Why did so many people die during the Irish potato famine? Couldn’t they have imported food from the mainland?
In: 17
Ireland was, at the time, under the control of the British. Irish farmers technically only rented their land and were forced to give crops or money to their absentee British landlords, typically under threats of violence. This means that Ireland generally *exported* crops, even during the famine.
That’s a big reason why the famine was such a problem in Ireland. Potatoes are a staple crop in much of Europe, and the blight that caused the famine was common across the continent. Things were just worse in Ireland because Britain essentially forbid them from substituting in a different crop.
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