The historical triumph over hunger and the new plague of abundance

The history of mankind is inextricably linked to the struggle against the eternal suffering of food shortages. For long stretches of the past, the lack of vital food was the greatest threat to the survival of the human species. Only in the recent past did it succeed in technological and social upheavals, this biological limit of povertyto overcome. Today, the problem has changed, from a pure question of survival to complex issues of distribution, political instrumentalization and modern eating habits. This change marks one of the most profound breaks in the historical development of our civilization.

The constant threat of biological poverty

Until the recent past, the majority of the earth’s population has been harshly towards the limit of what is biologically necessary. Below this threshold, the deadly dangers of malnutrition and hunger were always lurking. Even a small failure in agriculture or an unfortunate coincidence could end for an entire clan or village communitymean Devastating rains destroyed the laboriously cultivated fields of grain, or predatory gangs robbed the last farm animals, which inevitably led to the starvation of the entire family. Such a common misfortune or widespread grievances inevitably led to tremendous famines.

The devastating consequences of collective catastrophes

If severe droughts hit the old civilizations on the Nile or the medieval empires on the Indian subcontinent, a significant proportion of the population died regularly. Local supplies were quickly used up and goods were transported so slowly that sufficient imports were simply impossible. In addition, the gentlemen of the time lacked the necessary strengthand organization to provide effective help. Those who study the historical records of that era will come across terrible descriptions of hungry masses who were driven insane. Towards the end of the baroque age, French officials reported the incomprehensible conditions in the affected regions.

The horrible dying in past centuries

The districts were flooded with countless impoverished souls, weakened by hunger in the streets. In their deepest despair, the starving people resorted to the most incredible means to make their existence in need. They consumed impure things like cats or the flesh of dead horses, while others depart from the blood of the slaughtered cattle or fromdiscarded kitchen waste. Still others boiled nettles, weeds and roots in water to relieve the burning pain in the stomach. Such horrible scenes took place throughout the French kingdom after bad weather had destroyed the harvests for several years.

The European Tragedy of the Early Modern Times

The rich were asking for exorbitant prices for the hoarded food, while the poor died en masse. During that period, countless people starved in the land of the Sun King, who meanwhile enjoyed themselves in magnificent castles. The following year, the same deadly catastrophe hit the Baltic regions and demanded a huge part of the population there. shortly thereafterdied in the Nordic areas up to a significant proportion of people, and the Scottish districts lost a significant proportion of their population to hunger. In the recent historical era, technological, economic and political developments have created an increasingly robust social security.

The establishment of a global safety net

This protection keeps humanity reliably above the dangerous biological poverty line. Some areas are still being hit by food shortages, but these exceptions are almost always caused by human politics and by no means by natural disasters. There is practically no natural famine in this world anymore, but only politicallymotivated. When people starve to death in certain crisis regions, this is due to the will of unscrupulous rulers. On the majority of the planet today, the loss of job or ownership at least does not lead to starvation.

Protection by international trade structures

While private insurance systems, government agencies and international aid organizations do not protect those affected from material need, they provide them with sufficient daily calories. At the collective level, the global trade network makes drought and flood disasters mere business opportunities that quickly and inexpensively remedy a food shortage. even ifWars or natural forces devastate entire countries, thanks to international efforts, it is usually possible to prevent mass hunger. Although countless people are still suffering from food shortages every day, in most countries only very few actually die from it. Undoubtedly, material poverty causes numerous other health problems, and an unbalanced diet shortensLife expectancy even in the most prosperous states.

The difference between malnutrition and starvation

In many citizens, for example, countless citizens suffer from food insecurity without knowing whether they can get something to eat at lunchtime. They often go to bed hungry and eat unhealthy, with an excess of carbohydrates and a lack of important vitamins. But this food insecurity is by no means to be equated with historical starvation. Even in theThe most devastated dwellings, people no longer die because they could not eat any food for weeks. The same remarkable change took place in numerous other countries, especially in China.

The historic victory over the food shortage in the East

For thousands of years, hunger persecuted every government there, and just a few decades ago the country was considered a synonym for food shortages. At a large World Food Conference in Rome, the delegates were presented with apocalyptic scenarios, according to which the most populous country on earth will suffer catastrophe. In fact, however, the nation steered to the greatestEconomic miracle of history, which eliminated an unimaginably large number of people from poverty. Although many citizens still suffer from lack, the Middle Kingdom is completely free from the deadly scourge of hunger throughout its history. In fact, in most countries today, the far worse problem is that people eat way too much.

The new plague of overconsumption

In past centuries, the French monarch, as is well known, advised the starving masses to simply eat pastries if there is no bread. Today the poor take this bare coin suggestion, while the rich enjoy garden salad and steamed vegetables. The residents of the slums instead stuff themselves with sugary sweets and greasyfull of quick meals, which has led to a global epidemic of obesity. Every year, far more people die from the health consequences of obesity than from the direct consequences of hunger. This development impressively shows how much the global challenges have shifted.

The ambivalence of modern prosperity

The historical struggle against starvation was largely won, but triumph brings with it completely new health and social problems. The industrial production of cheap, high-calorie food has ended dying through food shortages, but at the same time sparked a new disease of civilization. Humanity must now ask itself howcan distribute the abundance fairly and healthy. The victory over hunger remains one of the greatest civilizational achievements, even if the price for this in the form of widespread diseases is high today.