Assessing the Effects of Laissez-Faire Political Economy on Irish Famine Relief — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

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The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
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Additional Information

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Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Assessing the Effects of Laissez-Faire Political Economy on Irish Famine Relief

Name: Timothy Tennyson
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Pleasant Prairie, WI
Faculty Sponsor: John Leazer
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of public works and workhouses in Ireland during the Great Famine with the purpose of analyzing the influence of laissez-faire policies on the effectiveness of British governmental relief under the Whig administration. This study limits its focus to the years of 1846-1852, a period in which the nation of Ireland experienced a net population loss of over 1 million. Through the use of primary source documents, secondary historical accounts, and a case study framework, this research provides a unique contribution to the continuing historiographical debate between Irish nationalist historians and their English counterparts. Ultimately, this paper contends that although public works and workhouses faced severe impediments to their efficacy regardless of British policy, the government’s strict adherence to the principles of laissez-faire political economy directly precipitated the demise of each of these systems of relief. This conclusion highlights a demand for further historical research on the aims and motivations of British government officials during the Great Famine, with a particular focus on public works and workhouses.

Poster file