The Irish famine, commonly known as the potato faminepotatoCrop is a famine that occurred between 1845 and 1850.During the five yearsIrelandThe population has dropped by nearly a quarter;In addition to starving to death and dying of disease, this number also includes about one million Irish people who migrated overseas due to famine.
The main factor causing famine is a kind of late blight pathogen（Phytophthora infestans Bacteria)（Phytophthora infestans）OfOomycetes(Oomcete) causes the potato to rot and then lose the harvest.Potatoes were the main food source for Irish people at that time. This disaster, together with many social andeconomic factors The widespread loss of income has severely hit the livelihood of poor farmers.The Great Famine had a profound impact on Irish society, culture and populationhistorianholdHistory of IrelandIt is divided into two parts before and after the famine.During the potato famine in IrelandGreat BritainStill fromAmericaA large number of grain products were imported, some of which were even transshipped through Irish ports;However, the hungry Irish could not afford the food, and the British government provided very little assistance, which eventually led to a high proportion of Irish people dying of hunger.
Potatoes were the only crop on which Irish people depended for their livelihood in the 19th century, while the British, as landlords, only cared about grain andlivestockExit of.natural disasterAnd political oppression forced people to rise up, but ultimately failed.The tragedy that more than one million Irish died in famine has aroused Irish people'snational consciousnessUnder its guidance,Irish Free StateIt was established in 1922.
At the beginning of the 19th centuryIrelandThe tourists were shocked to find that it was so poor here.Rural residentsTheir living conditions are at the bottom of Europe.People sometimes attribute this backwardness to religion, and sometimes to the turbulent political situation, the population explosion or the lack of couragesympathyThe majority of people believed that this was caused by the tyranny of the landlords and the poor management of the British government.[1]
By the end of the 18th century,IrelandHas been completely under British control.[1]
stayNorth American War of IndependenceandFrench RevolutionUnder the influence of, Irish launched a large-scale anti British uprising.The British authorities carried out a brutal suppression and passed the“Anglo Irish mergerAct, formally incorporating Ireland into theBritish EmpireIreland has completely lost its political and economic independence since then.After the merger, Protestantism was declared the State Church of Ireland, andcatholicIs deprived of basic political andCivil rights。Anglo IrishNational contradictionMore intense, the Irish struggle for national liberation continued to rise."Catholic Liberation Movement", "Cancel Merger Movement", "Fenian Party"Armed uprising、“Young IrelandThe "movement" has shaken the foundation of British rule again and again.
Event process
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prelude
In some ways,IrelandIt is one of the most interventionist European countries in Britain.Due to the lack of foresightFree Trade TheoryThe British government no longer intends to carry out the necessary modernization changes in this country.This conservatism is also inextricably linked with the opposition of their specific interests and prejudices.
In 1845, the key export areas were closely linked to a poorly developed crop, potato, which depended on the economy.When the fungus suddenly appeared, the country was at its mercy.
In 1845 Ireland depended on only one crop: potatoes.No more than 1.5 million agricultural workersOther incomeThe source supports the family. Three million small farmers mainly rely on potatoes for their livelihood, and the productive class also consumes much more potatoes than Britain.When the harvest fails, of course, those poor people in rural areas bear the greatest risk.
In 1845, the harvest suffered from fungal disasters was from October to November. The wealthier areas in the eastern part of the country suffered the most serious damage. From there, the disease spread to the west.The whole seedlings rotted before harvest, and the annual reserves of every family were lost.
spread
In Europe in the 1840s, people still believed in religiongeology, botany, economics and other emerging sciences. Disasters like potato disease reflect《Bible》The concept of famine in Chinese can only lead to discriminatory remarks with religious color.Most British public opinion thinks about the problem with religious tinted glasses: the "disaster" attacking Ireland is a warning of luxury and carefree life.More extreme remarks link the disaster Irish are suffering with their religious "mistakes".For many people, the lesson is clear: in order to eat more nutritious grain based food, this "abnormal" dependence on potatoes should be ended.
