Born Then
1891–1892

Life during the Russian famine of 1891–1892

Be born in a place it hit, a few years before it began, and see what it did to five ordinary lives.

What it meant for ordinary people

Drought hit the Volga region and central Russia, where peasants had little reserve after years of grain exports. The government's slow response led to a large volunteer relief effort and turned many educated Russians against the regime.

Deaths: about 375,000 to 500,000, many from cholera and typhus.

How hard it hits each person in the game (risk of death, of being conscripted, of leaving) comes from scholarly estimates.

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