Ireland 1851-1886 and 1886-1914 Flashcards
1
Q
what did the 1800 Act of Union declare
A
Ireland to be united with Britain too form the United Kingdom
2
Q
How was Ireland different from the rest of UK
A
- Ireland hadn’t experienced industrial revolution = majority of pop lived in rural areas. Potato famine 1845-49 ensured huge pop decline and unrest within peasant pop
- religious controversy
- Irish separatism fulled by Fenian Brotherhood
3
Q
potato famine 1845-49
A
- rural areas reliant on subsistence farming
- famine killed 1M and forced 1M to emigrate to Britain, USA and Canada
- mass emigration saw decline from 1841 8.2M to 5M by 1901
- unrest between peasant population and landowning classes = Irish renting off English landowners
4
Q
what are the religious statistics within Ireland
A
80% roman catholic
10% non-conformists
10% anglican
5
Q
why are the religious statistics in Ireland controversial
A
- the established church in Ireland was anglican
- this caused resentment amongst catholics who opposed the tithe
- this issue has been partly solved in 1836 but still prominent issue 1868
6
Q
1858 Fenian Brotherhood
A
- established in USA
- US wing
- a militant nationalist group
- aim was to create an independent Irish republic by violent means
- 1865-68 - series of ‘Fenian outrages’ occurred
- 1867 - failed uprising in Manchester
7
Q
what was the Irish wing of the Fenians called?
A
the Irish republican brotherhood IRB
8
Q
why was there a greater reliance on ‘working the land’ in Ireland
A
- linen industry hadn’t been able to compete with more-advanced English industry
- disappearance of herring from Irish shores declined the fishing industry
9
Q
Irish land act 1870
A
- failed policy - none of three F’s were achieved
- legalised ulster tenant right for ensuring compensation for eviction for reasons other than non-payment of rent
- principle of rent control introduced
- allowed tenants willing to buy their holding from their landlord to borrow 2/3rds of the purchase price from the state
10
Q
what are the three F’s
A
fair rent - fair prices
free sale - sell goods without tax
fixity of texture - security via contract
11
Q
context behind failure behind land act 1870
A
- landowners rented out land to tenants, landowners could evict or give 6 months notice without compensation for improvements they’d made until ulster tenant right
- 1850s-60s Irish tenant league advocated for the 3 F’s to protect tenant farmers
- want was supported by independent Irish party at Westminster 1850s
12
Q
issues with the Irish land act 1870
A
- amount of compensation depended on the size of the farm wasn’t more than £250
- fair rent decided by landowners
- following the onset of agricultural depression after 1877 evictions became commonplace leading into the Land War
- advocation for 3 F’s failed, landowners increased prices thus tenants couldn’t pay causing riots and need for peace keeping
13
Q
hopes the land act 1870 would achieve?
A
- clam the situation in Ireland
- encourage Irish landowners to develop more positive relationship with tenants
- improve conditions in Irish living
- ## it was seen to be anti-property and anti-landlord but passed with little opposition
14
Q
coercion 1871
A
- aim of church and land act: bring peace and reduce support for the Fenians
- yet need to pass Peace Preservation Act 1870 and Westmeath Act 1871
- gave extra power over arrests and imprisonments
- needed due to the failure of land act
15
Q
context to the Irish universities Bill 1873
A
- pre 1873 Irish university education was limited to trinity college and the Queen’s colleges founded by Peel (no present catholic university)
- Catholic Church objected to Peel’s ‘godless colleges’
16
Q
Irish university bill 1873
A
- university of Dublin separated from trinity college alongside Queen’s colleges and catholic university was to provide education
- need to avoid controversy: religion, philosophy and modern history not to be taught
17
Q
reform under Disraeli
A
- a pound for a pound grant for draining the river Shannon
- 1875 ratepayers could support national elementary schools
- intermediate education Act 1878 - schools receive a ‘float’ of £1M from the surplus funds from the disestablishment of the Irish church
- Irish secretary in 1879 created the Royal University of Ireland in 1879
- nothing done to alleviate the agricultural distress after 1877 leading to the land war and mass evictions
18
Q
home rule
A
- a system by which Ireland would have its own parliament, responsible for Irish domestic affair
- would remain under the control of Westminster parliament
- Westminster responsible for foreign and defence policy
- Ireland would remain part of the Britain Empire
19
Q
1800 - The Act of Union
A
- united Ireland and Britain creating the united Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Not universally popular and caused demands for Catholic emancipation
- Church of Ireland established alongside the Church of England caused dissatisfaction of catholic Irish population
20
Q
Emancipation
A
= equal civil rights for catholics
21
Q
Land ownership issues
A
- Anglo-Irish landlords frequently absent from the country, land agents and bailiffs looked after the landlords’ estates
- Land agents and bailiffs would evict tenant without notice or reason
- Sublet land by tenants
- Agriculture did not advance because most farmers employed on small farms, lack of money to invest and improvements increased tenants rent - counterproductive
