6) Year Of Crisis Flashcards
Did Asquith believe in the strength of unionist opposition and the possibility of civil war?
The belligerent speeches of unionist leaders such as Carson and Bonar Law were denounced by Asquith as a ‘Grammar of Anarchy’
“I tell you quite frankly, I Do not believe in the prospect of a civil war”
What was formed in 1913 in response to the creation of the UVF
IVF
Explain what the curragh mutiny was
This incident arose from the government’s decision to reinforce the army depots in ulster, which led to rumours among the unionists that the army was to be used to ‘invade’ ulster and crush the UVF, though the government had no such clear plans.
In March 1914, 58 army officers based at the Curragh army base in Co. Kildare said that, if orders were given to use force against Ulster, they would refuse. They were prepared to risk dismissal by refusing to march north. Brigadier-General Hubert Gough said that, to accept the Home Rule bill, he needed a written guarantee that the army would not be used to coerce Ulster. This critical incident limited the government’s chances of applying pressure to force concessions from Unionists.
What potential impact could the Curragh Mutiny have on the possibility of war
The curragh ‘Mutiny’ convinced Asquith that it would be impossible to take military action against ulster
When was the Larne gun running incident
On the night of 24-25th April 1914
What happened in the Larne gun running incident
The UVF obtained 35,000 rifles and 5 million rounds of ammunition from Germany. The guns landed in Larne and were collected by the volunteers’ motor car corps
What did Asquith do in March 1914 with regards to the HR BILL
In the end Asquith came to accept exclusion as a reasonable compromise plan for both nationalists and unionists, and also as a way out of his difficulties
What was the county option
This meant that through a simple majority vote, the electors in each of the counties of Ulster could decide separately either or for exclusion. Additionally, those counties which opted for exclusion were only to be excluded for 6 years
What was called in July 1914? And its consequence ? (2)
- In May 1914 the Third Home Rule bill was passed for the third and final time in the House of Commons by a large majority. However, when it was brought before the House of Lords, the Lords rejected the attached amending bill which allowed individual counties to opt out of Home Rule for six years.
- The government had reached an impasse. The bill was due to get royal assent within a month. King George V had been calling for a conference of party leaders to try and settle the issue since the autumn of 1913. Now, in July, Asquith finally agreed.
Did the Buckingham palace meeting achieve anything ?
Though it was generally accepted that the 4 ‘Protestant’ counties should be excluded, there was no agreement at all over the future of Tyrone and Fermanagh. As a result, the conference broke up in failure after three days without discussing any other problems.
It is fair to suggest, however, that the principle of the partition of Ireland had been accepted by all sides
