last bite of food than a poor hungry person can afford. But humans are smart. We get better at this kind of stuff. By focussing on how famines could have been handled better Crash Course is communicating the uplifting message that the future can be made to be better. Humanity is at the mercy of nothing.

[@carbono12videos]

So sad that the famine related to Mao in the 50's is so often associated with comunism while the famine related to British colonization in India is so rarely associated with capitalism...

[@EricVinton]

It isn't a free market that caused that. It was caused by government interference.

[@casualrobot10101]

They deprived themselves of growing food crops to grow cash crops to feed a tax.

[@jackblack4110]

Colonialism isn't capitalism; it is mercantilism. Very different

[@carbono12videos]

Jack Black they are way more alike that, let's say, Sanders to Stálin.

[@ssam00]

British empire is your textbook example of crony capitalism where the government deliberately favoured certain corporations at the cost of the lives of its subjects.

[@Igbo_chyna]

"And then...the British happened" such soothing words from a white guy. Love this guy. Most of my white friends have his viewpoints about colonialism. Wish more did, then the world would be a better place.