What really caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith

814,011 views ・ 2023-11-02

TED-Ed


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譯者: 穎君 紀 審譯者: 麗玲 辛
00:07
In the fall of 1845, the bright green leaves of potato plants
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1845 年秋天,
馬鈴薯的嫩葉點綴著愛爾蘭鄉村地區。
00:10
dotted the Irish countryside.
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00:13
For over 200 years, the South American vegetable had thrived
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兩百多年來,這種南美蔬菜在愛爾蘭的
00:16
in Ireland’s rough terrain and unpredictable weather.
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惡劣地形和變化莫測的 天氣下展現蓬勃生機。
00:20
Packed with carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals,
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馬鈴薯富含碳水化合物、 維生素,和礦物質,
00:23
the potato was a remarkably nutrient-rich crop
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是營養價值極高的作物,
00:26
that made it easy for less wealthy families to maintain a balanced diet.
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讓較不寬裕的家庭也能 輕鬆維持營養均衡。
00:30
By the mid-19th century, potatoes had supplanted other staple foods.
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19 世紀中期,馬鈴薯 已取代了其他主食。
00:34
And since British mandates ensured Ireland’s more valuable
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因為英國命令愛爾蘭將生產的 高價值農產品出口外銷,
00:37
agricultural products were exported,
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00:39
roughly half the country’s 8.5 million residents
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所以該國 850 萬人中, 約有一半幾乎全靠馬鈴薯度日。
00:42
lived almost entirely on potatoes.
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00:46
But when harvesting began in 1845,
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但 1845 年,農民開始收成時,
00:48
farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled.
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發現他們種的馬鈴薯變黑、萎縮。
00:52
Those who ate them suffered severe stomach cramps and even death.
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吃了這些馬鈴薯的人出現 嚴重的胃痛,甚至死亡。
00:56
Today, we know the culprit was Phytophthora infestans—
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現在我們知道罪魁禍首是 「馬鈴薯晚疫黴」:
01:00
a fungus that flourished in the season’s unusually damp weather.
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這種真菌會在異常潮濕的 季節大量增殖。
01:04
But at the time it was simply called “the blight.”
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但當時它只被稱為「枯萎病」。
01:07
The fungus likely originated in the Americas,
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這種真菌可能源於美洲,
01:10
traveling across the Atlantic on ships.
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乘著船來到大西洋彼端。
01:12
And while it destroyed potato harvests across Europe,
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雖然它摧毁了歐洲各地的馬鈴薯,
01:15
wealthier countries— then as today— generally fared better,
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當時較富有的國家—現在也是如此, 相對來說狀況比較好,
01:19
as they had more resources to draw on.
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因為他們還可以動用其他資源。
01:21
Meanwhile, the southern and western regions of Ireland
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相對而言,愛爾蘭的南部和西部地區
01:25
were already impoverished and entirely dependent on the single crop,
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原本已十分貧窮, 又完全依賴單一作物,
01:29
making them disproportionately vulnerable.
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居民因此受到格外沈重的打擊。
01:31
The impacts of food insecurity are often most severe at the poverty line.
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對處於貧窮線的家庭, 糧食不足的衝擊通常最為明顯。
01:35
But while the failed harvest created a class crisis,
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這場歉收造成了階級危機,
01:38
the government's response turned it into a national catastrophe.
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但政府的因應措施 則使之惡化成為舉國災難。
01:42
For centuries, Ireland had been under varying degrees of English control,
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好幾世紀以來,愛爾蘭一直 受到英國不同力道的統治,
01:46
and by 1845, it was part of the United Kingdom
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到了 1845 年,愛爾蘭 成為英國的一部分,
01:50
with its government based in London.
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政府設在倫敦。
01:52
During the famine’s first year,
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饑荒第一年,
01:54
this distant ruling body imported corn from North America
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遠在倫敦的政府機關從北美進口玉米,
01:58
and offered the Irish employment on public works projects.
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並提供公共工程計畫的 就業機會給愛爾蘭人。
02:01
But this relief only caused more problems.
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但這些救濟措施導致更多問題。
02:04
Imported food was poorly distributed and offered insufficient nutrition,
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進口食物分配不均,且營養價值不足,
02:08
making the previously healthy population more vulnerable to disease,
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使之前健康的人們更容易得病,
02:12
and increasing maternal and child mortality.
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還讓孕婦和兒童死亡率上升。
02:15
Worse still, the British continued to export Ireland’s grain and livestock.
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更糟的是,英國人繼續出口 愛爾蘭的作物和牲口。
02:19
Meanwhile, the public works projects required lengthy shifts
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同時,公共工程計畫 需要工人長時間勞動,
02:23
of grueling manual labour and were far from where most workers lived.
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且工作地點大多離家非常遠。
02:27
