The Potato And Its Societal Effects Essay -- Essays Papers

The Potato And Its Societal Effects The potato had a great effect in Europe during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The potato was a part of the Agricultural Revolution that took place during this time. The Agricultural Revolution not only had a great impact on agriculture, but society as well. This revolution caused an increase in population. J.G. Hawkes, author of The Potato: Evolution, Biodiversity, and Genetic Resources, notes that the "potato [was] brought to Spain about 1570 by Spanish explorers who discovered it in South America. The potato was grown in the country of Chile. Hawkes also asserts that the potato was most likely brought to England around 1590. However, Redcliffe Salaman, author of The History and Social Influence of the Potato, explains that "the potato was a luxury food in England until the middle of the seventeenth century" (445). The potato helped to revolutionize society. During the eighteenth century the working class of England could not afford bread. Bread prices rose dramatically, but workers wages remained low. This caused a great deal of disease and malnutrition within the working class in England. Salaman notes that "the potato was mainly responsible for remedying this condition amongst the working classes of the country" (435). The potato was used as a substitute for bread because there was a shortage of wheat. The potato helped England to survive a shortage of wheat and bread. The Western Heritage Brief Edition textbook explains that with the potato, "a single acre of land could produce enough potatoes to feed a peasant family for an entire year" (381-82). Salaman offered the evidence of esteemed economist Adam Smith who said, "one acre land under potatoes would yield... ... it was and could not afford food. Potatoes had been the primary source of food for seventy percent of the Irish people. This Famine changed Ireland socially and culturally in many ways. Works Cited - Food and Drink in History: Selections from the Annales. Vol. 5. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1979. 5 vols. - Hawkes, J.G. The Potato: Evolution, Biodiversity, and Genetic Resources. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1990.. - Salaman, Redcliffe. The History and Social Influence of the Potato. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. - Szabo, Liz. "Interpreting the Irish Famine, 1846-1850." Liz Szabo’s Home Page. http://avery.med.virginia.edu/~eas5e/Irish/Famine.html (25 March 1998). - The Western Heritage Brief Edition. Vol. 2. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996. 2 vols.