Unionism Flashcards
why were Unionists opposed to the potential dismemberment of the Union?
Reasons regarding :-economic
-religious
-political
what majority existed in the six north-eastern counties?
a protestant majority
what majority made up the rest of the island?
catholic majority
what did Catholics want to achieve?
Home Rule for Ireland
why was Home Rule met with such resistance?
Protestants believed the country would be ruled by the Catholic Church
Unionist opposition to HR quote (Rome)
“Home Rule is Rome Rule”
what did protestants fear?
feared that the Catholic majority would not respect their traditions, customs + religious beliefs
what religious group had enjoyed a privileged position in Irish politics before the Act of Union?
Protestants
why did the political power of the protestant ascendancy weaken?
Catholic emancipation
what did Catholic emancipation allow Catholics to do?
to sit as members of parliament
what did protestants believe would happen if Home Rule was introduced?
their political influence would be further undermined
what part of the country was Ireland’s only industrial area?
the North
what did Unionist believe a Home Rule government would do?
it would interfere with free trade that existed between Britain and Ireland
what would the interference on the free trade do?
it would damage the North’s economy
why would a Dublin Parliament not understand the North’s industries?
as they held very little in common with the majority of Ireland’s economy
who introduced the 3rd Home Rule Bill?
Herbert Asquith
what did the 3rd HR Bill state?
- Ireland would have a parliament to deal with internal affairs (transport, housing etc.)
-Westminster would take care of external affairs (law-making etc.)
what happened to the 3rd HR bill?
it was vetoed by the House of Lords
What did the Parliament Act 1911 seek to do?
to limit the power of the House of Lords
How did the Parliament Act 1911 limit the power of the House of Lords?
by replacing the veto from being an outright rejection to a two year delay
what did the Parliament Act 1911 mean?
the 3rd HR Bill would eventually be introduced in 1914
what did the 3rd HR Bill being introduced in 1914 lead to?
-mass uproar amongst Unionists
-the formation of a number of groups to resist HR
How did unionist illustrate their rejection of HR
through the mass signing of the Solemn League and Covenant
who launched the Solemn league and Covenant?
Edward Carson
What did the Solemn League and Covenant state?
that those who signed it had pledged their allegiance to resisting HR
Where did Carson and Craig gain support from, and why?
the six counties -due to their high concentration of Unionists
Who signed the Solemn league and Covenant?
men
was there a seperate declaration for women?
yes, who pledged to “assosciate ourselves with the men of Ulster”
what did the mass signing of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant demonstrate?
the large resistance to HR in Ulster
what was the name of the paramilitary group formed to resist HR
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
who were the Ulster Volunteer Force?
a paramilitary group who were willing to take military action against the threat of HR
What did the UVF receive?
formal military training
who trained the UVF?
ex-British soldiers and officers
What did the UVF’s military training illustrate?
the seriousness and dedication of the group to counteract HR
What did the British Government fear the UVF might do?
to try and seize weapons from Army depots in the north
What was Arthur Paget ordered to prepare?
to prepare three battalions of British troops from the South into Ulster
What did 58 officers believe they were being ordered to do?
to enforce HR in Ulster by crushing Unionist resistance
How did the officers react?
they refused to obey orders and resigned
why did the officers resign?
as the majority of them were protestant and from Ulster
what did the Solemn League and Covenant set out?
why unionists opposed HR
what did the Solemn League and Covenant threaten?
that if HR was forced upon the people of Ulster, they would resist it by any means
how many people sign the Solemn League and Covenant?
471,414
by 1912, what was likelier than ever in Ireland?
the prospect of self governance in the Republic of Ireland
what made Home Rule inevitable?
the third home rule bill being passed and the removal of the House of Lords veto
Who rose to power within the Unionist party to prevent Home Rule?
Edward Carson
what was Carsons primary objective of his political career?
preserving the union between Ulster and Great Britain
when did Carson secure the leadership of the Unionist party?
in 1910
what did Carson immediately seek to do as leader of the party?
find ways to resist Home Rule
who did Carson allied himself with?
James Craig
what did Craig advise Carson to do?
to focus the party’s resources on preserving the link between Ulster and Britain, even if it meant partition
what did Carsons stance do?
it alienated southern Unionists
what tested Carson’s leadership?
the introduction of the third home rule bill
when was the third home rule bill introduced?
1912
what did the controversial nature of the third HRB cause?
riots between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast during voting
could Carson prevent the third HRB from passing through the House of Commons?
No
was the solemn league and covenant a political success or failure for Carson?
yes, as it attracted over 470,000 signatories
what did the founding of the UVF increase the chances of?
civil war
what did the onset of WW1 do?
it reduced the political focus on HR
what could Carson temporarily do as a result of WW1?
allowed him to temporarily reduce his focus on preventing the implementation of self governance
what did Carson ask his men to do following the outbreak of WW1?
asked them to join the British Army
why did Carson ask his men to join the British Army?
he believed it would be an effective way to legitimise the UVF and their activities
did Carson’s men join the army?
yes
what was the name of the division that many UVF men were a part of?
the 36th Ulster Division
what cemented a broad public sympathy which was felt in Britain towards the UVF?
many of the UVF members died in combat during the Battle of the Somme
was Carson asking his men to join the British Army a political success or failure?
success
