8-10 million Iranians died over Great Famine caused by the British in late 1910s, documents reveal

[enkidu_]

Like in Bengal :

One of the little-known chapters of history was the widespread famine in Iran during World War I, caused by the British presence in Iran. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Britain became the main foreign power in Iran and this famine or--more accurately--‘genocide’ was committed by the British. The document in the American Archives, reporting the widespread famine and spread of epidemic disease in Iran, estimates the number of the deceased due to the famine to be about 8-10 million during 1917-19, making this the greatest genocide of the 20th century and Iran the biggest victim of World War I.
(...)

READ THE FULL ARTICLE THERE :

http://english.khamenei.ir/news/219...-died-over-Great-Famine-caused-by-the-British

 

[KingKhanWC]

Interesting read.

Who knows how many millions of people the British killed over the span on the Empire.

 

[shaykh]

Like in Bengal :



READ THE FULL ARTICLE THERE :

http://english.khamenei.ir/news/219...-died-over-Great-Famine-caused-by-the-British

Hadn't heard of this...

Worth noting though that this analysis has been dismissed generally...not to say it isn't true but it isn't viewed as credible...

This assertion is based on one mans work and his use of sources has been criticised...

He rejected Bhariers figures for 1914 because they were significantly lower than the 20m figure he ended up taking...but he took Bhariers 1920 figure because it was the lowest he could find...if thats true then this claim is nonsense...

Iranian authors generally use Bhariers figures...and acknowledge a famine occurred but that these numbers are inflated...and that Majd's intention was solely to ascribe blame rather than actually find out what happened...

There is remarkably little scholarship on this topic...but if Majd has cherrypicked in this way then hes probably not the best source for this information...

“The author rejects the population figures for 1914 as calculated by Bharier using the backward regressive analysis, which is a standard demographic tool. Majd does not explain why he faults the methodology and assumptions used by Bharier. He only states that Bharier failed to mention the occurrence of the famine and therefore his data are wrong. Moreover, the US consul stated that in 1914 the population of Iran was 20 million, a figure that is credible given that the number of votes in the Tehran elections also shows that the population of Tehran was in the order of 400,000. Majd does not cite or discuss any other estimates by contemporaries that offer much lower, and in my estimation, more realistic figures. In 1919, the population of Tehran was 200,000 and the population of Iran as a whole was 11 million, according to Bharier. Ergo, a genocide of 9 million people. Majd does not explain why he has confidence in Bharier's 1919 population figure (p. 52) but not in his 1914 figure”

 

[enkidu_]

Hadn't heard of this...

Worth noting though that this analysis has been dismissed generally...not to say it isn't true but it isn't viewed as credible...

This assertion is based on one mans work and his use of sources has been criticised...

He rejected Bhariers figures for 1914 because they were significantly lower than the 20m figure he ended up taking...but he took Bhariers 1920 figure because it was the lowest he could find...if thats true then this claim is nonsense...

Iranian authors generally use Bhariers figures...and acknowledge a famine occurred but that these numbers are inflated...and that Majd's intention was solely to ascribe blame rather than actually find out what happened...

There is remarkably little scholarship on this topic...but if Majd has cherrypicked in this way then hes probably not the best source for this information...

Look, we could always use historical criticism concerning any numbers - even if no one would like to do concerning the Holocaust. That's not the real point. The point is that the British, like elsewhere, engineered a famine killing millions - now, that it makes half or a quarter or a tenth of the Iranian population of the time is a "technical" discussion ; the main point, again, was that practically no one has heard of this in the West, and it's always enriching to contemplate the cynicism of the British.

 

[shaykh]

Not really in a position to give a proper response cos frankly I don't know the topic ...

What I am saying though is even the claim of 'engineering a famine' needs a better source than the one provided ...

From my cursory reading the causes of death and whether they were intentional are up for debate ...the claim of an engineered famine may well be true but the 'historian' reporting it is extremely partisan ...

 

[enkidu_]

Not really in a position to give a proper response cos frankly I don't know the topic ...

What I am saying though is even the claim of 'engineering a famine' needs a better source than the one provided ...

From my cursory reading the causes of death and whether they were intentional are up for debate ...the claim of an engineered famine may well be true but the 'historian' reporting it is extremely partisan ...

Many British historians try to twist facts in denying that the Bengal famines was engineered, while there's conclusive academic research on this giving credibility to such thesis. In Iran it's harder to weight the arguments because, as it has been mentioned, this famine still remains unheard of.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Well they have track record in engineering genocide in various countries around the world, don't see any reason not to believe its true in this case also.

 

[enkidu_]

Well they have track record in engineering genocide in various countries around the world, don't see any reason not to believe its true in this case also.

They also mention Ireland in the article :

A famine occurred in Ireland from 1845 until 1852 which killed one fourth of the Irish population. This famine was caused by British policies and faced a large cover up attempt by the British government and crown to blame it on ‘potatoes’. The famine, even today, is famous in the world as the “potato famine” when, in reality, it was a result of a planned food shortage and thus a deliberate genocide by the British government.

The true face of this famine as a genocide has been proven by historian Tim Pat Coogan in his book The Famine Plot: England’s Role in Ireland’s Greatest Tragedy published by Palgrave MacMillan. A ceremony was planned to take place in the US to unveil Coogan’s book in America, but he was denied a visa by the American embassy in Dublin.