Chapter 21-22 Fight for independence Flashcards
What was the impact of the act of Union 1801?
All Irish MPs had to travel to London to take their seats
- meant they were outnumbered by other MPs who had little interest in Irish matters
- they sold their houses to people to rented them out to many families
- all employees of the MPs lost their jobs
What was the idea behind home rule?
The parliament could make decisions about issues that affected people in Ireland while westminister made decisions that affected the British empire
Who led the liberals in British politics?
Herbert Asquith
Who led the conservatives in British politics?
Andrew Bonar Law
What were the two groups the westminister parliament was divided into?
- house of commons
- house of lords
What was the House of Commons?
- elected by the people
- party with most votes forms the gov
What was the House of Lords?
- made up of rich noble men and Protestant bishops
- made up mostly of conservatives
What did the House of Lords do?
They had the power to veto any law they didn’t like
Who, when and why changed the power of veto?
- King George
- 1911
- a liberal gov in 1909 tried to introduce more taxes on the rich but it was blocked by the House of Lords who were rich and didn’t want to pay more taxes
How did King George V in change the power of veto?
He threatened the lords that he would take away all their power if they didn’t agree to the 1911 parliament act
What was the 1911 Parliament act?
The act said the House of Lords could only veto a bill twice, if the House of Commons voted it a third time they couldn’t disagree
When would Ireland have home rule after the third home rule bill was passed?
1914 but then it was postponed because of WW1
What was the unionists reaction to the home rule bill?
They were furious, 400,000 people signed a petition called the ‘Solomon league and Covenant
Who organised the Solomon league and covenant petition and what did it say?
Edward Carson and James Craig organised it and it stated that the unionist people would never stand for home rule
What was the army the unionists set up to fight home rule, how ,any members did it have and when was it set up?
Ulster Volunteer Force
50,000 members
Jan 1913
What does UVF stand for?
Ulster Volunteer Force
What did the UVF smuggle into the country?
35000 rifles and 5 million rounds of ammo from Germany
Who were the RIC?
The Royal Irish Constabulary
They were the police force
Why did RIC do nothing to stop the smuggling?
Many of them were unionists
What was the IVF?
Irish volunteer force, a paramilitary group set up to to defend home rule as they felt they won it in a peaceful democratic way
What did RIC do when the IVF smuggled weapons into Ireland?
Other made an effort to stop them
What was the Curragh Mutiny?
The leaders of the British army wrote to the gov saying they would refuse to fight the UVF
Why did the leaders of the IVF and the UVF both ask their volunteers to join the British army during WW1?
They believed if they showed loyalty the British gov would be on their side after the war
Who organised the IVF?
Eoin MacNeill
On what condition did Eoin MacNeill agree to use the IVF in the 1916 rising?
If the IRB could get enough weapons from Germany
Who did they send to get weapons from Germany?
Roger casement on board the Aud
What does ITGWU stand for?
Irish Transport and General Workers Union
Who led the Irish Transport and General Workers Union?
Jim Larkin
What was the Irish Transport and General Workers Union?
A trade union set up to improve working conditions in Dublin
What was the lockout?
A large strike caused the employers, led by a man called William Martin Murphy locked all ITGWU members out of work
What does ICA stand for?
Irish Citizen Army
What was the ICA?
An army set up to protect ITGWU members from attacks by RIC
Who led the ICA?
James Connolly
What did Eoin MacNeill do when Roger Casement was captured?
He told the IVF not to take part in the rebellion because there wasn’t enough weapons
Why did the IRB decide to go ahead with the rebellion?
Patrick Pearse believed in the idea of a blood sacrifice. He hoped his death would inspire Irish people to fight and die for Irish freedom
Who signed the Proclamation of Irish Independence?
Patrick Pearse
Tom Clarke
Joseph Plunkett
What day did the 1916 rising start?
24th April 1916 Easter Monday
What building did the rebels take over?
The General Post office
St Stephens Green
Boland’s mill
Jacob’s factory
How many rebels were there?
1250
Why did the rebels meet so little resistance on the first day?
It was Easter Monday so many soldiers were at the Fairyhouse races in Meath
Who was the commander of the British forces fighting in Dublin
General sir John Maxwell
What did the British army do?
