Download Famines - WordPress.com

Survey
yes no Was this document useful for you?
   Thank you for your participation!

* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project

Document related concepts
no text concepts found
Transcript
Famines
THE GREAT IRISH POTATO FAMINE
By: Erica Needels
Causes Of Famines

Drought

Heavy Rainfall Flooding

Soil Erosion

Diseases and Fungus

Economic Strife

Political Problems
Man’s Influence on Famine
•
Deforestation
•
Government
Control
•
War
Effects of a Famine

Social- widespread poverty and changes in human
behavior

Political- more government control often results

Economic- poverty

Environmental- soil is often destroyed
Irish Potato Famine
Some Facts


Occurred between 1845 and
1849
700,000- 1.1 million deaths

Known as Europe’s worst
agricultural famine

Many Irish people emigrated to
English-speaking countries, such
as the U.S., Canada, Great
Britain, New Zealand, and
Australia
Dependence on the Potato

Because of Ireland’s wet climate, the potato grew very well

It is nutrient filled, with vitamin C, amino acids, protein, thiamin, and
nitric acid

Great Britain’s tenant system

Growing population

Potato grows in soil that is infertile to many other crops

Small amount of land can yield a big crop
Interesting Facts

Some Irish families would eat
potatoes and milk three meals a
day, every day of the week

Many of the poor people did not
own knives, so they would grow
their thumbnail long in order to
peel the potato
The Famine

The summer of 1845 was cool and
moist in Ireland

An airborne fungal pathogen,
Phytopthora infected the potato
plant and spread through Ireland

The crops failed in 1845 and in
1846, and by 1847 the fungus had
destroyed 100% of the potato crop

Phytopthora is sometimes called
Blight
Effects of the Famine

Choice between starving or being evicted from their homes

About 500,000 people were evicted during the famine

Overcrowded poorhouses

Emigration
Conclusion

Declining population

By 1900, 2.5 million more Irish had
crossed the Atlantic

By 1900, the population was about
half of what it was before the
famine

Many Irish people found fulfilling
lives in other countries, but none
will forget this tragedy