Talent and Worth at the Mercy of Coercive Power

As Illustrated by the British Domination of the Bengal, and the Fascist Extermination of the European Jews

Paul Johnson 06/02/2025

Throughout history, the worth and potential of individuals have often been suppressed, distorted, or destroyed by coercive power. No matter how gifted or virtuous a person may be, their ability to flourish is deeply contingent on the political and social structures around them. When oppressive regimes rise, individual agency is subjugated to the will of power, and talent becomes irrelevant unless it serves the interests of that power. Two historical examples—the British domination of Bengal in the 1770s and the Fascist extermination of Jews in the 20th century—vividly illustrate this tragic truth. In both cases, the innate value and capabilities of individuals were rendered meaningless in the face of overwhelming, dehumanizing force.

The British East India Company’s exploitation of Bengal in the 18th century demonstrates how imperial power can devastate not only a region’s economy, but also the dignity and potential of its people. Bengal was one of the wealthiest and most artistically vibrant regions of India, renowned for its textile production, agricultural fertility, and intellectual culture. Yet after the British victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and their subsequent consolidation of control, Bengal’s economy was reoriented to serve British mercantile interests. The devastating Bengal Famine of 1770, which killed an estimated 10 million people—nearly a third of the population—was not a natural disaster alone but a result of the Company’s coercive policies. Grain was exported or hoarded for profit, and taxes were ruthlessly collected despite widespread starvation. In such a climate, the individual worth of a talented weaver, a scholar, or a physician counted for nothing. No skill could protect them from starvation if their labor did not enrich the colonial system. The famine and the broader pattern of exploitation turned gifted individuals into disposable components of an imperial machine.

The horror of 20th-century Fascism—especially in Nazi Germany—further reveals how coercive power can utterly annihilate not only the rights but the very lives of individuals, regardless of their talent or moral character. The Holocaust, in which six million Jews were systematically murdered, was not only an act of genocide but also an obliteration of human potential on an unimaginable scale. Jewish communities across Europe were rich in intellectual, artistic, scientific, and entrepreneurial talent. Many of the world’s greatest minds—Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Hannah Arendt—fled Nazi persecution, but countless others, equally capable, were trapped and destroyed. A brilliant Jewish child in Warsaw or a skilled violinist in Vienna had no protection from the Nazi machinery of death. Their abilities were irrelevant in a regime that defined human worth by racial ideology and crushed dissent with brutal efficiency. The Nazi regime’s coercive power did not merely deny people the right to live freely; it denied them the right to exist at all.

These examples expose a grim reality: the worth of an individual, their contributions, and even their right to life are not immune to political forces. Coercive power does not care about talent unless it is useful to its aims. In contexts of unchecked authority—colonialism, fascism, authoritarianism—people are reduced to instruments, and when they are no longer useful, they are cast aside or destroyed. This is not only a violation of human rights but a profound waste of human potential.

Some may argue that individual brilliance can sometimes survive or even thrive under coercion. Indeed, regimes often exploit exceptional talent for propaganda or technological advantage. Yet this merely proves the point: even genius must bow to power or be extinguished by it. True flourishing—of creativity, morality, and individuality—requires freedom. When freedom is crushed, talent and worth are not merely ignored; they are actively erased.

In conclusion, history teaches us that the worth and potential of individuals are frighteningly vulnerable to the will of coercive power. The British in Bengal and the Fascists in Europe did not merely conquer lands—they shattered lives and stifled talents. No society should forget this lesson. To protect human dignity, we must not only celebrate individual achievement, but vigilantly resist the systems that would subjugate it.