famine Flashcards
(59 cards)
1
Q
- The Famine
A
2
Q
Causes of the Famine
A
3
Q
• Over-reliance on the Potato; staple food
A
eaten for every meal
4
Q
grown in small plots
A
cultivation suited to damp climate.
5
Q
• Subdivision of land; farmers divided land to give to sons
A
this made farmers smaller and farmers
6
Q
poorer.
A
7
Q
• Rise in population; 1821 -> pop. of Ireland = 6.8 million
A
1841 - pop. of Ireland = 8.2 million.
8
Q
• The arrival of blight; the famine was caused by potato blight. This fungus attacked the potato
A
9
Q
and caused it to rot.
A
10
Q
Course of the Famine
A
11
Q
> blight was reported in
A
12
Q
America
A
13
Q
> entire crop destroyed by
A
14
Q
blight. Starvation and
A
15
Q
hardship affected many.
A
16
Q
> very severe blight.
A
17
Q
Potatoes rotted. Many died
A
18
Q
or emigrated.
A
19
Q
Autumn 1845
A
20
Q
1847
A
21
Q
1849 and 1850
A
22
Q
1843
A
23
Q
1846
A
24
Q
1848
A
25
> blight was in Ireland.
26
Early crop escaped. Only
27
some areas affected
very
28
few died.
29
> blight = less severe but
30
potatoes used for planting
31
had been eaten so there
32
was a very small crop.
33
Starvation was
34
widespread.
35
> blight struck again but it
36
Was less severe.
37
Response of the British government
38
• Indian Corn -> people couldn't eat it - Peel's Brimstone.
39
• Public works → Famine roads.
40
Soup kitchens - 3 million fed before gov. closed them.
41
Workhouses -> 200
000 people admitted
42
Results of the Famine
43
•
44
1 million died from starvation and disease.
45
•
46
1 million emigrated → many of these died on board coffin ships.
47
•
48
Use of the Irish language was greatly reduced.
49
Subdivision of land ended.
50
Significance of the Irish Diaspora
51
• Emigration created the Irish Diaspora - the scattering of the Irish population around the
52
world.
53
• The bulk of Irish emigrants went to America
especially Boston and New York.
54
They lived in tenements
faced discrimination
55
Irish need apply'.
56
• However
within a generation the Irish had climbed the social ladder becoming teachers
57
policemen and firemen.
58
• There are many important Americans with Irish heritage
e.g. Barack Obama and Joe
59
Biden.
