The Condition of Ireland & Anglo-irish Relations 1914-39 (complete) Flashcards
What was the key chronology?
1916; Easter Rising
1918; March- Death of John Redmond
December- General election, collapse of Nationalists, rise of Sinn Fein
1919; Declaration of Irish Republic by Sinn Finn leadership
1920; Government of Ireland Act sets up partition of Ireland
1921; Anglo-Irish Treaty and creation of Irish Free state
1922; Outbreak of civil war in Irish Free state
Assassination of Michael Collins
1923; End of civil war
1935; Belfast riots
1937; Irish Free state declares its independence- renamed Eire
What was the general response of the Irish to the outbreak of war in 1914?
Similar to rest of Britain;
Thousands of men volunteer to join the army. Irish nationalists leader (John Redmond) pledges support of Nationalist volunteers- underlying message was loyalty to British crown. Ulster volunteers do the same, so British government believe Irish issue can be laid aside during the war.
A group of ‚advanced’ nationalists thought the war presented an opportunity for an insurrection in Ireland
What occurred when the Advanced Nationalists’ met?
-24th September 1914- meeting of Arthur Griffith (Sinn Fein founder) and leading Irish Republic Brotherhood members.
-They refuse to accept Redmond’s leadership of the Irish Nationalists. Sinn Féin’s aim was to work towards a separate independent parliament, but made little political impact.
-Griffith’s idea was for IR to have separate Dublin parliament, controlling Irish affairs but still under the monarchy. As this was ignored and the nationalists made little progress to Home Rule, Sinn Fein now wanted a republic
Why was there growing tension?
An ‚entrenched’ view developed amongst the Advanced Nationalists that the interests of Ireland (the lesser nation) would always be borne down by those of greater (Britain)
So, there was growing determination to alter the inferior position, by force if necessary.
Calls for Catholic Nationalism and anti-British sentiment weren’t taken seriously by British government officials in Dublin.
What were the causes of the Easter Rising of 1916?
Work of various Republican groups- Irish volunteers (Patrick Pearse lead) split from Nationalist volunteers and joined with the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). James Connolly bought his well-disciplined Irish Citizens’ Army to group. This made up the active insurgents. IRB military council formed December 1915, and the decision to launch an insurrection was taken by the supreme council of the IRB, at the earliest opportunity.
What were the events of the Easter Rising of 1916?
3 April- Pearse issues Irish Nationalist field manoeuvres across Ireland on Easter Monday
20 April- German arms shipment due for Irish Volunteers at Tralee Bay intercepted by British naval vessel
21 April- Sir Roger Casement came ashore from German submarine to send message to Irish Volunteers’ Chief of staff, MacNeill, that arms shipment would be inadequate for insurrection. Casement arrested.
22 April- MacNeill decides to call of Rising and cancel planned action, others go ahead with it.
23 April- Easter Sunday; Irish Volunteers Military Council take unanimous decision to go ahead with insurrection in signed document
24 April- Pearse & Connolly proclaim Ireland a republic. General Post Office + other key buildings in Dublin seized by Volunteers. Expected General uprising against Britain did not follow through
April 29- Rising bought to end as British troops accept rebels’ surrender.
What was the aftermath of the Rising?
450 casualties- 318= Irish volunteers/civilians caught up in crossfire
116 British military personnel killed, 16 policemen
400 insurgents taken prisoner released after a few months
Ringleaders not treated leniently by British; 15 (including Pearse and Connolly) shot and Casement hanged.
A folly to some nationalists, the Easter Rising Enterprise stood little chance of success. Some leaders determined to fight against what they regarded as imperialist domination by Britain. Much anger was due to Irish men having to fight a British war. The death penalties were seen as a gross mishandling by British gov, turning the rebels into martyrs and rendering anger and disgust across Ireland.The British government believed they acted with restraint against rebels. Redmond’s nationalist lost support and Sinn Fein won 4 by-elections in 1917. The issue of Ulster remained.
What was the status of the Irish Question nearing the end of the war?
1918- Ireland situation critical. Lloyd George took on the task of trying to compromise with the Ulster Unionists and Nationalists; had difficulty with excluding Ulster being permanent or temporary, as there was intransigence on both sides. The British government tried to impose conscription in IR March 1918, which was met with anger from Nationalists and more Sinn Fein membership. The governments perspective was wanting to increase British soldier amount to match the Germans.
Although Home Rule was one of the coalition government’s main issues, there was little patience amongst the Irish for any initiative the Westminster gov might propose.
How was Ireland declared a republic?
In general election of December 1918, 73 Sinn Feinners were elected as MP’s for Irish constituencies out of 105 seats. This, and the decline of the Irish Nationalists (Redmond also dying) made it clear the Irish question had to be urgently addressed, and it wold be difficult for the government to resolve.
Sinn Fein refused to take their seats in Westminster and set up an unofficial parliament in Dublin, declaring Ireland a republic. Eamon De Valera was elected president, and worked with Arthur Griffith + Michael Collins to establish a feasible government, with judicial and fiscal systems.
How did the Anglo-Irish war come about?
The Independence declaration ratified the „establishment of the Irish Republic” and said a state of war existed that could never end until Ireland was evacuated by the armed forces of Britain. Initially it looked like the Sinn Fein policy was on of passive resistance but it changed with sporadic attacks on the police by the IRA. The British government’s view was to treat the IRA terrorist attacks as a police matter, to avoid admitting the hostile status to the Republican government. The situation became even more serious when De Valera toured the USA , raising financial support and Collins + Griffith trained and organised the IRA to carry out acts of violence against British-linked targets
How did the British respond to the Anglo-Irish war?
