52 pages 1 hour read

Mike Davis

Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2000

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Essay Topics

1.

What is the thesis of Late Victorian Holocausts? Does the author successfully prove this thesis? How?

2.

Davis shows that study of the scientific reasons for droughts that caused famines across parts of Asia and South America had political and economic repercussions for imperial powers, particularly the British. How does this historical phenomenon compare to modern political controversy over the scientific evidence indicating that greenhouse gases cause global warming (and thus more frequent natural disasters, like wildfires)?

3.

Davis views the Western response to the drought-famines of the late 19th century as a form of genocide. Why? Use evidence from the text in support of your response.