CatastropheThe 1960s

Catastrophe in the 1960s

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged catastrophe — plague, famine, earthquake and other disasters, narrowed to the 1960s — 5 of them, drawn from 5 nations, running from 1960 to 1969. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
5
Nations
5
Earliest
1960
Latest
1969
Africa
2
Asia
2
Europe
1

Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

  1. — Asia:

    Uzbekistan

    Cotton monoculture and the death of the Aral Sea

    Soviet irrigation for cotton diverts the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and the Aral Sea shrinks drastically from the 1960s — a notorious man-made environmental catastrophe.

    Era: Russian Conquest and Soviet Rule

    Sources: Desiccation of the Aral Sea · Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, Michigan State University, Uzbekistan — Russian and Soviet rule · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  2. — Europe:

    North Macedonia

    The Skopje earthquake

    A powerful earthquake devastated Skopje, killing more than a thousand people; the city was rebuilt with international aid as the modern capital of the republic.

    Era: Partition, 'Vardar Macedonia' and the Yugoslav Republic

    Sources: North Macedonia: History (Ancient, Ottoman, Yugoslav) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  3. — Africa:

    Rwanda

    Reprisals against the Tutsi

    An incursion by Tutsi exiles is met with mass killings of Tutsi civilians and a further exodus, setting a pattern of cyclical anti-Tutsi violence.

    Era: Revolution, Independence and Exile

    Sources: History of Rwanda · Wikipedia, Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Historical Background · United Nations

  4. — Africa:

    Niger

    The Great Sahel drought

    A catastrophic drought devastated Niger's crops and herds; the famine of this period and the 1980s killed many and left hundreds of thousands dependent on food aid, deepening the crisis of the Diori regime.

    Era: Independence, uranium and the long droughts

    Sources: Sahel Drought and Famine, 1968–1985 · Environment & Society Portal, History of Niger · Wikipedia

  5. — Asia:

    Malaysia

    The 13 May communal riots

    Racial rioting between Malays and Chinese in Kuala Lumpur follows a divisive general election, leaving many dead and leading to a suspension of parliament that transforms Malaysian politics.

    Era: The Formation of Malaysia and Singapore's Separation

    Sources: Malaysia: Political transformation (occupation, federation, NEP) · Encyclopaedia Britannica