Unionism

Question 1

why were Unionists opposed to the potential dismemberment of the Union?

Answer 1

Reasons regarding :-economic
-religious
-political

Question 2

what majority existed in the six north-eastern counties?

Answer 2

a protestant majority

Question 3

what majority made up the rest of the island?

Answer 3

catholic majority

Question 4

what did Catholics want to achieve?

Answer 4

Home Rule for Ireland

Question 5

why was Home Rule met with such resistance?

Answer 5

Protestants believed the country would be ruled by the Catholic Church

Question 6

Unionist opposition to HR quote (Rome)

Answer 6

“Home Rule is Rome Rule”

Question 7

what did protestants fear?

Answer 7

feared that the Catholic majority would not respect their traditions, customs + religious beliefs

Question 8

what religious group had enjoyed a privileged position in Irish politics before the Act of Union?

Answer 8

Protestants

Question 9

why did the political power of the protestant ascendancy weaken?

Answer 9

Catholic emancipation

Question 10

what did Catholic emancipation allow Catholics to do?

Answer 10

to sit as members of parliament

Question 11

what did protestants believe would happen if Home Rule was introduced?

Answer 11

their political influence would be further undermined

Question 12

what part of the country was Ireland’s only industrial area?

Answer 12

the North

Question 13

what did Unionist believe a Home Rule government would do?

Answer 13

it would interfere with free trade that existed between Britain and Ireland

Question 14

what would the interference on the free trade do?

Answer 14

it would damage the North’s economy

Question 15

why would a Dublin Parliament not understand the North’s industries?

Answer 15

as they held very little in common with the majority of Ireland’s economy

Question 16

who introduced the 3rd Home Rule Bill?

Answer 16

Herbert Asquith

Question 17

what did the 3rd HR Bill state?

Answer 17

• Ireland would have a parliament to deal with internal affairs (transport, housing etc.)

-Westminster would take care of external affairs (law-making etc.)

Question 18

what happened to the 3rd HR bill?

Answer 18

it was vetoed by the House of Lords

Question 19

What did the Parliament Act 1911 seek to do?

Answer 19

to limit the power of the House of Lords

Question 20

How did the Parliament Act 1911 limit the power of the House of Lords?

Answer 20

by replacing the veto from being an outright rejection to a two year delay

Question 21

what did the Parliament Act 1911 mean?

Answer 21

the 3rd HR Bill would eventually be introduced in 1914

Question 22

what did the 3rd HR Bill being introduced in 1914 lead to?

Answer 22

-mass uproar amongst Unionists
-the formation of a number of groups to resist HR

Question 23

How did unionist illustrate their rejection of HR

Answer 23

through the mass signing of the Solemn League and Covenant

Question 24

who launched the Solemn league and Covenant?

Answer 24

Edward Carson

Question 25

What did the Solemn League and Covenant state?

Answer 25

that those who signed it had pledged their allegiance to resisting HR

Question 26

Where did Carson and Craig gain support from, and why?

Answer 26

the six counties -due to their high concentration of Unionists

Question 27

Who signed the Solemn league and Covenant?

Answer 27

men

Question 28

was there a seperate declaration for women?

Answer 28

yes, who pledged to "assosciate ourselves with the men of Ulster"

Question 29

what did the mass signing of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant demonstrate?

Answer 29

the large resistance to HR in Ulster

Question 30

what was the name of the paramilitary group formed to resist HR

Answer 30

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)

Question 31

who were the Ulster Volunteer Force?

Answer 31

a paramilitary group who were willing to take military action against the threat of HR

Question 32

What did the UVF receive?

Answer 32

formal military training

Question 33

who trained the UVF?

Answer 33

ex-British soldiers and officers

Question 34

What did the UVF's military training illustrate?

Answer 34

the seriousness and dedication of the group to counteract HR

Question 35

What did the British Government fear the UVF might do?

Answer 35

to try and seize weapons from Army depots in the north

Question 36

What was Arthur Paget ordered to prepare?

Answer 36

to prepare three battalions of British troops from the South into Ulster

Question 37

What did 58 officers believe they were being ordered to do?

Answer 37

to enforce HR in Ulster by crushing Unionist resistance

Question 38

How did the officers react?

Answer 38

they refused to obey orders and resigned

Question 39

why did the officers resign?

Answer 39

as the majority of them were protestant and from Ulster

Question 40

what did the Solemn League and Covenant set out?

Answer 40

why unionists opposed HR

Question 41

what did the Solemn League and Covenant threaten?

Answer 41

that if HR was forced upon the people of Ulster, they would resist it by any means

Question 42

how many people sign the Solemn League and Covenant?

Answer 42

471,414

Question 43

by 1912, what was likelier than ever in Ireland?

Answer 43

the prospect of self governance in the Republic of Ireland

Question 44

what made Home Rule inevitable?

Answer 44

the third home rule bill being passed and the removal of the House of Lords veto

Question 45

Who rose to power within the Unionist party to prevent Home Rule?

Answer 45

Edward Carson

Question 46

what was Carsons primary objective of his political career?

Answer 46

preserving the union between Ulster and Great Britain

Question 47

when did Carson secure the leadership of the Unionist party?

Answer 47

in 1910

Question 48

what did Carson immediately seek to do as leader of the party?

Answer 48

find ways to resist Home Rule

Question 49

who did Carson allied himself with?

Answer 49

James Craig

Question 50

what did Craig advise Carson to do?

Answer 50

to focus the party's resources on preserving the link between Ulster and Britain, even if it meant partition

Question 51

what did Carsons stance do?

Answer 51

it alienated southern Unionists

Question 52

what tested Carson's leadership?

Answer 52

the introduction of the third home rule bill

Question 53

when was the third home rule bill introduced?

Answer 53

1912

Question 54

what did the controversial nature of the third HRB cause?

Answer 54

riots between Catholics and Protestants in Belfast during voting

Question 55

could Carson prevent the third HRB from passing through the House of Commons?

Answer 55

No

Question 56

was the solemn league and covenant a political success or failure for Carson?

Answer 56

yes, as it attracted over 470,000 signatories

Question 57

what did the founding of the UVF increase the chances of?

Answer 57

civil war

Question 58

what did the onset of WW1 do?

Answer 58

it reduced the political focus on HR

Question 59

what could Carson temporarily do as a result of WW1?

Answer 59

allowed him to temporarily reduce his focus on preventing the implementation of self governance

Question 60

what did Carson ask his men to do following the outbreak of WW1?

Answer 60

asked them to join the British Army

Question 61

why did Carson ask his men to join the British Army?

Answer 61

he believed it would be an effective way to legitimise the UVF and their activities

Question 62

did Carson's men join the army?

Answer 62

yes

Question 63

what was the name of the division that many UVF men were a part of?

Answer 63

the 36th Ulster Division

Question 64

what cemented a broad public sympathy which was felt in Britain towards the UVF?

Answer 64

many of the UVF members died in combat during the Battle of the Somme

Question 65

was Carson asking his men to join the British Army a political success or failure?

Answer 65

success