PUSH factors- internal migration

Question 1

1. Potato Blight/Famine
   (internal push)

Answer 1

POTATO BLIGHT
between 1846 and 1858, the potato
blight wiped out the potato crop on the west coast and highland areas of scotland, leaving 150,000 people at risk of starvation.

This forced Scots to migrate for food and a better chance at survival

Question 2

2. Decline of the Fishing Industry
   (internal push)

Answer 2

DECLINE OF FISHING INDUSTRY
the Russian revolution in 1917 brought an end to the east european export trade in herring, so many men and women lost their jobs and income.

this forced Scots to migrate because families could not support themselves on the coast any longer

Question 3

3. Mechanisation
   (internal push)

Answer 3

MECHANISATION
22 workdays were required to farm one acre of land in 1840, but in 1914 it took just 12 days done by newly invented machines to do the job and therefore fewer workers were needed on farms as a result.

this forced scots to move to another part of scotland in search of work

Question 4

4. lack of land
   (internal push)

Answer 4

LACK OF LAND
it was difficult for scots to own the land they worked on due to high prices and rapid population growth which put a strain on the amount of available land

this forced Scots to migrate as they tried to escape the oppressive landlords and search for an alternative way to make a living

Question 5

5. Education
   (internal push)

Answer 5

EDUCATION
there was a lack of schools in rural scotland, and many schools were too far from childrens homes and it was also difficult to recruit teachers to these areas

this pushed Scots to migrate and take advantage of the 1872 education act and receive better education elsewhere

Question 6

6. lack of social life
   (internal push)

Answer 6

LACK OF SOCIAL LIFE
the highlands and rural areas were socially isolated, with little access to social activities or events

this pushed scots to migrate to end their social isolation in search for a better quality of life

Question 7

7. highland housing
   (internal push)

Answer 7

HIGHLAND HOUSING
many highlanders lived in blackhouses. these houses had no chimneys for the smoke from the fire to escape, and were often shared between people and livestock

this forced scots to migrate to another part of scotland in search of better healthier conditions

Question 8

8. low wages
   (internal push)

Answer 8

LOW WAGES
in agriculture there was many more workers than jobs due to a population boom in the lowlands, meaning workers entirely depended on the needs of local farmers who may only need workers at certain times in the year

this pushed scots to migrate as they wanted to escape this instability

Question 9

9. highland/lowland clearances
   (internal push)

Answer 9

HIGHLAND CLEARANCES
crofters were evicted from their homes as it became more profitable for landlords to keep sheep on the land.

this forced scots to migrate to another part of scotland because they had been displaced without homes or an income

Question 10

10. decline of the kelp industry
    (internal push)

Answer 10

DECLINE OF KELP INDUSTRY
Many crofters relied on the kelp industry which took a sharp decline as it faced competition from imports of Spanish barilla and mined chemicals like potash

This forced Scots to migrate in search of work as they could no longer rely on the kelp profits to support themselves