Did the United Kingdom turn their backs on the Irish during the Potato famine ?

Question

Did they let the Irish starve to death ? Is that why their is a natural distrust of the United Kingdom ? by the people of Ireland ?

Answer 1

Yes, not only did they refuse to do anything to help, but during the famine, tons of food was being exported to England. In addition, it was the English who ensured that the Irish peasants were so poor that all they had to eat were potatoes in the first place.

Answer 2

Yes, of course they did. The Irish were producing their own food, but the UK wouldn't let them keep any of it. The Irish people starved to death while the British empire turned a cold shoulder. I don't know if this is the main reason why Ireland doesn't trust the UK; probably a lot of it has to do with the conflict in Northern Ireland and the role the British have played.

Answer 3

Technically, yes as they didn't donate any food to Ireland, only potatoes and all the other exports went to mainland UK.

The anatgonism between the Irish and British was triggered by a mixture of reasons.

The most dominant one, of course, is the English occupation and annexation of Ireland. Aside from that, there was also the massacres that Cromwell and his troops commited in the 17th century that killed 1/3 of the irish population at that time.

The potato famine is also a major source of hostility, as it was proof to many of the Irish that the English wanted to see the end of them, as they literally flaunted in the face of a starving people and didn't so much as help them in any way, shape or form.

Answer 4

Yes. Vegetables, meat, fish, etc. were exported to England, leaving only potatoes for the Irish. The problem here is the potatoes were contaminated from mold and many of the Irish became sick from eating them. There should not have been a famine. If the English had not forced the exportation of the Irish food...history would have been different.

Answer 5

They did. They controlled Ireland and wanted to give over large tracts of land as rewards to their upper class. The British had already ruined much of the land by forcing the peasants into growing mostly potatoes just to exist and by stripping the land of many trees to build their navy. The trees being gone led to soil erosion and the over planting of potatoes led to further soil denigration.

The British thought it best to turn the land into grazing lands for cattle. Therefore, the less natives on the land, the more room for grazing.

If you would like to learn more, there is a novel out there that is historical fiction. It tells the tale of Ireland through characters it invented. The novel is "Trinity" by Leon Uris. It is long, but as good a work of historical fiction ever written.

Answer 6

No, In 1845 Robert Peel 's Tory government reacted with a grant of £ 100,000 to purchase Indian corn from the USA, abolitished the Corn Laws in 1846 to provide relief, (Fact)

Answer 7

Yes those bloody brits sure goofed on that one. Just look at all the great people that came to build a great nation on the other side of the pond. Now what do they have left.

Answer 8

yes