In the summer of 1846, the shortage of potatoes exceeded the most pessimistic prediction.3 million to 4 million people due to modernEuropean historyThe unprecedented harvest was destroyed and threatened with death.Only Britain has enough resources to deal with disasters, but the correct use of these resources requires management wisdom and political sincerity.
In the summer of 1847, people harvested disease-free potatoes.Many observers concluded that the famine was over in IrelandYou should rely on yourselfThe power of.However, due toplantNot much, the harvest is still poor.In fact, most of the island did not recover in a real sense in this season, and hunger and disease are still rampant.
In 1848,downy mildewThe second attack of.More cruelly, downy mildew is concentrated in areas that have no ability to withstand the fourth famine.If we can say that the situation in the less poor areas has improved a little, the western and southern regions have experienced a disaster as severe as the "dark year" of 1847.In 1849 and 1850, the disease came again, making some areas dying.
In "The Black Force Seven", IrelandCorkNicolas Cummins, a local official, said: "I walked into a farmhouse, and the scene made me dumbfounded. Six people, skinny and ghostly because of hunger, were lying on a pile of dirty straw in the corner of the hut. I thought they were dead, but when I approached them, a sound came from my earCrooning。These 'people' are still alive... "[2]
In economics,Demand theoremWhen other conditions are the samecommodity priceRise, this commodityrequirementDecrease.This is a truth that most people know, and it also conforms to the assumption that rational people act.However, during the Great Famine in Ireland in 1845, a strange thing happened. The price of potatoes was rising, but the demand was also increasing.
Giffen, a British economist, observed this phenomenon inconsistent with the demand theorem, which is also known as“The Mystery of Giffin”, and goods with this feature are calledgiffen goods 。
The famine in Ireland in 1845 caused a large number of families to fall into poverty. Potatoes, a low-grade product that can only sustain life, will undoubtedly be found in most poor familiesConsumption expenditureChina accounts for a large proportion, and the rise of potato prices will lead to poor familiesreal incomeThe level dropped significantly.In this case, the poorer people have to increase the number ofcheap goodsAnd give upNormal commodityCompared with low-grade products like potatoes, there is nothing like thisCheaperOfsuccedaneumSo the income effect on potato demand is greater thanSubstitutive effectTherefore, the demand for potatoes increases with the increase of potato prices.Only one kind of commodity has both "low-grade products" and“Income effectgreater thansubstitution effect ”These two conditions can be called Giffen goods.
Causes of famine
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The main factor causing famine isPhytophthora infestans （Phytophthora infestans）OfOomycetescausePotato late blight。Potatoes were the main source of food for Irish people at that timeeconomic factors The widespread poor harvest has severely hit the livelihood of poor farmers.The famine has a profound impact on Irish society, culture and populationhistorianholdHistory of IrelandIt is divided into two parts before and after the famine.
Predatory rule
The poverty caused by the British colonial policy of plundering Ireland in an all-round way is the underlying cause of the crisis.
British EmpireRealize its own prosperity by expanding and plundering the colonies.Ireland, as the first overseas colony of the British EmpirePolitical relationsFirst of all, Irish land is almost completely occupied by British landlords, and most of the big landlords live inEngland, only concerned with grain andlivestockOf exports, which makes most of IrelandAgricultural incomeExport abroad.Meanwhile, IrelandLand annexationAs a result of the serious problems of the Irish farmers, most of them became tenants of the British land aristocracy.And thanks to the tenantsLand areaIt is very small, so only growing potatoes can support the family.
In addition, since the merger, Ireland's prosperous industry and commerce have been hit by British industrial products manufactured under better economic conditions and freely imported.So the Irish people live almost entirely on land and have no way out in industry.In addition, the brutal colonial plunder made the farmers extremely poor - more than half of Irish people live on potatoes.
Overdependence on a single crop, the bottom farmers have been abandoned by the society for a long time.These two problems will be magnified infinitely in the future, and eventually lead to the full outbreak of the Great Famine in Ireland.
