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Northern Ireland and Its Neighbours, 1920-49 Chapter 1

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Northern Ireland and Its Neighbours, 1920-49 Chapter 1 1 Unit 1 Section B: Local Study Option 1: Changing Relations: Northern Ireland and its Neighbours, 1920-49 Chapter 1: Key Terms of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 Reactions to the Government of Ireland Act in the north and south of Ireland The setting up of the Irish Free State under the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Boundary Commission 1924-25 Dismantling the Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1937 Constitution The Economic War The Anglo-Irish Agreements, 1938 Chapter 2: Responses to the Threat and Declaration of War The Battle of Britain Northern Ireland’s role in the Second World War Attitudes towards Conscription The effects of the Second World War on the lives of people in Northern Ireland and Eire. German attacks and their impact on Britain, Northern Ireland and Eire Eire’s neutrality The response of Northern Ireland and Britain to Eire’s neutrality Chapter 3: The Welfare State and its impact Life in Eire, 1945-1949 Constitutional changes and effects on relations The Anti-Partition League and the ‘chapel gate election’ 2 Chapter 1 The Government of Ireland Act, 1920 Whilst the War of Independence was going on mainly in the South of Ireland, the British made a deal with Ulster Unionists. Called the Government of Ireland Act, it created a six country Northern Ireland with its own Parliament in Belfast. Unionists won the elections and Sir James Craig became Northern Ireland’s first Prime minister. Key terms of The Government of Ireland Act, 1920 Ireland was partitioned: o Northern Ireland (6 counties) o Southern Ireland (26 counties) These states would have control over areas such as education, health and transport. Proportional Representation would be used to ensure minorities were represented. Westminster would keep responsibility for defence, foreign policy and taxation. Unionist Reactions Many Ulster Unionists were delighted with the Government of Ireland Act and were content to accept the proposals. Others, however, some were not. Protestants in the North West were unhappy at being left out of the newly created Northern Ireland. Some Unionists had mixed feelings about Partition. Nationalist Reactions Nationalists were afraid that they would be a permanent minority that would be discriminated against by a Unionist government Republican Reactions The terms of the Government of Ireland Act were unacceptable to Republicans. They wanted much more power than the new law gave them and so the Anglo-Irish War went on. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 In 1921 both sides agreed to a ceasefire and began to talk about the political situation. The outcome of these negotiations was the signing, in December 1921, of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. As a result of this Treaty, Southern Ireland was declared a Free State within the British Commonwealth. It was known as the Irish Free State. Although it had more rights and responsibilities than Northern Ireland and many of the links with Britain were only symbolic, not everyone in the Irish Free State was happy and certain aspects of the treaty were particularly resented: The Oath of Allegiance to the King 3 The role of the Governor-General in the Irish Free State The power of the British Privy Council The Irish Free State's dominion status within the British Commonwealth. The Sinn Fein delegation reluctantly accepted the partition of Ireland as a temporary price to pay for political independence. They were helped here by the British promise to set up a Boundary Commission to examine the location of the border at a future date. The Nationalists split over the Treaty. It was accepted in the Dάil by 64 votes to 57. The pro-treaty group were led by Michael Collins, the anti-treaty group by Eamon De Valera. The pro and anti-treaty groups fought a Civil War over the issue. It ended in 1923 with victory for the pro-treaty Nationalists. They formed a political party called Cumann na nGaedheal. Boundary Commission- A failure? In the end the Nationalists were to be extremely disappointed. Although the Boundary Commission finally met in 1925 it did not lead to any change in the border. The commission's report actually recommended handing some of the Irish Free State’s land to Northern Ireland, something that Dublin had never considered. For that reason all sides agreed to leave the border as it was. From that point on it became clear that partition would be permanent. De Valera returns In March 1932 Fianna Fáil, led by Eamon de Valera, won the general election in the Irish Free State, partly because he had promised to sever links with Britain if he became head of the government. With the support of the Irish Labour Party he formed a coalition government in the Dáil. De Valera's main