What really caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith

Prevodilac: Jovana Babic Lektor: Milenka Okuka

In the fall of 1845, the bright green leaves of potato plants

U jesen 1845, svetlozeleno lišće krompira

dotted the Irish countryside.

prekrivalo je irska sela.

For over 200 years, the South American vegetable had thrived

Tokom više od 200 godina ova južnoamerička biljka je uspevala

in Ireland’s rough terrain and unpredictable weather.

na grubom terenu i nepredvidivoj irskoj klimi.

Packed with carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals,

Bogat ugljenim hidratima, vitaminima i mineralima,

the potato was a remarkably nutrient-rich crop

krompir je bio izuzetno hranjiv usev

that made it easy for less wealthy families to maintain a balanced diet.

koji je omogućavao manje imućnim porodicama da održe uravnoteženu ishranu.

By the mid-19th century, potatoes had supplanted other staple foods.

Do sredine 19. veka, krompiri su zamenili druge osnovne namirnice.

And since British mandates ensured Ireland’s more valuable

A pošto su zbog britanskih propisa izvozili

agricultural products were exported,

vrednije irske namirnice,

roughly half the country’s 8.5 million residents

oko polovina od 8,5 miliona stanovnika

lived almost entirely on potatoes.

je živelo gotovo isključivo na krompiru.

But when harvesting began in 1845,

Ali kada je berba počela 1845. godine,

farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled.

poljoprivrednici su otkrili da su im krompiri potamneli i smežurani.

Those who ate them suffered severe stomach cramps and even death.

Oni koji su ih pojeli su trpeli jake bolove u stomaku, a neki su i umrli.

Today, we know the culprit was Phytophthora infestans—

Danas znamo da je krivac bila Phytophthora infestans -

a fungus that flourished in the season’s unusually damp weather.

gljiva kojoj je prijalo neobično vlažno vreme te sezone.

But at the time it was simply called “the blight.”

Međutim, u to vreme bila je poznata pod nazivom plamenjača.

The fungus likely originated in the Americas,

Gljiva je najverovatnije bila poreklom iz Amerike

traveling across the Atlantic on ships.

i prešla je Atlantski okean brodovima.

And while it destroyed potato harvests across Europe,

Iako je uništila rod krompira širom Evrope,

wealthier countries— then as today— generally fared better,

bogatije zemlje su tada, kao i danas, bolje podnele situaciju

as they had more resources to draw on.

jer su se mogle osloniti na druge resurse.

Meanwhile, the southern and western regions of Ireland

U međuvremenu, južni i zapadni delovi Irske

were already impoverished and entirely dependent on the single crop,

su već bili osiromašeni i u potpunosti zavisni od jednog useva,

making them disproportionately vulnerable.

što ih je činilo posebno ranjivim.

The impacts of food insecurity are often most severe at the poverty line.

Posledice nesigurnosti hrane su često mnogo intenzivnije na ivici siromaštva.

But while the failed harvest created a class crisis,

Iako je neuspela žetva dovela do krize u klasama,

the government's response turned it into a national catastrophe.

odgovor vlade je bio taj koji ju je pretvorio u nacionalnu katastrofu.

For centuries, Ireland had been under varying degrees of English control,

Vekovima, Irska je bila pod različitim stepenima engleske kontrole,

and by 1845, it was part of the United Kingdom

a do 1845. godine, bila je deo Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva,

with its government based in London.

sa vladom smeštenom u Londonu.

During the famine’s first year,

Tokom prve godine gladi,

this distant ruling body imported corn from North America

ovo ustavno telo je uvozilo kukuruz iz Severne Amerike

and offered the Irish employment on public works projects.

i nudilo Ircima zaposlenje na javnim radovima.

But this relief only caused more problems.

Međutim, ova pomoć je samo izazvala dodatne probleme.

Imported food was poorly distributed and offered insufficient nutrition,

Uvezena hrana je bila loše raspodeljena i nije pružala dovoljno nutrijenata

making the previously healthy population more vulnerable to disease,

što je prethodno zdravu populaciju učinilo preosetljivom na bolesti

and increasing maternal and child mortality.

i povećalo smrtnost kod majki i dece.

Worse still, the British continued to export Ireland’s grain and livestock.

Da situacija bude još gora, Britanci su i dalje izvozili stoku i žitarice iz Irske.

Meanwhile, the public works projects required lengthy shifts

U međuvremenu, projekti javnih radova zahtevali su dugotrajne smene

of grueling manual labour and were far from where most workers lived.

napornog fizičkog rada i bili su udaljeni od mesta gde većina radnika živi.