Poor rescue
The British government's rescue measures were weak and the response was slow.Britain was at its peakVictorian Period, and has been completedindustrial revolution, is recognizedWorld Factory。Whether in the coloniespolitical system, economic development and other aspects are leading the world trend. It is a huge colonial empire with nearly a quarter of the earth's land and nearly a quarter of the population.Britain was the symbol of prosperity, development and civilization at that time, and its national strength was among the best in the world.Even four years before the Great Famine, in order to open the door to China, Britain spared no effort and mobilized people to launch the Opium War from Indian warships.And at this time, Britain is fully preparing for the firstthe World Expo。
However, in the face of the unprecedented famine in Ireland, they were indifferent, allowing the disaster to spread and the Irish people to dump their bodies everywhere.Even later, the disaster was very serious. When the first grain ship arrived in Ireland, the corn transported for disaster relief could not be eaten (source text:inedible）Even for inedible corn, the application requires extremely complicated procedures.Even the British government blocked spontaneous humanitarian relief.
according toturkeyToday's Zaman reported in January 2012 that the Ottoman Empire at that timeSudanSultan Abd ü lmecid I announced that he would donate 10000 pounds to hungry people in Ireland.however,Queen VictoriaAsk Sudan to donate 1000 pounds, because the Queen herself can only donate 2000 pounds.So after donating 1000 pounds, Sudan "quietly" transported three ships of food to Ireland to help the hungry.In addition, in 1847, the United StatesIndianChoctaw also raised US $710 to donate to Irish hungry people.[2]
Selfish Act
Britain, out of its own interests, abolished it in 1846 during the Great Famine《Cereal law》, destroyed the right of Irish food to freely import into Britain, and made Irish wheat lose itsUK marketWhich in turn undermines Ireland'sagricultural economy。The British landlords in Ireland, after the repeal of the Grain Act, ignored the Irish famine and mostly switched from wheat planting to business operationAnimal Husbandry。It greatly weakens the ability to resist famine, thus aggravating the development of famine to a considerable extent.
rob the owner while his house is on fire
In the worst years of famine, Ireland still exported food to Britain.And Ireland was food for the whole famineNet exports。This act of looting and taking advantage of the fire, regardless of the Irish people's life and death, makes thisnatural disasterRapid evolution into human disaster.And the famine from 1782 to 1783Irish GovernmentThe port was closed, and the price of all grain fell sharply to save themselves.[1]
result
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Immigration had begun long before the Great Famine.But since the end of 1846, immigrants have reached an unprecedented scale.In the next 10 years, 1.8 million people leftIrelandMore than 1 million of them migrated during the famine.This is the most important thing in the 19th centuryPopulation mobilityone of.For these men, women and children, it is not so much voluntary immigration as flight, and their experience is unbearable.
The Great Famine had an important impact on the construction of modern Ireland.Many important social changes took place in 1845Occurred beforeBut the impact of famine has cultivated the existing historical forces and given them new significance.An unusual demographic curve, a profoundMental trauma, and people living in scattered places, but maintaining the same contact.Ireland after famine is different from any other European country.
Historical influence
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In the Republic of Ireland, someRevisionismhistorianIn order to rid Ireland of the shadow of the past, we tried to weaken the famineseriousnessOr emphasizing famineForce majeure。This view has been questioned by some more practical studies since 1980.Historical facts neither support the loud cry of "Michelism" nor agree with the clich é s that have replaced it.
The concept of famine has been deeply rooted in all Irish peoplethe subconsciousMedium.In 1994Rosemount CountyThe museum built in Strokestown is an outstanding example in this regard.The general public can see a series of exhibitions: explaining famine in the social background of the time through texts, materials and pictures.
Compared with other European countries, Ireland bringsthe third worldThe warning of is the most.someNon governmental organizationsIt lists the similarities between Ireland and the Third World in the 1840s.These organizations try to publicize the history of famine around the world and remind people of howideologyWould lead to such a disaster.[3]”
