Great Famine of 1845-1849
Ireland was hit by a potato fungus beginning in 1845. What does the “Great Famine of 1845-1849” reveal concerning the living conditions of peasants in Europe in the mid-19th Century?
| It reveals that rural areas of Europe remained vulnerable to poor harvests and shortages, largely due to overpopulation, poverty, and rudimentary farming techniques and land use. | |
| It reveals that Ireland was ill-suited to growing potatoes, which the Irish had become dependent on over the years. Irish farmers should have planted grain and relied on dairy cattle. The peasants were ignorant of what should have been their best land use. | |
| It reveals that weather conditions worsened over the years of the 1840s, delivering too much rain to Ireland, which caused the fungus to appear. The Irish didn’t use proper draining techniques. | |
| It reveals that the Irish had too few people working the farms of Ireland. Nearly 75% of the population had migrated to South Africa and this left potatoes lying in the fields, which caused the blight. |
