What Really Caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith

Video

John Horgan
by TED-Ed
published on 14 November 2023

Dig into what caused the Irish potato famine, and explore how the UK government’s response turned the crisis into a catastrophe.



For over 200 years, potatoes thrived in Ireland; roughly half the country’s residents lived almost entirely on potatoes. But when harvesting began in 1845, farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled. While this failed harvest created a crisis, the government’s response turned it into a national catastrophe. Stephanie Honchell Smith digs into Ireland's Great Famine.

Lesson by Stephanie Honchell Smith, directed by Denys Spolitak.

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APA Style

TED-Ed, . (2023, November 14). What Really Caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/3073/what-really-caused-the-irish-potato-famine---steph/

Chicago Style

TED-Ed, . "What Really Caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified November 14, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/3073/what-really-caused-the-irish-potato-famine---steph/.

MLA Style

TED-Ed, . "What Really Caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 14 Nov 2023. Web. 29 Apr 2024.

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