Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921 Flashcards
When was the truce of the Anglo-Irish War
11 July 1921
When did De Valera arrive in London after the truce for negotiations with the British
14 July 1921
When Lloyd-George met De Valera shortly after the truce, he gave a theatrical performance. What did he do?
He pointed to the empty chairs around the conference table at 10 Downing Street asking for Ireland to”take her place in the Commonwealth of “free nations”
How many times did De Valera and Lloyd George meet between 14 July and 21 July 1921
4 times
During his meetings with De Valera, how many times did Lloyd George make clear that there would be no compromise on Irish allegiance to the crown and membership of the empire, that Ulster was not to be coerced and that there would be a renewal of war if talks broke down
6 times
De Valera feared that an early compromise on Sinn Fein’s demand for a republic would lead to what
extremists in the movement breaking away
Who was NI’s first prime minister
James Craig
Who refused to join talks and sat on their “rock of partition”
James Craig
When did Lloyd George tell his colleagues hat no consideration would be given to Sinn Fein’s demand for a republic
20 July 1921
What was “dominion status”
an independence within the empire with “strings attached” on finance, trade and defence
What did Lloyd George tell his cabinet that Ireland would be offered on the 20 July 1921
dominion status: an independence within the empire with “strings attached” on finance, trade and defence
and that partition could only be ended with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland
What argument did De Valera utilise against Ireland being given “dominion status” with strings attached
No other dominion, such as Canada, suffered such restraints
De Valera said he found the document offering dominion status unacceptable, stating he would not present it to the Daíl or the Irish people. What was Lloyd George’s response to this?
He warned that a rejection would mean a resumption of hostilities.
After leaving Downing Street on 21 July 1921, how did De Valera concede a republic
After a suitable interlude, he sent a messenger to fetch the documents with Lloyd George’s proposals for dominion status and partition
Who was the South African prime minister
Jan Smuts
Who urged De Valera to accept Lloyd George’s proposals
Jan Smuts
De Valera delayed replying to Lloyd George’s proposals on “dominion status” and partition until when
10 August 1921
What did De Valera suggest as a counter offer to Lloyd George’s proposals on 10 August 1921
‘External association’
What was External Association
Ireland could enjoy the freedom of an independent state but be externally associated with the British Commonwealth
When and where, after De Valera’s suggestion of ‘External Association’, did Lloyd George hold a cabinet meeting where ministers reaffirmed the decision that the Irish must accept the Crown and Empire as preconditions for talks
7 September 1921
Inverness
When did Lloyd George move to break the impasse with De Valera after the Inverness meeting
29 September 1921
How did Lloyd George break the impasse with De Valera in September 1921
He sent a letter restating the govts position that Ireland would have to remain in the empire but coupled with this a fresh invitation to a conference which ignored all previous correspondence i.e. no preconditions that the Irish must accept Crown and Empire for preconditions for the conference
When did the Daíl swear an oath to the Reublic
16 August 1921
What was the consequence of Lloyd George breaking the impasse with De Valera, and De Valera agreeing to attend the conference
A Dominion settlement now became the reasonable, a Republic the unreasonable cause
Who, on learning of De Valera’s abstention from attending Treaty negotiations, was irate and accused de Valera of “abdicating his responsibilities”
Collins
Who said that attending the Treaty negotiations without de Valera was like “playing a vital match with their ablest player in reserve.”
Cosgrave
What 3 reasons did De Valera give for refusing to attend Treaty negotiations
- he was a symbol of the Republic and could not therefore compromise
- he’d be needed in Dublin to keep potential opposition under control
- any treaty would have to be ratified by the Daíl anyways, so he could supposedly stop anything he didn’t want
It is popularly thought that De Valera’s unspoken reasons for not attending the negotiations were what (2)
- he didn’t want a personal association with the inevitable compromise
- he was taking a decisive advantage over Collins in his rivalry for leadership
Collins “fall guy”
Why did De Valera insist on Collins attending Treaty negotiations
- use as “fall guy”, to take a decisive advantage over Collins in his rivalry for leadership
- de Valera recognised that any settlement approved by Collins had a better chance of being accepted in Ireland
Who was on the Irish team for Treaty negotiations
Griffith
Collins
Barton
Erskine Childers
Duffy
Duggan
Who was Griffith
Founder of SF and deputy leader, his opinion carried weight
Who was Erskine Childers
a very doctrinaire nationalist
What was Childers role in the Treaty negotiations
He was the delegation’s secretary, and would urge the delegation to reject dominion status
Who was Robert Barton
Daíl’s minister of Home Affairs
Who in the Irish delegation were relatives
Childers and Barton
Which two people in the Irish delegation were lawyers
Duffy and Duggan
Which two people in the Irish delegation hated each other
Griffith and Childeres
Collins didn’t trust Childers. Why?
He expected that Childers was in secret communication with de Valera
What was the paradox about the Irish delegation being plenipotentiaries
They had the right to sign treaties as plenipotentiaries, but de Valera still told them to answer to the Daíl before signing anything
The Irish were told by De Valera to negotiate for ‘external association’. Which 2 members of the Irish delegation did not fully understand what this was
Griffith and Collins
If the conference broke down, the Irish delegation were instructed to try to ensure that the break would come from —-
Ulster
What was Britain’s Achilles heel in the Treaty negotiations
Ulster
Who was Brugha
Minister of Defence