The Impact of War 1914-1922 // Part 8

What was the Easter Rising?

A rebellion in Ireland against British rule which took place between 24 and 29 April 1916. Irish republicans attempted to establish an independent Irish republic while Britain was fighting WWI.

When did the Easter Rising take place?

24–29 April 1916.

Why did Irish nationalists want independence from Britain?

They wanted Ireland to govern itself rather than remain under British control. Many believed Ireland should become an independent republic.

What was Home Rule?

A proposal to give Ireland its own parliament and control over domestic affairs while remaining within the United Kingdom.

What was the Third Home Rule Bill?

An Act passed in 1914 which aimed to establish an Irish parliament with control over domestic affairs. Its implementation was suspended because of WWI.

Why was the implementation of Home Rule suspended in 1914?

The outbreak of WWI led to the suspension of the Home Rule Act until the war ended.

What was the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB)?

A secret revolutionary organisation which wanted to establish an independent Irish republic through armed rebellion. It played an important role in organising the Easter Rising.

What were the Irish Volunteers?

A nationalist military organisation established in 1913 to defend Irish Home Rule. A radical section later supported the Easter Rising.

What was the Irish Citizen Army (ICA)?

A socialist organisation established by James Connolly and others in 1913 to protect workers. It joined the Easter Rising alongside the Irish Volunteers.

Who was Patrick Pearse?

An Irish nationalist, poet and leader of the Easter Rising. He read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the General Post Office in Dublin.

Who was James Connolly?

A socialist revolutionary and leader of the Irish Citizen Army who helped organise the Easter Rising. He was executed by the British in May 1916.

Who was Thomas Clarke?

A leading member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood who helped plan the Easter Rising and was one of its main organisers. He was executed in May 1916.

What was the Proclamation of the Irish Republic?

A document read by Patrick Pearse outside Dublin's General Post Office on 24 April 1916, declaring Ireland an independent republic and claiming the right of the Irish people to national independence.

Where did the Easter Rising mainly take place?

Dublin, particularly around the General Post Office (GPO), which became the headquarters of the rebels.

What happened during the Easter Rising?

Irish republicans seized important buildings in Dublin, including the GPO, and declared an independent Irish Republic. British forces eventually defeated the rebellion after several days of fighting.

Why did the Easter Rising fail militarily?

The rebels were heavily outnumbered, lacked sufficient weapons and support, and were surrounded by British forces. British troops eventually forced their surrender on 29 April 1916.

How did the British government respond to the Easter Rising?

It used military force to suppress the rebellion, arrested thousands of people and executed 15 of the main rebel leaders.

How many rebel leaders were executed after the Easter Rising?

15 leaders were executed by the British authorities between 3 and 12 May 1916.

What was the significance of the executions following the Easter Rising?

The executions created widespread anger among Irish nationalists and turned some previously moderate Irish people against British rule.

How did British public opinion in Ireland change after the Easter Rising?

Initially, many Irish people opposed the rebellion, but British repression and the executions increased sympathy for the rebels and support for Irish independence.

What happened to those arrested after the Easter Rising?

Thousands were arrested and many were imprisoned or interned without trial, including around 1,800 people who were sent to internment camps in Britain.

What was the overall significance of the Easter Rising?

Although it failed militarily, British repression and the executions increased support for Irish republicanism and helped create the conditions for the later War of Independence.

What was Sinn Féin?

An Irish nationalist political party which became increasingly associated with the demand for an independent Irish republic. It achieved a major electoral victory in 1918.

What happened in the 1918 Irish general election?

Sinn Féin won 73 of Ireland's 105 parliamentary seats, defeating the Irish Parliamentary Party and demonstrating growing support for independence.

Why was Sinn Féin's victory in the 1918 election significant?

It showed that support for Irish independence had increased dramatically and weakened the position of moderate Irish nationalists who had previously supported Home Rule.

What was abstentionism?

The policy of Sinn Féin MPs refusing to take their seats in the British Parliament because they did not recognise British authority over Ireland.

What was the First Dáil Éireann?

The independent Irish parliament established by Sinn Féin MPs on 21 January 1919 after they refused to take their seats at Westminster.

What happened on 21 January 1919?

The First Dáil Éireann met in Dublin and declared Irish independence. On the same day, Irish Volunteers attacked British police at Soloheadbeg, marking the beginning of the War of Independence.

What was the War of Independence?

A conflict between Irish republican forces and British security forces in Ireland from 1919 to 1921, fought to achieve Irish independence.

When did the Irish War of Independence take place?

1919–1921.

Who were the Irish Republican Army (IRA)?

The Irish republican military organisation which fought British forces during the War of Independence. It developed from the Irish Volunteers.

Who was Michael Collins?

A leading Irish republican who organised IRA intelligence and guerrilla operations during the War of Independence. He later became one of the main negotiators of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Who was Éamon de Valera?

The leading Irish republican politician and president of the First Dáil. He opposed British rule and later became a major opponent of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Who was Arthur Griffith?

An Irish nationalist politician and founder of Sinn Féin who became president of Dáil Éireann in 1922 and helped negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

What tactics did the IRA use during the War of Independence?

