Irish Potato Famine (1845-1852)
The “lumper” potato dominated Irish fields before blight arrived. British colonial policies had forced tenant farmers onto marginal lands where few crops thrived. When disease struck, starvation followed with frightening speed. Over one million Irish citizens died. Another million fled overseas, permanently altering the country’s demographics. The catastrophe stemmed from agricultural vulnerability and political systems that left no safety net during a crisis.