They brought 16000 troops into Dublin and brought a gunship Helga up the river Liffey to shell the GPO with machine guns
How many days did the rising last?
6
Why were the Dublin people unhappy with the rebels?
- over 200 civilians were killed
- homes had been destroyed
- the rising was an insult to the thousands of Irish men serving to try win home rule
What caused the publics mood about the rising to change?
- the British gov decided to execute the leaders and some other rebels
- they also sent many innocent Irish people to Frongoch where they became republicans
- the gov used Sinn Fein as a scapegoat
Who founded Sinn Féin?
Arthur Griffith
Who replaced Arthur Griffith?
Eamon de Valera the only surviving member of the rising
What did the government of Ireland act 1920 say?
It was the partition of Ireland
What was the Irish home rule party?
The Irish Parliamentary Party
What did Sinn Fein do immediately after winning the 1918 election?
They set up a parliament called the Dail in the Mansion House in Dublin
What was the IRA
The Irish Republican Army- an army set up to fight for independence from britain
What started the Irish war of independence?
A group of IRA men stacked a RIC patrol at Soloheadbeg in Tipperary
What did the 1916 rising teach the IRA?
They learnt that they couldn’t defeat the British in a full scale war so they fought them using guerilla warfare
What were flying columns?
The IRA was organised into small groups of 40-80 men and they lived in the countryside, relying on support from the local people to feed them
Where was Eamon de Valera during the Irish war of independence?
He spent most of it in Lincoln Jail or campaigning for money in America
Who was supposed to be in charge of the IRA?
Cathay Brugha (the minister for defence)
Who was actually in charge of the IRA?
Michael Collins (Minister for Finance)
Where and when was Michael Collins born?
Clonakilty
1890
What did Michael Collins do as a young man?
He emigrated to London where in 1909 he joined the IRB
What did Michael Collins do in Frongoch?
He trained soldiers in preparation for the war he knew as coming
Where did Collins spend most of the War?
He was in Dublin organising a squad of 12 assassins to kill British spies
What was the main aim of the IRA?
To destroy RIC
Who did the British send to aid RIC?
The Black and Tans who were former WW1 soldiers
Who supported the Black and Tans?
A group of officers called the Auxiliaries
What was Bloody Sunday?
The most violent day of the Irish war of independence
Who died on Bloody Sunday?
- 12 British spies and 2 auxiliaries were killed by Michael Collins squad of assassins
- the Black and Tans went into Croke park and killed 14 civilians
- Dick McKee and Peadar Clancy, two leading members of the IRA were killed in Dublin castle
Why was a truce called for the Irish war of independents?
- it was clear that the IRA, although very successful wouldn’t be able to win a war against the British
- the expensive war was becoming unpopular
- King George V was becoming concerned about the violent activities of the IRA
Who was on the Irish Delegation?
- Michael Collins
- Arthur Griffith
- Robert Barton (a lawyer)
Who was on the British team?
David Lloyd George
Winston Churchill
Austen Chamberlain
What were the two basic Irish demands?
- a totally independent Irish republic
* the end of the partition of Ireland
What did David Lloyd George threaten the Irish delegation?
An immediate and terrible war
When was the Anglo Irish Treaty signed?
6 December 1921
What were the terms of the Anglo-Irish treaty?
- Ireland would be called the Irish Free state
- own army, flag, currency
- remain part of British empire and all TDs Would have to swear an oath of allegiance to the King of Britain
- the country would remain partitioned until the boundary commission promised by Lloyd George made its report
- Britain would keep a governer general in Ireland
- Britain would keep control of 3 ‘treaty’ ports for the use of the British navy
What happened after the Dail voted for the treaty?
The anti-treaty TDs refused to accept the outcome and walked out of the Dail
What were the irregulars?
The anti-treaty IRA
Who took over the four courts during the Irish civil war?
A group of irregulars led by Rory O’Connor
Who were the Free state Army?
The pro-treaty IRA
How+when did Griffith die?
Giffith died from a stroke cause by overwork on the 12 August 1922
How+when did Collins die?
Collins was shy dead by irregulars in Cork
22 August 1922 (10days after Griffith)