political aim was to dismantle the Anglo-Irish Treaty and achieve the maximum possible degree of independence from Britain. Dismantling of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in 1921. It established a twenty-six county Free State. The Treaty included the following terms: British crown would be represented by a Governor General. The MPs of the Irish Parliament (DAIL) would have to swear an Oath of Allegiance. Britain would keep control of three ports as naval facilities in Ireland. Berehaven, Cobh and Lough Swilly known as ‘Treaty Ports’. These were of strategic importance and would give Britain fast access to the Atlantic. Nationalists were split over the Treaty. Why did the Free State agree to the Treaty? After many years of violence, the Irish people wanted peace. The Treaty would bring this. The Treaty also meant that the Irish would have their own government and could rule themselves; the Oath of Allegiance meant nothing. The Treaty marked a step towards independence for Ireland. It could pave the way for future steps towards gaining full independence. Realistically the Irish were not in a position to start another war with Britain. Anti-Treaty groups argued that 4 the Treaty was not the Republic fought for in the Easter Rising of 1916 and therefore to accept it was a betrayal. They argued that there could be no real freedom while the King of England was still head in Ireland. Britain would continue to interfere in Ireland’s affairs while it remained a presence there. The Treaty was accepted in the Dail by 64 votes to 57. The Pro and Anti Treaty groups fought a bloody Civil War over the issue in 1922-23. It ended in 1923 with victory for the Pro-Treaty Nationalists. They formed a political party called Cumann na nGaedheal. A key point to keep in mind: William T Cosgrove (governed Ireland 1923-32) achieved some more freedom for Ireland despite the presence of the Treaty and he set the wheels in motion for de Valera. Under his leadership: The IFS joined the League of Nations (1923) IFS became the first dominion to appoint its own ambassador to the USA (1924) Most importantly: Britain was forced to accept the Statute of Westminster (signed 1931) that allowed a dominion to leave the Commonwealth, even if Britain did not agree to it. Dominions were fully independent and could remove laws passed by the British Parliament. As a result of this, the Free State could legally dismantle the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Why dismantle the Treaty? In 1932, de Valera’s party (Fianna Fail) won the General Election. This meant that de Valera became President of the Irish Free State. He now had the opportunity to dismantle the Treaty. He had been a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising and was a fierce Republican. De Valera wanted British control in Ireland to cease. He wanted full independence for all of Ireland. How did de Valera dismantle the Treaty? De Valera took a number of steps to weaken the terms of the 1921 Treaty: a) The Oath of Allegiance (1932) was abolished in 1933. De Valera claimed “It is an intolerable burden on the conscience of the people”. (This was within the law! - Statute of Westminster). This was an important step for Irish Nationalists in removing links to Britain and strengthening their political independence. b) Governor General – abolished (1937). De Valera instructed Fianna Fail ministers to ignore the Governor General and boycott all the official functions that he attended. De Valera could not get rid of the Governor General because he realised he needed someone to sign the proclamations in the Dail so they could become laws. c) Privy Council – Senate abolished (1936). De Valera amended the Free State Constitution to prevent Free State citizens using the Privy Council (the highest court in Britain) to appeal against decisions made in Irish courts. The result of this was that de Valera faced less opposition. The court decided that everything de Valera was doing was allowed under the terms of the Statute of Westminster. d) Position of the Monarch – de Valera took advantage of the abdication crisis in Britain to pass the EXTERNAL RELATIONS ACT. This law meant that the King had no authority in the Irish Free State 5 (1936). As a result, the office of Governor General also ceased to exist. (In theory, the IFS continued to recognise the monarch as the Head of the Commonwealth). e) In 1933, de Valera stopped the payment of LAND ANNUITIES (money owed) to Britain. 1937 CONSTITUTION (it introduced three important political changes to the structure of the state) Key point to note, the 1937 CONSTITUTION was to replace the 1922 Constitution and it was designed to remove all symbols of British power. For example: Specific name - Eire; Leader – Taoiseach; An elected President every seven years; special recognition of the Roman Catholic Church; Eire to remain in the Commonwealth but London had no authority over it.
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