Political Developments in 20th Century Ireland, 1900 - 1999 Flashcards
In 1900, Ireland was a colony of…
The British Empire
What did the Act of Union, 1800 do?
It made Ireland part of the UK (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland)
What were the two main political parties in Westminster around the year of 1910?
Conservative Party
Liberal Party
Who was the leader of the Liberal Party around the year of 1910?
Herbert Asquith
Who was the Prime Minister around the year of 1910?
Herbert Asquith
What was the biggest party in Westminster around the year of 1910?
The Liberal Party
What parties did the Irish vote while under British rule?
Home Rule Party
Unionist Party
Who was the leader of the Home Rule Party around the year of 1910?
John Redmond
Who was the leader of the Unionist Party around the year of 1910?
Edward Carson and James Craig
Westminster has two houses of parliament. What are they?
House of Commons
House of Lords
Did the Liberal Party support Home Rule for Ireland?
Yes
Did the Conservative Party support Home Rule for Ireland?
No
What did the Home Rule Party want for Ireland?
They wanted a parliament in Ireland with control over domestic affairs (education, health etc)
Did the Unionist Party support Home Rule for Ireland?
No they were strongly anti-home rule. They wanted Ireland to remain part of the UK
The House of Lords was dominated by which party?
The Conservative Party
What needed to occur for the Home Rule Bill to be passed in Ireland?
In order for the Home Rule Bill to be passed in Ireland, the House of Commons and the House of Lords would have to vote to accept it
Why could the Home Rule Bill never be passed up to 1910?
In 1910, the House of Lords had the power of veto so would never agree to pass the Home Rule Bill
What act was passed in 1911? What was this act?
The Parliament Act. It took away the House of Lords power of veto. Instead, they could only delay bills for 2 years. After 2 years, it would become law
Was the Home Rule Bill passed after the Parliament Act was introduced?
In 1912, the House of Commons debated on The Third Home Rule Bill. They passed it! But, the House of Lords delayed it. It was to become law in 1914. However it was postponed due to the outbreak of WWI
What was the Unionist reaction to the Home Rule Bill?
They were horrified that Ireland was going to get some form of independence
In what ways did the unionists resist the Home Rule Bill?
- They organised mass demonstrations
- They signed the ‘Ulster Solemn League and Covenant’
- They set up the Ulster Volunteer Force
- They produced anti-Home Rule posters or propaganda
How many people signed the ‘Ulster Solemn League and Covenant’?
500,000
When was the ‘Ulster Solemn League and Covenant’ signed?
On Ulster Day, September 1912
What was the UVF?
The Ulster Volunteer Force. It was the military wing of the Unionist Party. Their role was to resist Home Rule with force, if necessary
What was the Larne Gun-running?
The UVF bought guns from a German company and smuggle them into Ireland in an event known as the Larne Gun-Running
What was the Nationalist reaction to the Unionist opposition to the Home Rule Bill?
Many home rulers were furious with the unionists, especially because they set up the UVF
What was the name of the Nationalists military wing? When did they set it up? Who was it led by?
The Nationalists set up their own military wing in 1913. They called it the Irish National Volunteers. It was led by Eoin Mac Neill
What was the ‘Howth Gun Running’?
The Irish National Volunteers also bought guns and ammo from Germany. They arrived in Dublin in an event known as the ‘Howth Gun Running’
The Nationalists were split in whether they should stay in Ireland or join the British army and fight in World War I. This caused a divide in the Irish National volunteers. What two groups did they split into?
National Volunteers - led by Redmond. They went to fight in WWI
Irish Volunteers- led by MacNeill. They stayed in Ireland to defend to Home Rule Bill if passed
How many Irish men died during World War I?
30,000
What was the Gaelic League and who set it up?
- Set up by Eoin McNeill
- Promoted the Irish language
- There were Irish classes and a bilingual newspaper edited by Pádraig Pearse
What was the Gaelic Athletic Association and who was it set up by?
- It was set up by Michael Cusack and Archbishop Croke
* Promote Irish sports
What was the Anglo Irish Literary Revival and who set it up?
- Set up by WB Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory
* Produce literature and plays written in English but about Irish society
What was the ITGWU?
The Irish Transport and General Workers Union was Ireland’s first trade union
Who set up the ITGWU?
James Larkin to protect workers rights
What was the 1913 Strike & Lock Out?
- Members of the ITGWU went on strike in September 1913
* There employers, led by William Martin Murphy, locked them out of their jobs for many months
Who set up soup kitchens to feed striking workers in the 1913 Strike & Lock Out?
Countess Markievicz
Who set up the ICA? Why?
James Connolly set up the Irish Citizen Army to protect the ITWGU workers from police brutality during the 1913 Strike & Lock Out
Who set up Sinn Féin and when?
Sinn Fein was set up in 1905 by Arthur Griffith
What was Sinn Féin’s view on Home Rule?
They looked for more than Home Rule but less than complete independence. They were the middle ground between the aims of the HR Party and the IRB
In what way did Sinn Fein want to keep a link with Britain?
They wanted to withdraw Irish MPs from Westminster and set up an Irish Parliament, but keep a link with Britain by keeping the king as head of state
Did Sinn Féin plan to use violence to achieve their aims?
