Why do you have to dig up distant historical events, Kam? How could that possibly be relevant to anything happening today?
In the same vein, I was (can't remember why) reading up on the famine of 1845 onwards (specifically the Irish famine although many European countries were affected, which played a part in the 1848 revolutions). (Did you know that the population of Ireland has not yet returned to its level in 1841? Starvation and disease killed up to 1 million; huge numbers emigrated over the next 50 years.)
How many potatoes does it take to kill an Irishman?
Anyway, in
Great Famine (Ireland) - Wikipedia I read:
Quote:
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the impact of the blight was exacerbated by government laissez-faire capitalism economic policy, common in the world at that time
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and promotion of exports over domestic consumption was a major factor.
It's such a relief that these kinds of things do not apply in our modern enlightened world.