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
Collins held regular meetings with —- before and during negotiations
the IRB
Who was on the British delegation for the Treaty negotiations
Lloyd George
Austen Chamberlain
Lord Birkenhead
Winston Churchill
Hamar Greenwood
Worthington
Tom Jones
What skill did Lord Birkenhead have
one of the foremost constitutional experts in the country
What was Winston Churchill an expert on
defence
Who was Hamar Greenwood
Chief secretary for Ireland
Who was Worthington
Secretary of State for war
What was Tom Jones’ role in the Irish delegation
secretary
Nickname for Lloyd George
Welsh Wizard
Why was Lloyd George’s Achilles heel considered to be partition
the British public would not support a war based on the existing border
Why was the coercion of Ulster never an option for Lloyd George
his coalition government was almost totally dependent on conservative support
Who did De Valera choose as senior negotiator of the Irish delegation
Griffith
The British aimed for access to naval ports where (3 places)
Lough Swilly
Cobh
Berehaven
What did the British government aim for regarding financial matters of the treaty (3)
- they would agree to impose no protective duties upon the flow of trade between the two countries
- Ireland would assume responsibility for a share of the present debt of the UK
- Ireland would enjoy autonomy in taxation and finance
SF wanted the British govt to put pressure on Ulster Unionists to do what
end partition
Where did the Treaty negotiations take place
London
When did the Treaty negotiations commence
11 October 1921
When did the Treaty negotiations end
6 December 1921
How did the British seize the initiative from day 1 of negotiations
On the opening day the presented the Irish delegation with the British proposals which were based on the document rejected by de Valera on 20th July and included the insistence on Dominion status
After the British seizing the initiative from day 1, the Irish lost further ground by failing to table their counter proposals until what date
24 October 1921
What was the Irish counterproposals in October 1921 based on
External Association (Draft Treaty 1)
Talking about the opening of the treaty negotiations, which historian said: “the Irish had allowed the PM to seize the initiative and he was not to relinquish it.”
Rees
In the plenary sessions, what did the British seem willing to compromise on
Finance, trade and even defence
What were the 2 big issues in the plenary negotiations
Status and partition
What was the issue in treaty negotiations regarding status
Britain wanted dominion status
the Irish wanted External Association
In which plenary session did Griffith and Collins see the genuine dislike of partition among the British
the fourth one
As negotiations progressed, which member of the Irish delegation did the British find prickly and unreasonable
Childers
What did the use of sub conferences do for Childers, Barton and Duffy
excluded them from the key discussions
What happened when de Valera tried to curb the power of the plenipotentiaries
Griffith and Collins threatened to walk out of the talks if their power was curbed.
de Valera had to retreat and write a letter to them informing them he was not trying to remove their powers
By the time the negotiations reached the sub-conferences a clear pattern had emerged. What was it?
The Irish would make provisional concessions on status which would be contingent on the govt guaranteeing the essential unity of Ireland
Who were the ‘diehards’
right-wing conservatives who opposed Lloyd George’s coalition government
When did Lloyd George draw the Irish into having an interest in the survival of his government by meeting with Griffith
30 October
Who tabled a censure motion in the House of Commons against LG’s govt and why
The Diehards, they expressed ‘grave apprehension’ act the govts actions in entering into talks with SF
How did LG up the stakes of the censure motion
he turned it into a vote of confidence
What did LG say to Griffith in their meeting on the 30 October
He asked Griffith for personal assurances on the crown, free partnership with the Empire and naval facilities for the British in Ireland
IN RETURN FOR
LG’s promise to crush the diehards and fight on the Ulster matter to secure essential unity for Ireland
What concession did Griffith make on the 1 November
He committed to his agreement with Lloyd George in writing in the form of a letter
What did Griffith concessional letter to Lloyd George say
the Irish delegation would “recommend free partnership of Ireland with the other states associated within the British empire” NOTE: WITHIN!
