In 1876-78, a series of droughts devastated large parts of Africa, Latin America, Indonesia, India and China. Famine stalked the world and was followed by cholera, plague and other epidemic diseases. Millions of people died in each region. The stock animals used by peasants both as a store of wealth and for ploughing also died. When the rains returned, the majority of those who survived had been displaced or were in debt to money lenders and without the seed or draught animals necessary to rebuild their lives. Many of the same regions were hit again in 1896 through to 1902. All told, between 30 and 60 million people are estimated to have died in these two periods of famine. In some of the drought stricken areas, the population did not recover until the 1950s.
