THE IRISH FAMINE, 1843-51 Flashcards
What was the immediate cause of the famine?
Fungal disease called blight
Monoculture
The practice of growing a single crop or plant in a field at any one time
How much of the population were dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods?
2/3
Who did absentee landlords employ?
Middlemen
Who were middlemen?
Were lent land from absentee landlords which they then took out fixed price long leases on great quantities of land and paid landowners an agreed regular rent
Why was the middlemen system convenient for absentee landlords?
They didn’t have to mange their estate and were provided a regular, long-term income.
How did middlemen make money?
By subdividing the land and renting it to other become, tenant farmers.
How did middlemen maximise their income?
Deliberately create small plots of land to foster a larger number of tenants paying him rent.
How did tenant farmers mirror middlemen?
Would often let sections of their plot to poorer farmers or cotters in return for a portion of their crop or their labour.
Cottier
Person who rented between 1 or 3 acres of land to grow potatoes for himself and his family, rent paid with their labour and leases were on a year by year basis
What did the continual subdivision of land and chain of ownership create?
Rent prices increased and forced Irish agriculture to remain on a small scale without growth.
What % of landholdings were under 5 acres?
45%
How many cottiers were there in the early 1840s?
300,000
Why were potatoes the crop of choice in Ireland?
- Produced a high yield compared to grain
- Balance of nutrients
- Cheap price
What was the downside to potatoes?
- Cannot be stored for long periods of time
- Irish people depended on regular supply
When did the famine begin
1845
What were the associating diseases with the famine?
Typus, relapsing fever, scurvy and xerophthalmia
How many people died in 1847?
250,000
Why was the famine most prevalent in rural areas?
Poor cotters for whom the potato was their only means of subsistence.
Who was most affected by the potato blight?
The very young and very old
What was the social impact on the cottier class due to famine?
High mortality rate amongst young children contributed greatly to the demise of the cottier class, removed one of Irelands biggest social groups and affected Ireland’s social structure.
What was the potato average before 1845 and what was it in 1847?
2 million in 1845 to 250,000 in 1847
What did the famine stimulate?
Emigration abroad
Why did Ireland never regain its pre-famine population level?
Emigration
Why was the Irish famine not a complete shock to the British Government?
Blight has already destroyed English crops in the summer of 1845.
Why was the British having experienced the blight before good?
They has some idea to the extent if potential damage and they were quick to respond
What was the British’s early response to the famine?
Formation of a scientific commission to investigate the disease
What were the arguments for the British government were slow to react and could have done more?
- People have different interpretations to events such as the emotive nature of the great hunger
- Changing nature of Britain’s response
Under the guidance of Robert Peel, the British government response to the spread of the blight was …
Sympathetic
Why did the scientific commission fail?
They failed to discover that blight was a fungal disease rather than a disease of the potato itself, therefore remedies they prescribed were entirely ineffective
What was Peel’s relief programme?
November 1845 he brought £100,000 worth of Indian corn and meal.
Why was the Corn Relief programme a failure?
- Unfamiliar to the Irish
- Not understood and not properly prepared
- Undercooked and caused diarrhoea
- Lacked vitamins (scurvy)
What was Peel’s relief commission for public works?
Provided food and employment
How much people did Peel’s relief commission give work to?
140,000
Why was selling food important rather than giving it away?
Help maintain market prices, not cause decline in prices which could antagonise farming community
Peel was more concerned with…
the longer term situation rather than alleviating the immediate problem of food scarcity
When did Peel repeal the corn laws?
1846
Why did Peel repeal the corn law?
To give the Irish market in this commodity a better chance of growth
Corn Laws
Placing tariffs on foreign corn, which protected English farmers by maintaining high prices for their own produce.
What did Peel hope by repealing the Corn Laws?
Wider market in Britain for Irish corn which could help support the relief of the country and begin the restructuring of Irish agriculture - risk of angering English farmers
In terms of relieving the famine what difference did the Corn Laws repeal make?
Little - Ireland had plenty of food just no money to buy it
What was the political impact of Peel’s actions?
His government fell from power and gave way to a new administration - Lord John Russell.
When did Peel’s government fall?
June 1846
What was Lord John Russell a great advocate of?
The economic ideas of Adam Smith - free trade, laissez faire
What did free trade and laissez faire promote?
Non-intervention by government as the best means by which to deal with economic difficulties
Under LJR, what would happen in the event of a poor harvest?
Not buy more grain but leave supplying of food to private enterprises
Who was central in the decision-making process under LJR?
Charles Wood and Charles Trevelyan
Who was Reverend Thomas Malthus?
- Popular theorist
- Thought Ireland was vastly populated
- Population should be thinned out to make best use of natural resources
Under Whigs what did they think the problems in Ireland was the consequence of?
Poor management on the part of Irish officials and landowners
Temporary Relief Destitute Persons Act - Jan 1847
Allowed for the creation of government-sponsored soup kitchens in Ireland
Why was the soup kitchen enterprise acceptable from the perspective of the British government?
Offered support to Irish and cheap and minimised intervention