During the sub conferences, a rapport was struck up between Collins and which member of the British delegation
Birkenhead
What did Lloyd George tell Griffith he would do if Ulster unionists were unreasonable when pressured about partition
resign
When did Tom Jones, British secretary, inform Collins and Griffith that LG would make one final attempt in getting Ulster Unionists to accept an All-Ireland parliament and if they refused he would resign
8 November 1921
What would likely happen if Lloyd George resigned
the coalition govt would collapse, with its likely replacement being a Cons govt led by Bonar Law, which would be hostile to SF
When did Tom Jones propose the Boundary Commission
9 November 1921
What did the boundary commission potentially mean for Lloyd George
he could escape his resignation pledge if it was accepted
What was Griffith’s understanding of the boundary commission
it would review the viability of partition and that NI would lose a large chunk of her territory with the rump eventually falling under Dublin rule
When did Griffith formally commit himself to the Boundary Commission
12 November 1921
What was the major consequence of Griffith formally committing himself to the Boundary Commission
he had greatly limited SF’s option of breaking with Ulster
When and who drew up the memorandum on the boundary commission, as requested by LG, to be shown to Griffith and which Griffith agreed to
13 November 1921, Tom Jones
On what date did the British present the Irish delegation with a draft treaty which contained the boundary commission
16 November 1921
What did the Document that Childers and Barton submitted on the 22 November 1921 argue for
external association
What name for Ireland did the delegates come up with
Irish Free State
(Saorstát Eireann)
What date was the Daíl cabinet meeting where they decided they could recognise the Crown for the purposes of association, as symbol and accepted head of the combination of associated states
25 November 1921
Who pointed out to the Irish delegation that Britain’s proximity to Ireland meant that they would never really enjoy the same freedom of other commonwealth countries like Canada
Charters, Irish second secretary to the delegation and legal expert
When the British made their final proposals on 1 December 1921, they had made minor concessions on what
Defence
When, after the British had made their final proposals, did Collins consult the IRB supreme council with the Treaty proposals
Morning 3 December 1921
When consulting the Daíl about the British final proposals 3 December, Collins expressed concern at De Valera’s wording in the oath of allegiance. What did De Valera refer to the King of Great Britain as?
“King of the Associated States”
After the 3 December Daíl meetings on the British final proposals, what instructions did De Valera and the Daíl cabinet give the Irish delegates
- reject the oath in its existing form
- if the conference was heading for a breakdown, break on Ulster
What was the careless remark by Duffy which led to the breakdown of Treaty negotiations on 4 December 1921
he stated that they could not come into the empire
What was the British response to Duffy’s careless remark during Treaty negotiations on the 4 December 1921
Chamberlain jumped to his feet shouting, “That ends it,” and the British team followed him out of the room.
The British would send their final proposals the following day.
They sent a letter to Craig saying the conference had broken down.
What did Tom Jones do on the night of 4 December 1921
He visited Griffith in an attempt to restart negotiations.
It was suggested that Collins should meet with Lloyd George the following morning.
In Downing Street on 5 December 1921, Griffith stuck to the party line that the delegation’s provisional concessions were dependent on Ulster and that they wouldn’t sign the treaty until what had happened
they had Craig’s decision on the acceptance of Unity
(i.e. trying to break on Ulster)
How could Lloyd George claim, during the 5 Dec 1921 negotiations, that id the Irish now tried to break on Ulster it would be a serious breach of faith
LG brought up the Boundary Commission, which Griffith had assented to in the previous month
What did Griffith say when Lloyd George brought up the Boundary Commission and pressured him to sign the Treaty
“I had never let a man down in my life and I never will.”
In one final piece of high drama on the 5 December 1921, LG brandished two letters, claiming that he had promised to let Craig know the outcome of the negotiations- One claiming peace, the other war. LG then claimed that those who were not for peace must take —
“full responsibility for the war that would immediately follow refusal by any delegate to sign.”
When, and at what time, did Collins, Duggan, Duffy and Barton (in that order) sign the Treaty
2:30am 6 December 1921
Historian Pakenham said what about LG’s negotiating skills
“Lloyd George, if he cast no other spell, had obsessed the Irish with a sense of inescapable personal responsibility.’
In the final exchanges, Lloyd George gave what 2 economic concessions to the Irish
- he dropped the British demand for free trade
- gave the new Irish Free State fiscal autonomy
What did Collins ominously state about his signing of the Treaty
“I am signing my own death warrant.”
