Ireland 1851-1886 and 1886-1914 Flashcards
(51 cards)
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
the land war
- 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
rack renting
landlords would increase rents every year
27
home rule movement
- 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
the land act 1881
- 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
1880 coercion
- 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
what did the home rule league rename themselves
renamed to the Irish parliamentary party, won 61 seat in 1880 general election
31
Parnell on the second land act 1881
- 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
Kilmainham treaty 1882
- 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
phoenix park murders
- 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
INL obtained advantages
- 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
Parnell's approach to home rule and the 1885 election
- 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
results of 1885 election
- 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
first home rule bill proposals
- 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
reaction to home rule bill
- 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
politics around home rule
- 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
Parnell's decline
- 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
the second home rule bill
- 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
conservatives policies towards Ireland 1886-1095
- 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
growth of unionism
- 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
growth of nationalism
- 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
liberal government 1906
- 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
third home rule bill
- 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
reaction to the bill
- 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
repose to creation of UVF
- 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
negotiations over home rule
- 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
Asquith's proposal
- 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
pre war home rule outcome
- home rule put to one side and births military decisions changed course of Irish history
