Malthusianism facts for kids

Malthusianism is a set of ideas developed by an economist named Thomas Robert Malthus. He lived a long time ago, during the Industrial Revolution, when many new factories and machines were changing the world.

In 1798, Malthus wrote a book called An Essay on the Principle of Population. In this book, he shared his main idea. He believed that the number of people (the population) grows very, very quickly, like an explosion. But, he said that the amount of food we can make only grows slowly, like adding the same amount each time.

This means that if the population keeps growing without limits, we won't be able to make enough food for everyone. This scary idea is sometimes called a Malthusian catastrophe.

Malthus's Ideas and Society

Malthus's ideas were important during his time. Some people, like the Tory party, believed in helping the poor through charity. But Malthus argued that this would only make more poor people, because it would encourage population growth without enough resources.

The Poor Law Act

Malthus's ideas influenced new laws, like The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. This law changed how the poor were helped. Some people who didn't like the law said it was "Malthusian." They thought it was designed to make poor people move away, work for less money, or eat worse food. This law also led to building workhouses, which were places where poor people had to live and work. There were many protests and even riots because of these changes.

Influence on Other Thinkers

Malthus's ideas became very popular in certain social groups. For example, the writer Harriet Martineau was a supporter. She knew Charles Darwin, who later developed the theory of evolution. Malthus's ideas about population growth and competition for resources actually helped Darwin think about his own theory of how living things change over time.

Criticism and Modern Views

Not everyone agreed with Malthus. One of the earliest critics was Karl Marx. He believed that new science and technology would always help us make enough food for everyone. Marx thought that human progress would solve any problems with population growth.

Even today, many people still discuss Malthus's ideas. Some believe he was right that human population growth could become a problem. Others think that technology and human cleverness will always find ways to feed the world.

Images for kids

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  Global deaths in conflicts since the year 1400

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  A chart of estimated annual growth rates in world population, 1800–2005. Rates before 1950 are historical estimates.

See also

In Spanish: Malthusianismo para niños