Who were blamed for the cholera epidemics in Cardiff due to xenophobia?

• A. Welsh farmers
• B. Irish people
• C. English merchants
• D. Scottish miners

Answer: (B)

During cholera outbreaks in 19th-century Cardiff, fear and social tension often targeted outsiders rather than locals. Cardiff attracted many Irish immigrants who lived in crowded housing tied to dock and industrial work. Because they were seen as different and foreign, they became the focus of blame when disease spread, a common response rooted in xenophobia during epidemics. This pattern—scapegoating the Irish—fits the context of those outbreaks in Cardiff, making them the group most associated with the blame.

Welsh farmers, English merchants, and Scottish miners were not the primary targets of xenophobic blame in this urban cholera context, where outsiders were more typically singled out.