Why was the Irish Question so Problematic between 1868 and 1914?

Why was the Irish Question so Problematic between 1868 and 1914?

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08 June 2017

Introduction

 The Irish Question was quite a challenge for the British as they found it difficult to solve the issue involved for nearly two centuries. The main issues that formed the Irish Question included land, religion, and nationalism. The lack of ability to address the nationalism, religion, and land problems was mainly caused by Britain’s lack of understanding of the complex nature revolving around the Irish Question, and also because they had refused to seek long-term solutions for it. In 1870, some developments took place and changed British and Irish relations in a major way. These three events revolved around land, religion, and nationalism, wherein the 1801 Act of Union stated that Ireland would be represented by a hundred members in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom (UK).[1] The Act aimed to open a path for Catholic liberation within the UK. The Irish Question lasted between 1801 and 1922 when Ireland was part of Great Britain (GB). Many would ask why there was no Cornish question or Welsh question. The answer is that many Irish citizens were Roman Catholics who became nationalists and were seeking independence. The primary purpose of this essay is to shed light on why the Irish Question was so problematic between 1868 and 1914.

The Irish question and liberal politics 1867-1914

 Between 1867 and the end of the nineteenth century, the Irish Question was a major problem in British politics. In particular, between 1880 and 1893, it had achieved the status of the great preoccupation of politicians. Many issues were affecting the Irish, including their social problems; land holding; growth of their agrarian agitation, and a growing hold of nationalism for the demand of home rule.[2] This new strength and unity between the Irish parliamentary party and British politics within the House of Commons would need the mobilization of their votes in non-Irish constituencies.[3] The country needed to exert a lot of attention to its problems. Issues of land, the local government reform, home rule, and coercion are the main issues that created the Irish question.

Early modern Ireland 1536-1691

 In 1536, Henry VIII conquered Ireland and in brought it under his crown’s control. In 1541, Henry VIII decided to upgrade Ireland from a lordship to a kingdom. He was proclaimed the king of Ireland and still in the same year, formed a parliament for the first time in Ireland. The next step was to also control the English territory of Ireland over all its claimed territory.  This saw Ireland get into several wars, one of them being the 1641 rebellion whereby the Irish Catholics protested against the supremacy of English Protestants.[4]

The Catholics briefly ruled Ireland from 1642 to 1649 until Oliver Cromwell re-conquered Ireland on behalf of the English. His conquest remains one of the most brutal warfare because, by its end, almost a third of the Irish population had died or were in exile. Ireland became a battleground for Catholics and the English.[5] In addition, James II left London and William replaced him. The wealthy Irish Catholics supported James in reversing the land confiscations and penal laws whereas the Protestants supported William intending to preserve their property.

 In the eighteenth century, Irish prisoners were not only dehumanized but also sold as slaves where they were abused for centuries by the English; they were referred to as savages to justify their murder. Catholic resistance ended in 1691 after which penal laws were reinforced.[6] Irish resentment against England was intensified by the economic condition of Ireland. To begin with, some absentee landlords poorly managed their estates, and food was produced for exportation rather than domestic consumption. Secondly, two freezing winter seasons resulted in a famine  experienced between 1740 and 1741, which resulted in the death of about 400,000 people and compelled more than 100, 000 to seek refuge elsewhere.[7] Lastly, Ireland was forbidden from producing goods from raw materials that would compete with goods from the British. Hence, throughout the century, an uprising against England arose, and campaigns for independence emerged whereby France offered military assistance.

The Great Britain 1801-1912 Union

 In 1880, both the British and Irish parliaments agreed on the implementation of the Acts of Union. This merger brought about a new political outfit referred to as the UK of GB and Ireland from January 1801. The Anglican Church was the official Irish Church, and Catholics were not allowed to acquire seats in the parliament, though about 90% of Irish people were Catholics.[8]

In 1823, Daniel O’Connell an Irish Catholic lawyer began a campaign to emancipate Irish Catholics and acquire seats in parliament. This led to his election, and in 1829, the legislature allowed Catholics to vote. In 1840, the most important Irish food- the potato- failed, resulting in a famine. During the drought, over 1 million people were deceased, while millions more migrated and sought refuge in North America and England.[9] The Gaelic language declined and was overtaken by English. Bitterness against the English began which led to the Fenian Irish independence movement founded in 1858. A chain of violent events followed but were initially crushed.

