The Great Famine: A History from Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Discover the remarkable history of the Great Famine... Free BONUS Inside! The Great Famine which afflicted Ireland from 1845 to 1849 was one of the most catastrophic events in Europe during the nineteenth century. More than one-quarter of the population of Ireland died of starvation or associated disease, or were forced to emigrate. Ireland after the famine was a completely different country in many ways. The direct causes of the famine are simple to understand—a large part of the population of Ireland, mainly the poorest families, had become completely dependent on the potato as a source of food. In 1845, the blight appeared, a disease which affected the potato crop. Successive failures of the potato crop in Ireland led to more than one million people dying as a direct result. What is less easy to understand is why this famine was confined to Ireland and why the British government did not do more to help. The potato blight affected parts of Great Britain and other countries in Europe, but nowhere else did it lead to famine. For much of the famine, food continued to be exported from Ireland, and at its height, there was food stored in warehouses which could have been used to alleviate the suffering of the starving—that it was not represents at the very least a complete failure of understanding on the part of the British government. The Great Famine left a legacy of distrust and animosity between large segments of the population of Ireland and Great Britain, and this in part led to the movements which finally produced Irish independence. The famine also left a deep impression on the psyche of the people of Eire, and even today, Ireland remains at the forefront of international famine relief. This is the story of the Irish Potato Famine. Discover a plethora of topics such as Farming in Ireland The Blight Arrives Full-blown Famine Mass Emigration Poor Laws, Revolt, and the Return of the Blight Aftermath and Legacy And much more!So if you want a concise and informative book on the Great Famine, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, World History, European History, Education, Historical

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2019

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Young Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The clear conclusion and informativeness of the book make this work deserve minimum an average rate.

One of the most ironic outcomes from this "Great Famine of Ireland" would be John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States (1917-1963): All his four grandparents were children of Irish immigrants who fled from the "Great Famine."

Despite the author’s early assumption about “deliberate” British authority’s attempt to reduce the Irish population, which was incorrect, the clear conclusion and informativeness of the book make his work deserve minimum 3-star average rate: Good work!

You can find and read the full review here.

[Claire (Book Blog Bird) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really well written concise account of the Great Famine in Ireland in the nineteenth century. Unsurprisingly, we don’t get taught about this episode of history here in England, but we ought to be. The British (and by British I really mean English because Wales and Scotland had no autonomy in the nineteenth century) response was utterly shameful and this book does a good job of giving the facts without being too biased.

[Apollo Hesiod · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great famine

I find it funny that some of the practices are still being used today. I thought we were to learn from that past to not repeat. This was a very interesting read and actually made you think.

[Terri's Dangerous When Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I only knew the bare facts about the Potato Famine in Ireland, and I only knew it in the context that it triggered great immigration to North America. I feel I learned a lot by reading this book. I pity the million plus people who lost their lives - many were children and the elderly. I was especially troubled to hear that the British government had food in warehouses. and they did nothing to try to help people who were faced with starvation. I have always loved learning about the people of Ireland and it seems that the more I learn about them, the more I admire them.

[Kedavra Mandylion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea why I read this, I just ended up in a research rabbit hole while looking for something completely different.
I knew nothing of this topic and it was good to learn about it. I'll be reading more of this series because I liked how concise it was: great if you just want the basic facts. I also found it surprisingly balanced.
Now it's 4 in the morning and I am quite tired.

[Saurabh Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book which presents us with one of the shameful incidents of British history. More than a million people died and the reason for it was starvation which could have been avoided if proper steps were taken by the authorities concerned. This is a short book as all other books of the publisher is and can be read easily.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

While these books are just overviews, I found this one incredibly informative, and very very interesting. I knew about the potato famine but not to this extent. Thank you very much for writing this piece

[sean mackin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The great hunger

As the books points out there was no famine in Ireland the British government stored and exported food .I think it does not show the evil intent of Britain in relation to this mass starvation of the Irish people. In the conclusion it states the British were not responsible for the fact that the Irish people were dependent on potatoes as their main source of food .This is totally wrong the Irish people were driven off their land and forced to the west of the country.Cromwell said his solution for the native Irish was to send them to hell or connaught. The land in Connaught is hilly and rocky . The only crop that could be grown in these areas that could sustain this amount of people was the potato. The book also states that the people in Britain were unaware of the severity of the situation in Ireland. I find that to be complete nonsense. The Choctaw Indians who had suffered through forced movement and starvation sent a donation to help the starving Irish .If they knew of this immense tragedy hard to believe a nation 50 miles away did not

