Final answer:
While some famines were influenced by environmental factors like the Little Ice Age, many were exacerbated by human actions, governance, and social structures, suggesting that the inevitability of famine is a complex and debatable issue.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is whether the famine was inevitable, which is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue. Analysis shows that multiple factors contribute to famines, including environmental, political, and social elements. For instance, the Great Famine of 1315–1317 was influenced by environmental changes during the Little Ice Age, diminishing crop yields. However, it wasn't just environmental problems that caused famines; human actions played significant roles as well.
During the infamous Irish Famine, although blight affected potato crops, the British government's ineffectual response and prejudices exacerbated the disaster. This demonstrates that governance and social structures significantly affect famine severity. Interestingly, Ethiopia was exporting food at the height of its famine, showing that distribution and land tenure issues, rather than sheer food scarcity, were key factors. Similarly, political decisions during the Great Leap Forward led to disastrous famines in China, whereas the 'green revolution' and agricultural innovations prevented a global famine predicted in the 1960s.
Moreover, Malthusian theory explains famines from a socio-economic perspective, suggesting that population control is vital to prevent outstripping food supplies. Yet this theory was challenged by evidence that innovations can significantly boost food production. Hence, while some famines seem linked to inevitable environmental conditions, other cases show that human factors play a crucial role in both causing and preventing famines, making their inevitability a subject of debate.