The IRA used guerrilla warfare, including ambushes, assassinations and attacks on police stations, to weaken British control and avoid direct conventional battles.

Why did the IRA use guerrilla warfare?

The IRA was smaller and less heavily equipped than British forces, so it used surprise attacks and mobility rather than fighting large conventional battles.

What was the role of the Dáil during the War of Independence?

It attempted to establish an alternative Irish government through its own courts, local administration and institutions, challenging British authority.

What were the Dáil Courts?

An alternative system of courts established by the First Dáil in 1920 to replace British legal authority in Ireland and strengthen the legitimacy of the Irish republic.

Who were the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)?

The police force responsible for maintaining law and order in Ireland under British rule. It became a major target of IRA attacks during the War of Independence.

Who were the Black and Tans?

A force recruited in 1920, mainly from former British soldiers, to reinforce the Royal Irish Constabulary and fight the IRA. They became notorious for violence and reprisals against Irish civilians.

When were the Black and Tans introduced?

1920.

Who were the Auxiliaries?

The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, established in 1920 and largely made up of former British army officers. They were deployed against the IRA and became associated with reprisals and violence.

What was the significance of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries?

Their violent methods and reprisals increased hostility towards British rule and strengthened support for Irish independence.

What happened on Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920?

Michael Collins' IRA network assassinated British intelligence agents in Dublin. Later that day, British forces opened fire at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park, killing 14 civilians. Two more people were killed in related incidents.

What was the significance of Bloody Sunday in November 1920?

It demonstrated the brutality of the conflict and increased public outrage towards British security forces.

What was the Government of Ireland Act 1920?

An Act which created separate parliaments for Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, attempting to establish Home Rule in both areas while keeping them within the United Kingdom.

What was partition in Ireland?

The division of Ireland into Northern Ireland, consisting of six counties, and Southern Ireland, consisting of the remaining 26 counties, under the Government of Ireland Act 1920.

Why was partition introduced in Ireland?

Unionist opposition to Irish independence was particularly strong in Ulster. Partition was intended to accommodate unionists who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.

What happened to Southern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920?

It was intended to receive its own parliament, but the arrangement was rejected by Irish republicans, who wanted independence rather than limited Home Rule.

What was the Anglo-Irish Truce?

An agreement between the British government and the IRA which brought the fighting in the War of Independence to an end on 11 July 1921.

When did the Anglo-Irish Truce begin?

11 July 1921.

Why did the British government agree to a truce in 1921?

The cost of the conflict, growing criticism of British reprisals and the difficulty of defeating the IRA encouraged the government to negotiate.

Why did the IRA agree to a truce in 1921?

The IRA faced shortages of weapons and resources, while negotiations offered an opportunity to secure political independence.

Who negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty for Ireland?

Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith led the Irish delegation, sent by Éamon de Valera to negotiate with the British government.

Who negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty for Britain?

The British delegation was led by Prime Minister David Lloyd George and included leading British politicians such as Winston Churchill.

When was the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed?

6 December 1921.

What was the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

An agreement signed in December 1921 which established the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the British Empire and brought the War of Independence to an end.

What was the Irish Free State?

A self-governing dominion established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, consisting of 26 counties of Ireland.

What was the main term of the Anglo-Irish Treaty regarding Ireland's status?

The 26 counties would become the Irish Free State, with dominion status similar to Canada, rather than an independent republic.

What was dominion status?

A form of self-government within the British Empire, allowing a country to govern its own domestic affairs while recognising the British monarch and maintaining constitutional links with Britain.

What oath did the Anglo-Irish Treaty require Irish parliamentarians to take?

An Oath of Allegiance to the Irish Free State's constitution and an Oath of Fidelity to King George V as head of the Commonwealth.

What did the Anglo-Irish Treaty say about Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland was allowed to opt out of the Irish Free State and remain part of the United Kingdom. It chose to do so.

What was the Boundary Commission under the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

A commission intended to review the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State, potentially adjusting it according to the wishes of local populations.

What happened to British military bases under the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

Britain retained control of certain naval ports, known as the Treaty Ports, which limited Irish control over its own defence.

What were the Treaty Ports?

Important naval bases at Berehaven, Queenstown (now Cobh) and Lough Swilly which Britain retained under the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Why was the Anglo-Irish Treaty controversial among Irish nationalists?

Many believed it failed to achieve full independence because Ireland remained within the British Empire, had to recognise the Crown and accepted partition.

Who supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith supported it because they believed dominion status was a major step towards independence and offered the best achievable settlement.

Who opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

Éamon de Valera and other anti-Treaty republicans opposed it because they wanted a fully independent Irish republic without an oath of allegiance to the British monarch.

What was the result of the Dáil vote on the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

The Treaty was approved on 7 January 1922 by 64 votes to 57, exposing a major division within the Irish nationalist movement.

What happened to Michael Collins after the Treaty was signed?

He became chairman of the Provisional Government and supported implementing the Treaty, but was killed by anti-Treaty forces in August 1922 during the Irish Civil War.

What was the overall significance of the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

It ended the War of Independence and created the Irish Free State, but it divided Irish nationalists and led to the Irish Civil War in 1922.