Great Famine
The Great Famine of 1845 to 1849 marked a watershed in Irish and Scottish history when both nations suffered from a series of potato crop failures due to blight. The consequences of the Famine were met with hardship, eviction, death and disease and had a great impact on social indicators such as mortality rates, migration, and emigration. The famine accelerated changes taking place in the Irish and Scottish nations and for those whose lives were affected, it left a legacy of mordancy which to this day influences political and popular ideologies. There are several contrasting views on why the impact of the famine was as severe as it was in Ireland. One popular view took an ideological stance that the Famine was validated and intensified by the widespread belief that the potato blight had been sent by God and it was His will that so many Irish Catholics should lose their lives. Yet another popular theory was that the Famine was a classic example of a ? ... In Ireland, the famine was most severe in the history of European agriculture. ... It also takes into consideration mortality rates, migration within Ireland and emigration from Ireland during the Famine years. ... The tragedy of the Great Famine was the inevitable consequence of too great a population fatally dependent on subsistence agriculture. ... It was not until 1846, a year after the blight destroyed crops in Ireland, that the famine was generally felt in the Highlands. ... the Highland potato Famine was an episode of major significance in the history of the Scottish Highlands with fundamental effects on the living standards-emigration patterns and social structure of the region. ... Statistics also failed to record the deaths of infants and young children- two of the most vulnerable groups during the famine. ... The appalling pressures of poverty and famine in these areas reflect the consequential declines in population levels. ... North-east Ulster escaped relatively lightly from the Great Famine. ... Clearances had a great economic and social impact on those who had depended on the local economy as a vital source of income. ... Political agitation increasingly focussed attention on Irish social problems in the early 1840s, but it was the Famine that forced them to the forefront of British politics. ... provides an interesting look at a number of ideologies that shaped attitudes and responses to the Irish victims of Famine. Langel writes that in the beginning stages of the famine, advocates of government policy saw the famine as a ? ... Racial discrimination was most obvious in the eyes of the English public who believed that because the Irish were obstinate and unwilling to improve themselves during this time of Famine. ... as a means of promoting development was another matter of great contention. ... The Great Calamity? ... reaction of the British authorities to shortages within Ireland was a crucial factor in the context of Famine relief. ... This further validates that the impact of the Famine was much more serious in Ireland. The impact of the famine was not as devastating for Scotland in terms of mortality. ... The census records of Ireland in 1851 indicate areas where the famine hit hardest and these numbers reflect the prevalence of subsistence farming on tiny holdings. What is irrefutable is that the labourer classes were the hardest hit, followed by the smallest farmers, even though both these classes were already accustomed to seasonal migration and were in some ways better equipped to survive Famine conditions. ... Sullivan writes the impact of the Great Famine on the ?