For example, just one of countless tragic incidences is the story of Thomas Malone,

Na primer, jedan od brojnih tragčnih primera jeste priča Tomasa Malona

who walked 18 kilometers roundtrip to work every day.

koji je hodao 18 kilometara do posla i nazad svaki dan

One night, exhausted and starving,

Jednu noć, umoran i gladan

he collapsed and died just before reaching home,

pao je i umro odmah ispred svoje kuće,

leaving behind his wife and six children.

ostavljajući iza sebe ženu i šestoro dece.

Despite the year’s countless tragedies, many families managed to scrape by.

Uprkos brojnim tragedijama te godine, mnoge porodice su uspele da prežive.

But in 1846, the damp weather returned and the blight worsened,

Međutim, 1846, vlažno vreme se vratilo, a plamenjača se pogoršala,

impacting 75% of Ireland's potato yield.

i zahvatila 75% irskog prinosa krompira.

British relief efforts diminished substantially in the famine’s second year.

Britanski napori za pomoć su se značajno smanjili tokom druge godine gladi.

And while international aid helped save lives,

Iako je međunarodna pomoć doprinela u spasavanju života,

the overall need was enormous.

potreba za njom je bila ogromna.

As the crisis wore on, the government limited who was eligible for relief

Dok se kriza nastavljala, vlada je smanjila broj ljudi koji su primali pomoć

and tasked Ireland with funding the relief efforts themselves

i zadužila Irsku da sama finansira napore pomoći

by increasing local taxes.

povećavajući lokalne poreze.

Most modern historians view these disastrous policies

Većina savremenih istoričara posmatra ove katastrofalne strategije

as stemming from a mix of toxic religious ideology,

kao mešavinu toksične verske ideologije,

laissez-faire economic policies, and political infighting.

lese fer ekonomske politike i političkih sukoba.

British news sources callously depicted the Irish

Britanske vesti bezosećajno su prikazale Irce

as lazy, simple-minded alcoholics,

kao gomilu lenjih, ograničenih alkoholičara,

and some London decision-makers believed the famine was God’s punishment

dok su neki londonski zakonodavci verovali da je glad božja kazna

for these sinful behaviors.

za njihovo grešno ponašanje.

Other government officials purposefully blocked efforts

Drugi zvaničnici su namerno blokirali napore

to provide meaningful relief due to internal political rivalries.

za pružanjem bilo kakve značajne pomoći zbog internih političkih rivalstava.

As with famines and food insecurity today,

Kao što je i danas slučaj sa glađu i nesigurnošću hrane,

it wasn't a lack of resources preventing the British from aiding Ireland,

manjak resursa nije bio taj koji je sprečio Britance da pomognu Irskoj

but rather a lack of political will.

već manjak političke volje.

Seven years after the blight began,

Sedam godina nakon početka gladi,

Ireland’s weather patterns returned to normal

vremenski obrasci u Irskoj su se vratili u noramalu,

and the potato crop finally stabilised.

a usevi krompira su se stabilizovali.

But over 1 million people had perished from starvation,

Više od milion ljudi je umrlo zbog gladi,

malnutrition, and disease.

loše ishrane i bolesti.

Between 1 and 2 million more fled the country,

Između jednog i dva miliona je napustilo zemlju,

beginning a trend that dropped Ireland’s population to half its pre-famine levels

započevši trend koji je do 1920-ih prepolovio Irsku populaciju u odnosu

by the 1920s.

na nivo pre gladi.

Today, climate change is making extreme weather more common and sustained,

Danas klimatske promene uzrokuju češće i dugotrajnije ekstremne vremenske uslove,

leading countless agricultural communities to face similar struggles.

terajući brojne poljoprivredne zajednice da se suoče sa sličnim problemima.

Baš kao i u Irskoj, poljoprivrednici koji žive na marginama

Just as in Ireland, farmers living on the margins

are increasingly facing starvation, malnutrition, and disease

se sve više suočavaju sa glađu, neuhranjenošću i bolestima

due to global weather patterns for which they bear little responsibility.

zbog globalnih vremenskih obrazaca koje oni sami nisu izazvali.

But history doesn’t have to repeat itself if governments and institutions

Ali istorija neće morati da se ponovi, ako vlade i institucije

can provide the kind of aid these regions need:

obezbede tip pomoći koji je potreban ovim regionima:

relief efforts that are coordinated and ongoing,

koordinisane i trajne napori pomoći,

provide sufficient nutrition to prevent disease,

pružanje odgovarajuće ishrane radi prevencije bolesti

and are offered with compassion rather than judgment.

i na kraju, saosećanje umesto osude.