What were the implications of British public policy for changes in social relations in the Irish countryside during the Great Famine?

Answer 1

I would try and answer your question fully and completely myself but I would still end up pointing you in the same directions.

But still I'm gonna try you have to remember that during that time 70% of the country was held by 10% of the population.

Thus many people in rural Ireland were either if they could afford it tenant farmers. Although this did not save many during the famine as they were evicted from there lots and ended up either catching aboat if they had the money or living by the road side or worse still in the work house.

But the vast majority were farm labourers living in pretty appalling conditions even before the famine but the british public policys at this time while well mean't did not really help the situation.

As the office of public works was set up to give many of these labourers jobs so they could feed themselves the jobs were to say the least pointless building many of the stone walls in Ireland and also building unnesscary roads did empoly people due to the fact that the main stable diet was gone. the British government had to impot maize this was much more costly so the money that was earned in a week would barly feed the family for two days. Many again ended up in the work house in many cases the most appaling conditions were suffered in these places.

Those who got on the coffin ships as they were called faced similar conditions.

You also have to remember that while the intentions of the british for the Irish to raise money and feed themselves was perhaps a good one many of the poorer Irish worked on a barter system trading work for food.

But I suppose the one thing which they should be held accountable for is the exports of food that were still leaving Ireland regurlay.

It is estimated that upwards of 2 million people died it killed the Irish population it is estimated that their were at least 7 million people living in Ireland at the time it is only getting back to those levels again now.

You may find these articles in answering your question more fully.

http://www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/feat2.HTML#top

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/hunger.htm

Answer 2

British public policy during the Great Famine had significant implications for social relations in the Irish countryside. The policy of laissez-faire and reliance on the market resulted in minimal intervention to alleviate suffering, leading to widespread death and emigration. This exacerbated existing tensions between landlords and tenants, as the burden of relief fell largely on the impoverished and vulnerable rural population. The resulting social unrest and increased dependency on landlords further strained the already strained relationship between the Irish people and their British rulers.