Abstract
My Independent Study project is about The Great Irish Potato Famine and how it was a natural disaster, but caused by the British government. Before the Famine, the British landlords forced the Irish to become heavily reliant on the potato crop. During the Famine, the British government's polices gave little relief to the Irish and were indifferent to their suffering. Through my research, I found that many historians in the nineteenth century were willing to blame the Irish for the Famine, for being too lazy and morally wrong. However, now the popular belief is that the Irish are victims and the British are responsible for the mass devastation and suffering. If the British government had implemented more effective policies sooner to help the Irish, the Irish population would not have drastically decreased nor would the Irish have suffered undue pain and injustice during the Famine.
Advisor
Schilling, Hayden
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Furstenberg-Carroll, Nora, "Unnecessary Catastrophe--The Irish Potato Famine: 1845-1852" (2012). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 3848.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/3848
Disciplines
European History
Publication Date
2012
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2012 Nora Furstenberg-Carroll