As Sinn Fein sought to destroy British authority in Ireland through the IRA, the gov called in Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, instead of the army. A bloody struggle followed, both sides committing acts of brutality, but propaganda against the Black and Tans being more successful.
What was the Government of Ireland Act of 1920?
In 1920, in his anxiety to find a solution to the Irish crisis, Lloyd George pushed through this act. It meant;
- The setting up of 2 parliaments, one in Belfast for the 6 mainly protestant counties and the other in Dublin for the rest of Ireland
-A council of Ireland set up with representatives from both parliaments, discussing future unity
- Both Ulster and South to remain within the UK, with rep at Westminster
This did not satisfy Sinn Fein and was rejected; the war continued with increasing shocking atrocities until 1921.
What were reactions like towards the British government?
The use of Black and Tans and Auxiliaries shocked many and seemed a long way away from Gladstone’s Home Rule policy of the 1880/90s.
The British coalition government was widely criticised for its policy towards Ireland after the Easter Rising, and from an international perspective- the concept of Britain as an ally during peace talks promoting self-determination was hypocritical as they wanted to deny Ireland that right.
Why did Lloyd George reverse his policy on Ireland and what were the pressures against his policy of coercion?
A reaction to labour/liberal criticism
Pressure;
-Press, e.g. The Times were hostile to gov repression
-Archbishop of Canterbury speaks out against gov sanctioning of violence
-Politicians of all parties uneasy at the scale of atrocities
-British public had growing sympathy with Irish desire for independence
-Britain’s relations with USA damaged
-George V personally distressed, appealed for end of violence amongst his subjects (including Irish)
-The IRA, with a small force of 3000, had reached a point of exhaustion
A ceasefire came into operation in July 1921
What was the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921?
Formal negotiations led by Lloyd George, with Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and other Sinn Fein leaders in October 1921 (De Valera did not attend). DLG insisted that Ireland had to remain under the British Empire and accept the crown as head of state, then sought to compromise over finance, defence obligations, oath of supremacy and Ulster status (the gov of which wasn’t represented at talk, but kept informed). When DLG used bluff and threatened to resume hostilities, Collins accepted the peace treaty- signed Dec 1921.
This gave Ulster its independence from the rest of Ireland and set up a free Irish state in the south. As far as the British were concerned, this put an end to the Irish problem.
What was the immediate aftermath of the treaty?
Although it was accepted by the majority, many were dissatisfied the Free State partitioned Ireland. In some north areas, Catholics found themselves in Ulster
-Many unionists bitter at partition, handing over gov in south to „Sinn Fein murder gang”, as they called it
- Boundary Commission ambiguous about certain demarcation points
-Collins, Griffith held onto hope that Ireland would soon reunite
-Anger towards DLG, who many thought gave into terrorise and Sinn Fein
-Civil War in Ireland; those who supported treaty and those who didn’t, until May 1923
-DLG claims to settle Irish question, but it came at a terrible price
What occurred within divided Ireland before the Second World War?
Divided Ireland was at ease neither with itself or relationship with Britain. The treaty coming after a period of violence on both sides left a legacy of anger and sadness. Relations with GB and Free State polite, but stilted. Relations with North and South lacking warmth and closeness. Most of the period until 1939 involved relative peace across the country, after the short civil war had ended. However, the ultimate goal of many was a united Ireland.
What occurred during the Civil War of 1922-23?
The treaty bought serious divisions within Sinn Fein, those who accepted treaty (e.g. Collins, Griffith) and those who didn’t (e.g. De Valera). De Valera was adamant that Ulster should’ve been coerced into Ireland. Collins became a high-profile civil war victim and was assassinated by a group of pro-republicans. Even though the treaty ended with a victory for the supporters of the treaty, it didn’t end the hostility felt by many in Ireland towards settlement.
What was Ulster like post-partition?
Stormont, the Northern Ireland parliament was established following the treaty. The political parties reflected the underlying divisions within society; there were several small nationalist parties (mainly Catholic) but the largest party was the Unionist Party, representing the majority Protestant population.
The first PM was leading Unionist Sir James Craig. He resisted efforts to make Northern Ireland subordinate to the Dublin parliament and wanted Ulster to be 6, not 9 counties to preserve Protestant dominance. Constituency and local government boundaries were set to maximise Unionist advantage. Craig won 6 elections between 1921-38, completely dominating local councils.
How were Catholic people in Ulster treated?
Craig made little attempt to integrate the Catholic population and Unionist gov policies discriminated against Catholics in areas like housing, education, etc. The worst was within the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RIC) (police) which replaced the RIC and whose members were almost entirely protestant. Tyrone, Fermanagh had strong Catholic populations and about 1/3 of Ulster was Catholic. The poor treatment they received resulted in grievances- they were unrepresented as Stormont was always unionist, no means of changing.
Sectarian violence broke out from time to time between the 2, harshly dealt with by the RUC; the worst of which was in Belfast, 1935 where several lost lives.
What was the Irish Free State like post-partition?
Eamon De Valera, after the treaty which he vehemently opposed, broke from Sinn Fein and formed a new party- Fianna Fáil. They won the 1932 elections and stayed in power for 16 years with him as PM.
Statute of Westminster (1931) gave British Dominions rights to control their own parliament, so De Valera cut most ties with the Free State and GB, including removing Governor General’s power. In spite, GB imposed a trade embargo and De Valera then refused to pay off British loans
In 1937, during the abdication crisis, he declared S Ireland’s independence from GB and drew up a new constitution named Eire. Despite N Chamberlain’s attempt at reconciliation by writing off debt, De Valera refused any relations unless Ulster joined Eire.
