British History Coursework: The Irish Famine 1845-1849

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Danielle Warren British History Coursework: The Irish Famine 1845-1849

Question: To what extent were British Politicians to blame for the disaster resulting from the Irish potato famine of 1845?

"Is ar scáth a chiéle a maireann na daoine"

"It is with each other's protection that the people live"

From the Fifteenth through to the Nineteenth centuries English Monarchies and Governments had consistently enacted laws which it seems were designed to oppress the Irish and suppress and destroy Irish Trade and manufacturing. In the Penal laws of 1695 which aimed to destroy Catholicism, Catholics were forbidden from practicing their religion, receiving education, entering a profession, or purchasing or leasing land; since Catholics formed eighty percent of the Irish population, this effectively deprived the Irish of any part in civil life in their own country.

In the eighteenth century the Irish condition had improved: The Irish merchant marine had been revived and ports improved, and the glass, linen, and clothing industries developed. Agriculture had also been improved and in 1782 the Irish Constitution was formed. But this changed when William Pitt became British Prime Minister. He imposed a "free trade policy", which destroyed Ireland's new industries, particularly