The Irish Potato famine of the 1840 is one of the most tragic chapters in its history, and much discussion has centred on British Culpability for the extent of the disaster. What most people don't know is that much of the prevailing philosophical ideology that influenced attitudes among the ruling classes was the direct result of Thomas Malthus demographic arguments about the nature of population growth. His work was so influential that both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace studied him extensively such that the theory of Natural Selection drew inspiration from his work. History would ultimately prove him wrong, but the backlash came in the form of widespread reformist trade union activism, which Carl Marx, then travelling throughout London, used to crystallise his own socialist theories. #irish #famine #history #Malthus #darwin #marx #socialism This Extract is from our full length video entitled: The Irish Problem, Fenian Rebels and the Catalpa Rescue; which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/XS7COJeHltE If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via PayPal or sign up as a Patreon supporter to help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4D958V58PAVDU https://www.patreon.com/heroesandlegends https://buymeacoffee.com/infoQh For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: www.heroesandlegends.com.au ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJghbFGazBU

We often look at history through the actions of great individuals, technological developments and natural events that initiate social, political and economic change. Sometimes animals play a role in those changes - such as the domestication of sheep, cattle and horses thousands of years ago as sources of food and burden or the ability to travel quickly and provide their riders with a battle platform. But despite those benefits, Europeans nevertheless continued to some degree to be constrained in their ability to travel long distances across oceans by the limits of nutritional deficiency- that is to say, disease borne of malnutrition. But all this began to change when the Vikings began to dry and store a fish called the Cod, whose particular makeup was unlike that of other fish. When they introduced it to other Europeans, the Basques in particular began salting the cod, which made the fish even more resistant to spoiling, and allowed them to travel great distances by ship. Tied into this new ability to travel was the discovery by fishermen of America - long before the celebrated explorers that we all learned about in school. These fishermen were feeding the impoverished and famine affected population of Europe with American Cod centuries before their monarchs began their official scramble for control of the New World, and the story of how they came to do it is one not widely known. Moreover, its also not widely known, that the Cod played a substantial role not only in the survival, economy and independence of the colonies of North America, but they facilitated significant social, political and economic progress that has led directly to the formation of the liberal democracies we live in today. #cod #documentary #vikings #basque #history #columbus #exploration #fishing #conservation #cabot #america #newfoundland #canada #bristol All footage used in this montage remains the property of its respected creators, is used purely for educational purposes and is gratefully acknowledged in the end credits. The concept and some of the data used in the video was drawn from Mark Kurlansky's book: Cod- a biography of the fish that changed the world. Grateful acknowledgement and a great read! Content: 00:00 0:02:55 Basque Prehistory, Roman and Post Roman History 0:10:05 Eric Thorvaldsson 0:12:45 Leif Erikson and the American Viking Colonies 0:18:47 Basque Cod Fishing during the middle ages 0:23:10 The Hanseatic League 0:25:07 Hy-Brazil & the Croft and Jay expedition of 1480 0:27:55 John Cabot / Giovanni Caboto and his connection to Columbus and Vespucci 0:32:04 Joao Fernandes Lavrador 0:34:57 Pre Columbian Atlantic Crossing by of Alonso Sanchez de Huelva 0:37:12 Jacques Cartier's voyage to Canada 0:39:01 Other Pre-Columbian Atlantic Crossings: 0:55:09 The English move into Canada, Salt Problems and the Portuguese alliance 0:59:30 John Smith, Jamestown and the Pilgrim emigration to Plymouth 1:00:00 New England Cod fishing economy and the Codfish Aristocracy 1:05:08 Caribbean exports and the Molasses Aristocracy 1:07:10 The Trade and Navigation Acts; Stamp Act and road to Revolution 1:11:33 John Adams and the Post Revolutionary claims on Fishing Grounds 1:23:34 19th C. Evolutionary theory and Infinite Resources 1:26:50 Clarence Birdseye 1:29:33 Harry Truman, Continental Shelf Laws and the Icelandic Cod Wars 1:37:00 Decline of American Fisheries and Conclusion ERRATA / CORRIGENDA: 1. while there's no doubt that Eric was grossly exaggerating the charms of Greenland, we do know that during the medieval warm period some isolated farming was possible. I hope viewers will forgive my "milking the meme" for added humour. 2. Hy-Brazil was an Irish Celtic legend about an enchanted island somewhere off the western coast, shrouded in a dense mist that made it difficult to find. It was said to be a paradise, with music, feasting, and eternal youth, and was ruled by a powerful wizard or druid. In the video I suggested it might have originated with Basque or Viking sailors. If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via the heart-shaped Thanks link on your Youtube screen; via PayPal; or why not sign up as a Patreon supporter to get advanced screenings of new videos and help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4D958V58PAVDU https://www.patreon.com/heroesandlegends https://buymeacoffee.com/infoQh For an audio-narration only version of this video please visit the Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast, via Spotify, Itunes or other leading broadcasters. For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: www.heroesandlegends.com.au ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxyuiZeHWq0