Britain then reaped the benefits of being the world's sole modern, industrial nation. Following the defeat of Napoleon, Britain was the "workshop of the world", meaning that its finished goods were produced so efficiently and cheaply that they could usually undersell comparable, locally manufactured goods in other markets.Within half a century agricultural produce dropped in value and estate rentals declined while the rural population increased substantially. When harvests of potato, the staple food of rural Ireland, were devastated through the onset of blight in the mid-1840s, thousands died of starvation or fever in the Great Famine that ensued, and thousands more fled abroad.
In a parallel to the modern west, America is the main economic powerhouse of the world. Years of low costs of living have left us unprepared for quick inflation. Similarly to potatoes, cheap fossil fuels are what form the basis of the economy of the west. When the modern west suffers, the rest of the world suffers doubly so. Foreign aid will drop, as will exports, trading and spending.
From the middle ages onwards, Irish ownership of the land of the island had been in decline, as waves of settlers, from the Elizabethan plantations on, assumed control of large tracts of land. A practice of consolidation of lands into large estates was widespread in Europe, but in Ireland it was complicated by the discriminatory laws applied to all faiths other than the established Church of Ireland, but which most directly affected Irish Roman Catholics, by far the largest religion on the Island, and the religion of the overwhelming majority of Irish people.
Now, this particular section has a particularly specific relevance to modern politics, as farming practices are also stripping individual owners of their lands. Small farms are on the decline, and the main source of food is foreign instead of domestic. What happens when food prices skyrocket due to rising transportation costs? trade will slow, and the West cannot provide for itself properly.
Even small plots could provide enough food energy for a family (and also to feed pigs, providing access to meat, while they could also be sold, providing extra income.) Other lands were used for cash crops like flax. The abundance of food and cash led to a rise in population in Ireland. The potato's benefits also led to a dangerous inflexibility in the Irish food system. The majority of food energy was being provided from a single crop.
Sound familiar? The potato formed the basis of the Irish economy, much like the cheap oil forms a basis for much of the Western economy. It provided food, a rise in population, and a frightening dependence on a single resource.
Lessons can be learned from this example. All taken from : en.wikipedia.org...
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