- Poverty of Irish farmers caused anger aimed towards land agents and bailiffs
22
Q
the disestablishment of the church act 1969
A
- 1865 - Gladstone had declared in HofC’s that the Anglican Church in Ireland had failed as a missionary church
- 1868 - post fenian outrages he brought forward resolutions to HofC to disestablish church
- aim: disestablish church, ecclesiastical courts abolished and bishops elected by diocesan synods
- property of church was confiscated and 1/3 given to church as compensation, £1.7M given to the junior clergy and £9,000,000 given to poor law
23
Q
beginnings of the land war
A
- recovery of Irish agriculture ended abruptly in 1870s
- 1877-79 - poor harvests = return of famine, further failure of potato crop
- imported US grain was far cheaper than home-produced = farmers income fell = calling for reductions in rent
- mass eviction, 6,000 lost their homes
- demands for change were large and widespread
24
Q
Irish national land league
A
- Davitt - socialist believing in radical redistribution of land
- Parnell - president of land league
- Devoy - leading Fenian
- resulting in a strong and well supported organisation
25
Q
the land war
A
- land league provided practical help for edited tenants, carried out campaign of violence against selected landlords
- land league encouraged refusal of work by tenants when charged excessive rents
- aim was to ensure that ordinary Irish farmers became owners of their land, end ‘rack renting’ and achieve the 3 F’s
26
Q
rack renting
A
landlords would increase rents every year
27
Q
home rule movement
A
- support from Catholic Church, Fenians and 60 Irish MPs in general election, liberals
- Butt was unable to convince Disraeli’s government that the issue should be a priority
- conservatives had majority so liberal support had little impact
- Fenians removed support from the home rule league in 1876, want for different leadership
28
Q
the land act 1881
A
- gave legal status to the three f’s
- included the creation of land courts to ensure fair rents
- resulted in 20% reduction in rent over the next few years
- reduced the power of the land league
29
Q
1880 coercion
A
- Gladstone implemented in response to the violence of the land league who’d recently assassinated the leading landowner Lord Mountmorres
- greater power to authorities of arrest in Ireland
- Davitt was imprisoned and 36 IPP MPs expelled from parliament
- only increased support for the land league and IPP
30
Q
what did the home rule league rename themselves
A
renamed to the Irish parliamentary party, won 61 seat in 1880 general election
31
Q
Parnell on the second land act 1881
A
- vocal support would anger more radical nationalists at home who believe the act didn’t go far enough
- criticism of the act would reduce his bargaining power with British government
- Parnell chose to support parts of the act but notable not the land courts = his arrest and imprisonment in Kilmainham jail - released after 6 months
- parnell’s popularity in Ireland soared
32
Q
Kilmainham treaty 1882
A
- amendments to the land act: providing greater support for tenants and relaxation of the coercion act
- Parnell began to cooperate with the land courts, committing to peaceful methods
33
Q
phoenix park murders
A
- assassination of Lord Cavendish and the Chief secretary for Ireland and T.H Burke by a group named the invincibles shocked the British and Irish public
- led to the prevention of crimes act 1882 and suspending trial by jury
- Parnell saw opportunity and set up the Irish national league committed to cause of Home Rule
34
Q
INL obtained advantages
A
- gained support from the Catholic Church promising to protect its control of education at both school and university level
- 1884 representation of the people act increased the Irish electorate from 224,000 to 738,000
- 1885 election, liberal and conservative parties actively sought Parnell’s support knowing the INL could soon hold the balance of power in the commons
35
Q
Parnell’s approach to home rule and the 1885 election
A
- Jospeh chamberlain attempted to make agreement with Parnell whereby the INL would support the liberals in return for reform of Irish local government
- Parnell also met conservative Lord Carnarvon
result: Parnell encouraged Irish people living in England to vote for the conservative party
because: conservatives dominated the house of lords making it import for Parnell to woo them = promising for home rule bill to be passed
36
Q
results of 1885 election
A
- Irish party won 86 seats put of 103 available
- the INL held the balance of power
- home rule became forefront of British political debate
- the liberal government had majority over conservatives by 86 seats
- Gladstone needed support of Irish MPs to guarantee legislation passed by HofC
- Gladstone son leaked news to press = Gladstone had to proceed with home rule bill
37
Q
first home rule bill proposals
A
- Ireland would have assembly with two orders: one with 204 directly elected MPs and one with 28 peers and 75 members elected by leading Irish property owners
- Irish parliament would raise its own taxes
- Ireland would provide the B treasury with £3,340,000 towards empire and national debt
- British parliament maintain supreme power
- no Irish MPs at Westminster
- included land purchase schemes - gov lend money to tenants to buy their holdings