In the late 19^th century, a major land reform approved by the Wyndham Land Purchase Act contained conditions for breaking up large estates. This effectively led to the end of the era of absentee landlords, thereby finally resolving the Irish land question. Nonetheless, the Irish self-government again became an issue in 1872. Several attempts were made to pass home rule, although they were not successful. The main debate was between the Irish nationalists and the unionists (those who favored the maintenance of the union). Most lands were predominantly owned by Catholics, nationalists, or agrarians.[10] However, the northeast was dominated by nationalists, industrialists, and Protestants. The unionists feared they would lose both economic wealth and political power in a nationalist-dominated rural state. They always held the belief that they would become second politically and economically without the need for self-government.

 In 1905, the Sinn Fein was developed in order to create an Irish republic that was sovereign of the political and economic states. In 1914 September, immediately after World War  I began, the UK Parliament passed a third home rule Act that was aimed at turning the Home Bill rule of 1912 effective but was adjourned during the war.  Catholic tenants had many grievances: first, they used to pay large amounts of tithes to the Irish church; secondly, they had little security related to eviction, and lastly, they paid high rents.[11]  After the Irish church act was disestablished in 1869, this marked the end of the special status for the Irish church. Also, the Land Act of 1870 did not go far enough because the 3F’s were not granted. In 1881, the Coercion Act was aimed at ending the land war which had caused severe civil unrest in Ireland. Land wars were brought about by land leagues which were headed by Charles Stuart Parnell, the leader of the Irish home rule. The aim was to get free rent and to cancel all the arrears. Unfortunately, Parnell was imprisoned by Foster in 1882althouh he was released together with other leaders, and their arrears were canceled through the Kilmainham treaty.[12] The Phoenix murders led to a new coercions act which introduced new home rules that opposed response to Irish nationalist events.

Between 1880 and 1885, Ireland was almost in an enduring position of crisis caused by the land wars. Parnell's tactics while in the House of Commons brought an immediate solution to a long-standing conflict. The liberal party wanted Irish nationalists to give up control over Ireland. The party had a behavior of splitting into factions, which Gladstone wanted to prevent. He saw that if he could eliminate the radicals, this would enable him to gain power and dominance of the party, thereby resulting in much-needed stability. Parnell, the leader of the Irish Home Rule Party and a leader with great skill and ability to unite different sides, introduced the pledge.[13] The pledge was that all Irish Home Rule party members were compelled to offer support to their self-proclaimed leader. His tactics attracted the attention of Irish national leaders and changed the rules for the second Goldstone government. However, he also helped bring a division between nationalists and unionists in Ireland.

 During the Victorian reign, the UK population increased, while the Irish population dropped as a result of the potato famine that resulted in the death of thousands of Irish people. While the famine was a result of crop failure due to potato blight, the inactivity of the British government over the issue also aggravated the situation, and this was criticized as genocide. Much of the inactivity was caused by the ‘Laissez-faire’ type of government adopted by the British during that time.[14] This government held that farming-based economies were socially inferior and needed to be changed through any means possible. The obvious consequences of the famine were the death of one million Irish people by starvation and the immigration of more than two million Irish to North America. The Irish population in the UK increased by one and a half million people, and this brought pressure to British housing and an increase in competition for employment. In 1880, the charismatic Irish leader Parnell pushed for home rule in the UK and as a result gained tremendous support from America. The first bill was passed but failed followed by the second one. Further attempts were made until the outbreak of World War I when the discussion was put on hold. This led to an uprising in 1912 and the Irish War of Independence. These resulted in the partition of Ireland and limited self-government. The roots of the uprising began in the 1890s by nationalists. The Irish Republican Brotherhood masterminded the rebellion during World War I, aided by an Irish American called Gael. This evolution got support from the Germans but was crushed after six days. Nonetheless, it had shown a growing support to the Irish on the journey for self-rule. The British government tried solving the problem by partitioning Ireland and giving it limited self-government but this did not satisfy the nationalists. Thus the Irish Republican Army staged several attacks against British police forces which led to further reprisal attacks and violence.

Conclusion

The Irish question caused a lot of problems for the British government since the Irish nationalists wanted more representation in the parliament and more self-rule in their territory. These escalated to wars that caused the death of many innocent people from both sides. The British ignored their requests, but the Irish did not keep silent. The Irish Republican Army was formed to stage attacks on British police causing mayhem in Britain.

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