Overview
The Great Famine killed one million Irish people and led 2.5 million Irish people to emigrate. The horrifying events that took place during this period makes the Irish genocide one of the worst famines known in modern European history. During this time the Irish people faced a serious problem with unsustainable population growth. Along with the growing population most Irishmen were facing extreme economic disparity (Gray). Three-fourths of Ireland's population was unemployed or had no trade and as a result had to make a living as a day laborers. The people of Ireland were also handicapped politically due to the Act of Union in 1800 that made their land apart of the British Empire. If the United Kingdom helped the Irish people with any kind of famine relief, or if Irish resources had been used more efficiently, the lives of hundreds and thousands of starved people could have been spared (The Irish Potato Famine).
Geography and Time Period
Irelands geography is very unique, as it is an island. Ireland's central lowlands of flat rolling plains are dissected by, lakes, and rivers, and surrounded by hills and low mountains. During the time of the great famine Ireland had a large rural population that was growing at a rapid rate from the mid-eighteenth century. The majority of the population was made up of white catholic families. Although previously, British preoccupation with Ireland had resulted from the struggles over Catholic emancipation (Gray).
This famine started in 1845, it is currently debated wether the famine officially came to end in 1851 or 1852. The Irish Famine emerged from the era of the Industrial Revolution. This was also at the height of the British Empire. The suffering of the Irish people was ignored by the British Government. The British involvement, or lack of, is still criticized to this day.
Key Parties Involved
The main Key players of this famine were the Irish peasants that were affected and the British Government. Within the British government the two prime ministers at the time, Sir Robert Peel and Lord John Russell are more specific people that greatly affected the fate of the Irish people (The Irish Potato Famine). What makes the events of the Great Famine so unclear is the fact that there are no clear oppressors, one could argue that the British government could be an oppressor but there was no direct fighting.
The British government was hesitant to help because of a fear that relief programs would encourage laziness and unwillingness to work. When the famine first struck the Irish people, there was an outpouring of donations from different people back in England. The prime minister at the time, Sir Robert Peel, even purchased of 100,000 tons of U.S. corn for shipment to Ireland in 1846. Sadly, later that year Peel was replaced by Lord John Russell (The Irish Potato Famine). His government set up work relief programs, did Littleton help the disease problem, as many starving men were required to work outside in the winter. Soup kitchens were later opened and only served small amounts of gruel. At the end of 1847 the famine was judged to be over and even these unsatisfactory lifelines were withdrawn. The private donations from England were being cut off and the economy was in ruins. The official government position from this point forward was that it was the responsibility of the gentlemen landowners to see to their tenants' welfare.
The British government was hesitant to help because of a fear that relief programs would encourage laziness and unwillingness to work. When the famine first struck the Irish people, there was an outpouring of donations from different people back in England. The prime minister at the time, Sir Robert Peel, even purchased of 100,000 tons of U.S. corn for shipment to Ireland in 1846. Sadly, later that year Peel was replaced by Lord John Russell (The Irish Potato Famine). His government set up work relief programs, did Littleton help the disease problem, as many starving men were required to work outside in the winter. Soup kitchens were later opened and only served small amounts of gruel. At the end of 1847 the famine was judged to be over and even these unsatisfactory lifelines were withdrawn. The private donations from England were being cut off and the economy was in ruins. The official government position from this point forward was that it was the responsibility of the gentlemen landowners to see to their tenants' welfare.
Cause of Famine
Due to the overwhelming and growing population, the several hardships faced by workers due to the economic disparity, and the little aid from The United Kingdom the Great Famine is remembered as the greatest human disaster of the nineteenth century.
Execution of the Famine
This famine occurred due to the collapsing of the agricultural boom, which lead to strict landlord-tenant conflicts,the increase of evictions, and a growing amount of the landless peasant families that made up a majority of the rural population. Many families faced a sever decrease in earrings and were thrown into greater dependence on the one subsistence crop that they could grow in sufficient quantities in their cottage garden, the potato. During this time Ireland saw a small decrease in their population and a rise in their emigration rate. Even there was a decrease in population, there was still a very large population. Over 1.5 million of the landless laboring poor had no other significant source of food than the potato. These people then suffered from disease found in their only food source. While these atrocities were happening there was no aid from the government that ruled (Hanagan).
Four Events
1. The Potato Blight Beings Its reign of Terror - 1845
In 1845 some areas of continental Europe and Ireland felt the potato blight, but the first sign of unusual hardship did not appear until 1846, when the blight hit again on a larger scale. The epidemic disease in Irelands followed by the devastating famine and intensified its effects. Hungry people took to the road hoping to find relief in less affected areas, and the epidemic spread quickly among the malnourished bands of people.
2. Political Leader Daniel O'Connell Fought To Better The Lives Of The Poor- 1845
In the last months of 1845, the great Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell called for a series of emergency measures. These included stopping processes that which consumed vast quantities of grain, prohibition of the export of food products, opening of Irish ports to receive food directly from foreign countries, and imposition of a tax on landlords to subsidize the distribution of food to the needy. But O'Connell efforts were blocked by his old opponent Robert Peel, who was the prime minister. Peel insisted that welfare was a local responsibility.
3. Prime Minister Robert Peel Repeals Corn Laws- 1846
Peel intiated the the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. These laws were very important to the Irish people because they would have lowered the cost of grain. This new cheap grain would have made the grain more accessible and would have also enabled Irish landlords to afford the relief of the starving populations.
4. Prime Minister John Russell Comes To Power- 1846
Once the famine began to worsen, Lord John Russell's came to power. Russell was determined to make Irish landlords pay for the crisis. many Irish relief committees ceased to function, not because the famine had subsided but because ratepayers could no longer stand the burden. Yet the Russell insisted that there should be more local responsibility, and ignored the urgency of and the magnitude (Hanagan).
In 1845 some areas of continental Europe and Ireland felt the potato blight, but the first sign of unusual hardship did not appear until 1846, when the blight hit again on a larger scale. The epidemic disease in Irelands followed by the devastating famine and intensified its effects. Hungry people took to the road hoping to find relief in less affected areas, and the epidemic spread quickly among the malnourished bands of people.
2. Political Leader Daniel O'Connell Fought To Better The Lives Of The Poor- 1845
In the last months of 1845, the great Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell called for a series of emergency measures. These included stopping processes that which consumed vast quantities of grain, prohibition of the export of food products, opening of Irish ports to receive food directly from foreign countries, and imposition of a tax on landlords to subsidize the distribution of food to the needy. But O'Connell efforts were blocked by his old opponent Robert Peel, who was the prime minister. Peel insisted that welfare was a local responsibility.
3. Prime Minister Robert Peel Repeals Corn Laws- 1846
Peel intiated the the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. These laws were very important to the Irish people because they would have lowered the cost of grain. This new cheap grain would have made the grain more accessible and would have also enabled Irish landlords to afford the relief of the starving populations.
4. Prime Minister John Russell Comes To Power- 1846
Once the famine began to worsen, Lord John Russell's came to power. Russell was determined to make Irish landlords pay for the crisis. many Irish relief committees ceased to function, not because the famine had subsided but because ratepayers could no longer stand the burden. Yet the Russell insisted that there should be more local responsibility, and ignored the urgency of and the magnitude (Hanagan).
-Hewan Weldai