The Famine Flashcards
How did the potato blight happen?
Fungus attacked the potato by rotting it and leaving it in a pulpy mess with a foul smell
What were the causes of the famine?
Potato blight
Subdivision
Population growth
Why was the potato blight so disastrous?
The Irish were very dependant on the potato as it could grow in any weather and could grow a large yield on a small amount of land
What was subdivision?
Where the father left land to his family that was divided equally between the sons, this meant for every generation the land got smaller
How did population growth have an affect in the famine?
With the land getting smaller for every generation there were more mouths to feed, there was an increase in landless labourers and people were having younger marriages and having more children
What were the relief measures?
Private charity
Soup kitchen
Workhouses
Public works
What did sources give to the private charities?
People have money, food, clothes and seeds to the Irish, Queen Victoria gave £2,000, friends (Quakers) and Americans also gave to the Irish
What were workhouses?
They were built to help the poor and the homeless, they provided work and shelter.
They were often cramped, which lead to diseases being spread quickly, people usually tried to avoid workhouses
What was ‘laissez-faire’?
A government who didn’t want to get too involved with people’s problems
Who was Charles Edward Trevelyon?
He was the most important civil servant in the treasury he beloved in laissez-faire and thought saving money was better than saving lives
What were soup kitchens?
They were to help feed starving people, if you had more than one acre of land you didn’t qualify. There weren’t enough and landlords had to pay
What was public works?
It was funded by taxes and provided basic work for the needy so that they could buy food instead of charity. Their wages didn’t increase but the prices of food did, leading to a population of malnourished people. Trevelyon said it cost too much so they were stopped
What were the results of the famine?
Consolidation of land Political effects Marriage patterns Population decline Emigration Language
What was consolidation of land?
Landlords were in debt and anxious to sell land, the encumbered estate act made this easier. Tenants noticed the uncertain nature of subdivision(no land, no marriage) and stopped
What were the political effects?
The Irish were bitter with England over their political actions, this bitterness took root in the emigrant communities in England and America. People wanted a parliament back in Ireland
What was the Act of Union?
In 1800 the Dublin parliament voted itself out of existence by passing the act of Union: Ireland became part of the uk
What were the change in marriage patterns?
Before a son could get his inheritance he had I wait for this father to die, this meant later marriages and a decline in birth rate, most sons and daughters thought that moving to America would be a better futuristic option
Why did people emigrate?
People wanted to try for a new life in the ‘better land’(America) but a lot of people died on the voyage due to overcrowded ships leading to widespread disease, this started the nickname ‘coffin ships’
Why did the population decline?
Less and less people were living in Ireland because most people died due to the famine(starvation and diseases)and some immigrated to America
How was language a result of the famine?
Most of those who died spoke Irish. The Irish language then became associated with poverty and children were encouraged to speak English
