ireland

Question 1

background on relations

Answer 1

• union with ireland established in 1801.
• religion had created issues with ireland- england predominantly protestant, ireland largely catholic except for Ulster in NI
• 1845 potato famine- fuelled huge resentment towards british gov- failure to act and support them let to 1 million people dying of starvation
• absentee landowners- tenancies often unstable and irish farmers had few rights
• demands for home rule- many people thought that britain was not running ireland in the interests of the irish
• HoL had rejected home rule bills in 1886 and 1893.
• sinn fein, irish nationalist party- established in 1905.

Question 2

third irish home rule bull summary

Answer 2

• 1910 election- liberals relied on support from the irish nationalists
• 1912- 3rd HRB, moderate, proposed giving ireland its own parliament- just for irish matters and would still send MPs to westminster
• faced opposition- most living in the north were protestant and did not want home rule, fearing being dominated by the catholic south
• north was industrialised & wealthy and did not want to pay for the south

Question 3

3rd home rull bill detailed

Answer 3

• moderate, proposed the creation of an Irish Parliament
• would have a House of commons and an upper chamber
• would give ireland responsibility for day to day affairs
• NO responsibility for financial and foreign affairs- so some limits to independence, not full home independence.
• 42 irish MP’s still had to sit in Westminster in London
• All of ireland- including ulster was to be included (north industrialised and wealthy- did not want to have to pay for the south, and predominantly protestant- feared pressure from the catholics in the south)

Question 4

name of the 1914 mutiny

Answer 4

curragh

Question 5

what was the curragh mutiny

Answer 5

• officers in the curragh military camp were given unofficial permission to absent themselves if they were ordered against the ulster volunteers
• british army officers threatened to resign, rather than force home rule through
• minister for war forced to resign

Question 6

what did the nationalists form

Answer 6

• armed force- Dulin Volunteers
• in opposition to the Ulster Volunteers force
• leader was John Redmond

Question 7

what side was Carson on

Answer 7

opposition to irish home rule
wanted to stay attached to england
leader of the ulster unionists

Question 8

what did carson form

Answer 8

• organised an Ulster Covenant.
• covenant protested against the introduction of a 3rd home rule bill- thousands signed this, some in their own blood
• against home rule
• needed because the protestant north could no longer rely on the House of Lords to veto the bill (parliament act)
• ulster volunteers force was also armed
• had support from conservative leader Bonar Law,.

Question 9

why was there fears of a civil war?

Answer 9

• ulster volunteers (didnt want home rule) and Irish volunteers (wanted home rule) fought
• ulster side successful in the importation of weapons. private ulster army of 90,000 that gun running helped to equip
• nationalists (irish volunteers) tried to import arms but this was intercepted, led to fighting in 1914

Question 10

when was home rule passed and what stopped it

Answer 10

• passed in 1914, suspended because of the outbreak of war.

Question 11

summary of why the 1912 HRB was not passed

Answer 11

• opposed by those in the north- they were protestant and wealthy
• lack of support from the british army to impose this- such as the curragh mutiny when soldiers threatened to resign instead of enforcing home rule in ulster
• opposed by some in the south- wanted full independence, not the moderate proposal where they would not have financial control or control over foreign affairs
• house of lords- vetoed for 2 years as it was dominated by the conservatives, feared that this could be the start of the fall of the british empire
• failed to be signed due to the outbreak of war.

Question 12

what did bonar law pledge in 1912

Answer 12

• declared that there was no length of ressitance that the ulster volunteers could go to that he wouldn’t be prepared to support
• implied support for armed rebellion

Question 13

what was the compromise in 1913

Answer 13

• to keep northern ireland as british
• southern ireland would gain independence
• separating the two
• carson supported this idea