It was a time of prosperity, population growth and better health, except in Ireland where over one million deaths were caused by a terrible famine when the potato crop failed in the 1840s. The Government did little to help the starving poor in Ireland. Along with the 1 million deaths, another 1 million would emigrate in a few short years, mostly to Britain and to the United States. The trend of emigration would continue in Ireland for decades and Ireland's population has never recovered to its pre-famine levels. The Irish language was almost wiped out. The failure of the British government to respond to the crisis in the eyes of the Irish public would lead to a growth in resentment of Britain and a rise in Irish nationalism. The Famine is remembered in Ireland to this day as oppression by the British Empire.