What were Com Laws ? Why were these laws abolished ? How did the abolition of ‘Com Laws’ affect the people of England ? How was the food problem solved by Britain after scrapping the Com Laws ? Explain.
(a) The Corn Laws were laws that allowed the government to restrict the import of corn. (b) In Britain, population growth in the late eighteenth century had increased the demand for food grains. As urban centers expanded and industry grew, the demand for agricultural products increased leading to rise in food grain prices. The landed group put pressure on the government to restrict the import of corn. (c) After the abolition of the Corn Laws, food could be imported cheaply. British agriculture could not compete with imports. Thus, vast areas of land were left uncultivated and unemployment increased. They flocked to the cities for jobs ormigrated overseas. This also led to lowering in the living standard and social conflict. (d) From mid-nineteenth century faster industrial growth in Britain led to higher income and more foods were imported. To meet this demand, lands were cleared around the world in eastern Europe, Russia, America and Australia.