For example, just one of countless tragic incidences is the story of Thomas Malone,
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例如,無數悲劇事件之一: 湯瑪士・馬龍的故事—
02:32
who walked 18 kilometers roundtrip to work every day.
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他每天上下班來回共走 18 公里。
02:35
One night, exhausted and starving,
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有天晚上,他既疲倦又饑餓,
02:38
he collapsed and died just before reaching home,
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一進家門就累倒,離世,
02:41
leaving behind his wife and six children.
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留下妻子和六個孩子。
02:44
Despite the year’s countless tragedies, many families managed to scrape by.
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儘管這一年經歷了無數悲劇, 許多家庭還是勉強撐了過去。
02:48
But in 1846, the damp weather returned and the blight worsened,
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但 1846 年,潮濕的天氣 再次到來,「枯萎病」更加惡化,
02:53
impacting 75% of Ireland's potato yield.
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影響愛爾蘭整體 馬鈴薯產量的 75% 。
02:56
British relief efforts diminished substantially in the famine’s second year.
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饑荒第二年,英國的 救濟措施大幅減少。
03:00
And while international aid helped save lives,
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雖然國際援助的確有救助到人民,
03:03
the overall need was enormous.
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但整體需求太過沈重。
03:05
As the crisis wore on, the government limited who was eligible for relief
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危機持續延燒,政府開始限制 誰有資格得到救濟,
03:09
and tasked Ireland with funding the relief efforts themselves
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並要求愛爾蘭增加當地稅收, 來資助救援行動。
03:13
by increasing local taxes.
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03:14
Most modern historians view these disastrous policies
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現代歷史學家大多認為這些糟糕的 政策源自於幾個因素的結合:
03:18
as stemming from a mix of toxic religious ideology,
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有害的宗教思想、
03:21
laissez-faire economic policies, and political infighting.
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自由放任的經濟政策和政治內部衝突。
03:25
British news sources callously depicted the Irish
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英國新聞報導無情地為愛爾蘭人
03:27
as lazy, simple-minded alcoholics,
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貼上懶人、頭腦簡單的酒鬼等標籤,
03:30
and some London decision-makers believed the famine was God’s punishment
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某些倫敦決策者則認為這場饑荒 是上帝對這些罪惡行為的懲罰。
03:34
for these sinful behaviors.
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其他政府官員則因內部政治角力,
03:36
Other government officials purposefully blocked efforts
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03:38
to provide meaningful relief due to internal political rivalries.
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刻意阻止愛爾蘭的饑荒救援行動。
03:42
As with famines and food insecurity today,
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如同現今饑荒和糧食不足問題,
03:45
it wasn't a lack of resources preventing the British from aiding Ireland,
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英國並不是缺乏資源 才無法幫助愛爾蘭,
03:48
but rather a lack of political will.
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而是缺乏政治意願。
03:51
Seven years after the blight began,
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「枯萎病」開始七年後,
03:53
Ireland’s weather patterns returned to normal
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愛爾蘭的天氣模式恢復正常,
03:55
and the potato crop finally stabilised.
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馬鈴薯收成終於回穩。
03:57
But over 1 million people had perished from starvation,
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但超過 100 萬人因飢餓、 營養不良和疾病喪生。
04:00
malnutrition, and disease.
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04:02
Between 1 and 2 million more fled the country,
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一百至二百萬人離開祖國, 開啟人口外流的趨勢,
04:05
beginning a trend that dropped Ireland’s population to half its pre-famine levels
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1920 年代,愛爾蘭的人口 已降至饑荒前的一半。
04:09
by the 1920s.
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04:11
Today, climate change is making extreme weather more common and sustained,
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如今,氣候變遷使極端氣候 成為人類必須長期共處的日常現象,
04:15
leading countless agricultural communities to face similar struggles.
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導致無數農業區域面臨類似的困境。
04:19
Just as in Ireland, farmers living on the margins
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就像愛爾蘭的歷史一樣, 因為全球天氣模式變化,
04:21
are increasingly facing starvation, malnutrition, and disease
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生計不穩定的農民面臨 饑餓、營養不良和疾病等問題,
04:25
due to global weather patterns for which they bear little responsibility.
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但他們不是造成問題的人。
04:29
But history doesn’t have to repeat itself if governments and institutions
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如果政府和相關單位 能提供他們所需的援助,
04:32
can provide the kind of aid these regions need:
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悲慘的歷史就不會重演—
04:35
relief efforts that are coordinated and ongoing,
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密切合作且長久的救援工作,
04:37
provide sufficient nutrition to prevent disease,
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提供足夠的營養以預防疾病,
04:40
and are offered with compassion rather than judgment.
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並且帶著關懷提供援助,不做批判。
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