Why did the Irish question change 1900-1921

To begin with, the Irish problem appeared to be one primarily of land. After the ineffectiveness of the 1st land act 1968, the Irish people become frustrated and with strong leadership from Parnell and the Irish Nationalists evolved into one of home rule. In the same manor the issue of home rule turned into one of independence, also because of the lethargic nature in which home rule was finally passed. How did this complete change of attitude come about and why did Irish sympathies change from home rule to complete independence of Ireland from Britain and with what consequences to different groups?

In 1900, the question of home rule had receded after the defeat of the second home rule bill in 1893. The Irish nationalists were also split and the death of Parnell meant that that the nationalists failed to have an impact on the conservative government of the time. The conservatives had also used a policy of ‘killing home rule with kindness’ which had also helped push home rule to the sidelines. Legislation which they had passed also helped calm down some Irish grievances, such as Wyndham’s land act in 1903 which more or less solved the Irish land problem by making

At first the British thought that the rising was not serious, but they had to send in troops to put down the rising. Everyone who was involved in the rising was tried, 70 were picked out as ring leaders and 77 were sentenced to death. Three days after surrender 3 of the prisoners were shot, the executions continued over the following weeks and in all 16 people were executed as traitors to the British Empire. The number of executions disgusted many Irish people, many hadn’t agreed with the rising but these people had died for their cause and for Ireland. Although Sinn Fein were not the organisers of the rising many turned to them as they had the same aims for Ireland as those involved in the rising. Sinn Fein sold the men who had died as Martyrs and people respected them for what they had done, they also portrayed the British government as dangerous because they had killed Irish civilians. There was now a massive shift of opinion and support towards Sinn Fein and independence, people moved away from the Irish nationalists and home rule.

The fight for independence was a long way off from the fight for home rule. The aftermath of the Easter rising can be seen as having a significant effect on the opinions on the Southern Irish population. The counties of Ulster had successfully been given partition. It seems amazing that in fact towards the end they were fighting for something that they had so vividly fought against, home rule. Irish political problems were never addressed quickly enough, significant problems developed and evolved while the Irish waited for the British government to solve the previous grievances. The governments in Britain can also be criticised for using Irish problems to their own advantage by asking for support from the Irish nationalists in exchange for some sort of reform, or even using the cause to unite their party or win votes. The Irish were bound to get frustrated and impatient with proceedings and the Anglo-Irish war showed the frustration in full. The war, perhaps showed that they were serious about changing Ireland and would stop at nothing to get what they felt was theirs, but it also showed the growing hatred for the British Empire. Partition appeared to be a solution to a problem for Ulster, although it was only a short term one, this was to appear again in time and the Irish question still remains unsolved 79 years later.

Many people in Ulster had been worried about the rise of pressure groups such as Sinn Fein, who wanted complete independence from Britain. Such groups had little support from the Irish public, as did the Easter rising of 1916. However the consequences and aftermath of the unpopular rising was to have a profound effect on Ireland and cause a massive shift of opinion in the south. Only 2000 people took part in the Easter rising, the people involved felt that the Amending bill was an insult, they were also impatient as the Great war had gone on for longer than expected, they also wanted independence not home rule. ‘Strike for Irelands separation from the British crown and formation of an Irish republic.’ The Irish public were not sympathetic towards the rising, many had relatives on the front line and thought the people involved should be fighting the Germans not causing trouble at home, people even left cakes out for British troops when they came to put down the rising. The rising was a complete failure, it was intended that the whole of Ireland would rise up with them, but th

Some topics in this essay:
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