Disturbed Podcast Narrator

But do British actions, or lack thereof, during the crisis qualify as a genocide? First, let's define our terms. The word genocide didn't exist until nearly a century after the Blight destroyed every potato in Ireland. The term was coined by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944 to describe the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.

In 1948, the United Nations codified the crime that 153 countries now recognize as international law. The convention defined genocide as any action committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

In 1948, the United Nations codified the crime that 153 countries now recognize as international law. The convention defined genocide as any action committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

In 1948, the United Nations codified the crime that 153 countries now recognize as international law. The convention defined genocide as any action committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

Those actions include things like injuring, traumatizing, or killing members of the group, or creating a situation that forces the group to live in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Let's break it down. It's fair to say that Ireland was not a safe place to live during the famine, but to what extent did the British government cause that situation?

Those actions include things like injuring, traumatizing, or killing members of the group, or creating a situation that forces the group to live in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Let's break it down. It's fair to say that Ireland was not a safe place to live during the famine, but to what extent did the British government cause that situation?

Those actions include things like injuring, traumatizing, or killing members of the group, or creating a situation that forces the group to live in unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Let's break it down. It's fair to say that Ireland was not a safe place to live during the famine, but to what extent did the British government cause that situation?

The British did not create Phytophthora infestans, the mold that turned potatoes across Europe to mush. The acute cause of the food shortage was natural and can't be blamed on the Brits. But that doesn't mean they aren't responsible for the suffering that resulted from it. Indian economist and scholar Amartya Sen studied the interventions and outcomes of a variety of more modern famines.

The British did not create Phytophthora infestans, the mold that turned potatoes across Europe to mush. The acute cause of the food shortage was natural and can't be blamed on the Brits. But that doesn't mean they aren't responsible for the suffering that resulted from it. Indian economist and scholar Amartya Sen studied the interventions and outcomes of a variety of more modern famines.

The British did not create Phytophthora infestans, the mold that turned potatoes across Europe to mush. The acute cause of the food shortage was natural and can't be blamed on the Brits. But that doesn't mean they aren't responsible for the suffering that resulted from it. Indian economist and scholar Amartya Sen studied the interventions and outcomes of a variety of more modern famines.

He found that famines were almost never the result of natural conditions, but the human response, or lack thereof, to them. In fact, some famines occurred even when there wasn't a decline in food availability. According to Sen's research, precise corrective intervention can mitigate the worst effects of famines. Some modern governments have pulled this off.

He found that famines were almost never the result of natural conditions, but the human response, or lack thereof, to them. In fact, some famines occurred even when there wasn't a decline in food availability. According to Sen's research, precise corrective intervention can mitigate the worst effects of famines. Some modern governments have pulled this off.

He found that famines were almost never the result of natural conditions, but the human response, or lack thereof, to them. In fact, some famines occurred even when there wasn't a decline in food availability. According to Sen's research, precise corrective intervention can mitigate the worst effects of famines. Some modern governments have pulled this off.

In the 1970s, a drought in Maharashtra, a state in India, reduced crop output and put about 20 million people at risk of starvation. The Indian government delivered food and created employment relief programs. As a result, there were no recorded deaths from starvation. Now, Sen's research is centered mainly on modern famines.

In the 1970s, a drought in Maharashtra, a state in India, reduced crop output and put about 20 million people at risk of starvation. The Indian government delivered food and created employment relief programs. As a result, there were no recorded deaths from starvation. Now, Sen's research is centered mainly on modern famines.

In the 1970s, a drought in Maharashtra, a state in India, reduced crop output and put about 20 million people at risk of starvation. The Indian government delivered food and created employment relief programs. As a result, there were no recorded deaths from starvation. Now, Sen's research is centered mainly on modern famines.

Perhaps the mid-19th century British government didn't have access to the same knowledge or resources as the Indian government did over a century later. But consider this. Other nations avoided famine caused by the same 1845 potato blight. Nova Scotia, another British colony much further from the motherland, was almost as dependent on the potato as Ireland.

Perhaps the mid-19th century British government didn't have access to the same knowledge or resources as the Indian government did over a century later. But consider this. Other nations avoided famine caused by the same 1845 potato blight. Nova Scotia, another British colony much further from the motherland, was almost as dependent on the potato as Ireland.

Perhaps the mid-19th century British government didn't have access to the same knowledge or resources as the Indian government did over a century later. But consider this. Other nations avoided famine caused by the same 1845 potato blight. Nova Scotia, another British colony much further from the motherland, was almost as dependent on the potato as Ireland.

But their local government acted quickly to support the cultivation of different crops in the late 1840s, creating new food sources. If they could avoid famine on the frontier, it seems like Ireland could have at least fared better, considering the support they had from their economically advanced colonizer.