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure at least some people are aware of the Great Famine, the time Ireland was hit by a potato blight that .led to starvation and emigration. This book goes into detail about that and the events are actually more complicated that at first it seems. Among the topics the book discusses are:

1. Only 20% of men (and no women) had the vote in Ireland at that time.
2. There was more than one potato blight.
3. A Pope gave Ireland to England.
4. The religious problems between Catholics and Protestants played a major role in Ireland's history (and still does.)
5. There were uprisings against British rule.
6. The role of landlords in what happened.
7. The mixed response of England to what was happening.
8. How there was stored food but it wasn't used to ease the famine.

There's also more. It's a very interesting book and helps explain the bad feelings between many Irish and England. It also shows how immigration was a major issue even back then.

[Raven Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but very informative

My father's Irish ancestors came to America in 1847 and I'm willing to bet this famine was why. This was not something really taught in world history classes in the USA. When discussing anything to do with the Victorian era it focuses solely on England (London really) and only glosses over the positives. What little I learned about living and working conditions for the average person came from Charles Dickens novels. It was a dramatically different portrait than one painted by school history books. This book told me the basics of the famine that I was curious about. Prior to reading it I only knew there was one and a lot of people left or died. There's not a lot of details, but enough to get a clear idea. I recommend it.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read

The Great Famine of 1846-1849 was one of the most shameful episodes of the British Empire. It was bad enough that more than one million British subjects were allowed to die of disease and starvation, but this happened while food which could have been used to feed them was exported or kept in guarded warehouses.

[Robert Barnhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Summary of a Shameful Time

A great summary of a great Famine which directly and indirectly resulting in about half of the population of Ireland to die or leave Ireland. Very shameful when you learn the English in Ireland and England were exported food out of Ireland during the Famine because they could make more money.

[Wayne Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Enlightening

What a tragic story. No wonder the Irish people remember this every year. There are often disease and weather conditions that effect people but every Government should learn from this to take better care of its citizens so a disaster like this is not repeated.

[anne campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard Times

This is a short but very interesting book on the Famine years and how the Irish people were left to die unnecessarily and the roll of the British in these deaths. Good interesting read but harrowing!!

[Harry Lorsbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise Hiatory

This is a good summary of an awful calamity the affected Ireland and North America indirectly. It also makes a convincing conclusion the its affect could have been minimized by better effort by England, which ruled Ireland at the time.

[Mike Briley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learnt a lot about this poorly understood human catastrophe and the inhumanity of the british governement

[vicki hartung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot

There was more to this event the I ever knew. Well written, concise history.
Would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1843-1851, the Great Blight attacks Ireland

The Great Potato Blight is regarded as one of the greatest failures of modern European Countries, over 50 million people died.

The Potato Blight caused starvation, no work, sick people young and old caught many diseases that spread typhus, diarrhea and many other diseases. This is a sad story but needed to be told. Thank you for the Hourly History book, I love history, a well written book, fast, and easy to read. I recommend this book for everyone! Another good book by Hourly History!

[Kerry Steinert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Very interesting book. Short and to the point. I really like this series, they're very educational. I will be reading more.

[Franco Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough and exhaustive

Sinthetic but thorough. I enjoyed reading this book. It is a topic that is not talked about very much and is very interesting

[George Polansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A review of the potato famine in Ireland and England's reaction.

[William O. Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful look at the historical famine which struck Ireland in the 1840s and the factors of why it became so devastating on the Irish people. It is frustrating that so many have become so ignorant of major historical events like the Irish potato famine and how it lead many Irish to emigrate to places like North America.

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet

This short book gives a good summary of the famine, its causes and the repercussions. Over one million people died and the country changed forever.

[John Jackse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too many mistakes by too many people

The Irish blamed England, and England blamed the Irish. In the end they were both to blame. Just a big mistake that cost millions of lives

[Dennis Murra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrible avoidable tragedy

How sad that people with means could stand by and watch others starve. Now I understand where the IRA was established.

[kerry moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview

Very easy to follow and understand. It gave me the background I needed for studies of the 19th century. Excellent

[Gene Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad potatoes + bad government.

[Joan Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, factual, a good read