No, they wanted to achieve their aims peacefully
What does IRB stand for?
Irish Republican Brotherhood
Describe the IRB and outline their aims
- Extreme nationalists
- Wanted full independence (republic)
- Prepared to use force (violence)
- Led by a supreme council – Tom Clarke, Padraig Pearse, Joseph Plunkett, Sean Mac Dermott etc
What was the motto of the IRB?
“England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity”
What did the IRB form to plan the Easter Rising?
A military council
The IRB needed men and guns in order to carry out the rising. Where did they find men? (fighters)
►The Irish Volunteers (MacNeill’s group)
►The ICA (James Connolly’s group)
The IRB needed men and guns in order to carry out the rising. Where did they get guns?
►Sent Rodger Casement to Germany to get guns and men
►He sailed back to Ireland in April 1916 in a submarine and the guns were on a ship called the ‘Aud’
►This would arrive in Tralee, Co. Kerry on Easter Weekend, 1916. This was the signal for the rising to begin
►The ‘Aud’ sank and the guns were lost
►MacNeill realises he’s been tricked and tells his Volunteers not to take part
When did the Easter Rising Begin?
Despite the lack of men and weapons, th IRB Military Council decided to go ahead with the Rising on Easter Monday, April 22, 1916
What happened on the Monday of the 1916 Rising?
○Rising begins
○Rebels take over key buildings in Dublin - GPO (HQ), Boland’s Mill and Jacobs Biscuit factory. Markievicz took over St. Stephen’s Green - with Cumann na mBan and ICA
○Padraig Pearse read out the Proclamation of the Republic outside the GPO
○They attempted to take over Dublin Castle but failed
What happened on the Tuesday of the 1916 Rising?
○British troops began to arrive
What happened on the Wednesday of the 1916 Rising?
○More troops arrive in Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) and march into the city centre
○A British gunboat, the Helga, arrives and sails up the River Liffey - fired shells at O’Connell Street (Sackville Street)
What happened on the Thursday of the 1916 Rising?
○Fighting continued
○Connolly was shot in the leg
What happened on the Friday of the 1916 Rising?
○GPO on fire – rebels abandon it and move to Moore Street
What happened on the Saturday of the 1916 Rising?
○Pearse surrenders and tells the other battalions to do the same
○Britain begin rounding up the rebels – sent to Kilmainham Jail
What happened on the Saturday of the 1916 Rising?
○Last of the battalions (Jacob’s Factory and Boland’s Mill) surrender
○The Rising was over
What was the aftermath of the 1916 Rising?
○15 of the leaders were executed in Kilmainham
○16th leader – Roger Casement – was hung for treason
○200 civilians, 64 rebels and 157 British soldiers died
○Many buildings were destroyed
○Irish people were initially against the Rising - because of the death and destruction
○However public opinion changed → Irish people stopped supporting HR and wanted full independence after the executions
○Sinn Féin reorganised after the Rising. They aimed to get full independence from Britain, so people started to support them instead of HR
Many of the Irish people in British jails , who had been arrested for the Rising, became members of ___________
Sinn Féin
Which new British PM released most of the Irish prisoners at the end of 1916?
David Lloyd George
Which parties won the various seats in the 1918 general election? What did this prove?
Sinn Féin won the majority of seats; Sinn Féin won 73 seats, while the Home Rule Party only won 6 seats. This proves Sinn Féin was the most popular party. Also this led to the end of the Home Rule Party
Why did Sinn Féin win the 1918 general election?
- Gained popularity because the British Government mistakenly labelled the Rising ‘The Sinn Féin Rising’
- After the executions Irish people wanted a republic - not Home Rule. Sinn Féin changed their aim so that they could get a republic
- Eamonn de Valera (President of Sinn Féin) was more popular than John Redmond
How did Sinn Féin plan to get a republic?
Using a mix of peaceful and violent methods
What peaceful methods did Sinn Féin use to get a Republic?
Get candidates voted into Westminster but use the policy of abstention: instead of taking their seats in Westminster, they set up a parliament in Dublin. Lead by Eamonn de Valera
What violent methods did Sinn Féin use to get a Republic?
Use of the newly formed IRA (formerly known as the Volunteers) to fight a War of Independence. Lead by Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins
When was the first Dail of Ireland established and where?
On the 21st of January, 1919, the first Dáil was established in Mansion House
What was the British Government’s reaction to the first Dáil?
They didn’t recognise its authority and declared it illegal
What did the first Dáil issue on the 21st of January, 1919?
A declaration of independence
Who was elected as the (first) President of the Executive?
De Valera
When and where were the first shots of the Irish War of Independence fired?
The first shots of the Irish War of Independence were fired in Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary on the 21st January, 1919
The IRA were made up of a few different units. What were they?
- The Flying Columns
- The Squad
- Spies
Who were the Flying columns?
Local units of IRA men, based mainly in rural areas.They lived life ‘on the run’
Who were the Squad and what was their nickname?
The Squad or ‘The Twelve Apostles’ were a hand-picked group of assassins, chosen by Michael Collins
In relation to the IRA, who were the Spies?
They provided intelligence about the British forces that Collins could use
What were the tactics of the IRA during the Irish WOI?
i) Assassinations - Hit & Run Attacks
ii) Ambush