38
Q
reaction to home rule bill
A
- some believe home rule would lead to collapse of the British empire
- chamberlain thought it would lead to collapse of the union
- conservatives let by salisbury opposed home rule
- Irish protest minority feared a parliament dominated by catholic politicians
- conservatives and liberals joined to vote against = bill defeated by 30 votes
39
Q
politics around home rule
A
- glastoneian liberals won 192 seats
- chamberlains liberal unionist party had 77 MPs
- sailsbury’s conservatives had 316 MPs
- combined 77 and 316 = new gov
40
Q
Parnell’s decline
A
- 1886 election offset decline
- growth of nationalism threatened constitutional approach
- ‘plan of campaign’ = tenants meeting together to agree an acceptable level of rent - if landlords refused tenants wouldn’t pay, if evicted support given by land league
- reputation ruined from being named in a high-profile divorce
- Parnell’s death in 1891 failed to quell the growing conflict within the Irish party
41
Q
the second home rule bill
A
- politics post 1886 dominated by conservatives but Gladstone in power 1892 he introduced second home rule
- changes from first bill: 80 Irish MPs elected to B parliament
- passed by the house of commons with a majority of 34 but conservative dominated house of lords rejected bill by 419 votes to 41
- home rule remained liberal commitment until outbreak of war
42
Q
conservatives policies towards Ireland 1886-1095
A
- Balfour’s crimes act - gave magistrates new powers to deal with rioters
- land purchase act 1887 - lease holders benefited from fair rent
- land purchase act 1891 - gave £33M to tenants to buy their land, 55,000 did, tackled overgrowing
- local government act introduced system of county councils and district councils elected by male householders, shifting control form protestants landowners towards middle class nationalists
- Wyndham Land purchase act 1903 created 1902 Irish land conference of tenants and landowners. gave landlord £12M to encourage them to sell their land
43
Q
growth of unionism
A
- home rule was catalyst, growing fear that home rule wold equal ‘Rome rule’
- unionism northern movement focused on Ulster, growth due to decline in southern unionism
- unionist feeling was strong among the factors workers as thought free trade and the union had brought prosperity to ulster
- 50% of industrial jobs were in ulster, 40% in Belfast - fear home rule would end prosperity
- rise of ulster unionism and the land acts 1870 and 1881 dominated working and middle class
44
Q
growth of nationalism
A
- grew in the south
- invalided promotion of Irish traditions
- close links to the Catholic Church, Irish party and Irish national brotherhood
- increased militant political views, leading to the easter rising 1916
- sinn fein
45
Q
liberal government 1906
A
- Henry Campbell-Bannerman PM in 1906 with majority of 207
- focus was ambitious social reform
- improvements made to Irish higher education - national university created to educate catholics
- land act 1909 introduced compulsory purchase by tenants in certain over-populated areas
- 1909-1910 Ireland were on liberals agenda, followed constitutional crisis caused by people budget 1910 and parliament act 1911
46
Q
third home rule bill
A
- passing of parliament act 1911 followed by home rule bill no3
- removal of lords veto = home rule now had a goos chance of success
- liberals small majority meant they were reliant on the support of the Irish
- similar to the second home rule bill - Irish assembly with 40 members in its upper order and 164 in the lower, would be able to raise taxes and 42 Irish MPs sit at Westminster
47
Q
reaction to the bill
A
- Irish party strongly support the bill
- opposition from conservatives
- opposition form unionists - feared catholic control
- ulster businessmen thought that Irish parliament would be influenced by farmers who know little on northern industry
- 1912 = ulster unionists produced Solemn lead and Covenant outlining the opposition to home rule. signed by 450,000 people
- 1913 formation of the ulster volunteer force UVF demonstrated the strength of opposition
- UVF imported 35,000 rifled and 5M rounds of ammunition from Germany in 1914
- made it clear government could no longer ignore claims of ulster to be expect from home rule
48
Q
repose to creation of UVF
A
- Irish volunteers formed as a nationalist paramilitary force 1913
- volunteers established neither to harass gov not combat UVF
- Irish party initial critical of the volunteers opening the way for the militant IRB to influence the group
49
Q
negotiations over home rule
A
- commons supported Asquith’s proposal the Lords had the power to delay the bill
- voted against home rule
- the splitting of Ireland allowed parts of ulster to remain fully within the UK could increase conservative and unions support for the bill
- compromise urgent by the height of Curragh Mutiny of March 1914
50
Q
Asquith’s proposal
A
- allow irish counties an opt-out system where they could chose to be exempt form home rule for six years
- discussed at Buckingham Palace it was generally agreed that the four most protestant counties of Ulster should be excluded from home rule
- conference broke up without agreement
51
Q
pre war home rule outcome
A
- home rule put to one side and births military decisions changed course of Irish history
