British Culture - User contributions [en]

Government of Ireland Act

2012-01-02T13:55:10Z

SarahG:

The Government of Ireland Act from the year 1920 (also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill) was an act by the British Parliament which separated Ireland into the smaller Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. It was no act of independence since both countries were to be remained parts of the United Kingdom.
In reality, Home Rule was never introduced in the larger part of Ireland because of the Irish War of Independence that led to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922.

'''Historical Background'''

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During the 19th and 20th century Ireland tried several times to become independent from England and its parliament. These attempts were known as Home Rule and took place in the years 1886, 1893 and 1912. Each was vetoed by the House of Lords but the fourth Home Rule Bill, as the Government of Ireland Act is also referred to.
The need to separate Ireland emerged from the different developments among the Irish. Whereas the northern Irish turned more and more into Unionists who opposed Home Rule and were in favor of an union with the United Kingdom, the people in the south developed national movements that emphasized their Gaelic roots.
After the change of constitution in 1911 (Parliament Act) the House of Lords could no longer veto the pressure for Home Rule and so the Act was adopted on the 23rd of December 1920.

'''Consequences'''

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Since the Irish South had already developed its own parliament during World War I (Dáil Éireann) they did not see reason to stay connected to the United Kingdom and consequently to their parliament. However, the six counties of Northern Ireland made arrangements to meet British standards.
After the Irish War of Independence Southern Irelaind became independent in 1922 but did only gain complete sovereignty in 1937.

Sources

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Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Bonn: bpb, 2007.

http://www.britannia.com/history/nar20hist3.html

Government of Ireland Act

2012-01-02T13:53:35Z

SarahG: Created page with 'The Government of Ireland Act from the year 1920 (also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill) was an act by the British Parliament which separated Ireland into the smaller Northern …'

Sinn Féin

2011-12-07T15:58:39Z

SarahG:

''Sinn Féin'' (‘ourselves’ or ‘we ourselves’) is a left-wing political party in Ireland and it is the only party that is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith as the result of a continuing movement to unite the Irish nationalists during that time.

During the [[Easter Rising]] in 1916 ''Sinn Féin'' played a minor role and did not actively take part in the demonstrations. Yet it was connected with the Rising in the public opinion and gained more sympathy by the Irish people because of the unnecessarily violent actions of the British troops. Later that year, Éamon de Valera who took part in the Rising and survived the successive executions afterwards, took over the leadership of the party from Griffith.

In 1918, during the first elections after the universal suffrage, ''Sinn Féin'' rose to become the most important political party in Ireland. One year later, 27 of its members gathered in Dublin, not in Westminster, and claimed to be the transitory Irish Parliament (''Dáil Eireann'') with de Valera as president. With this act, the separation of Ireland was inevitable.

In the following [[Anglo-Irish War]] (1919-1921) Sinn Féin sided with the Irish Republican Army ([[IRA]]) and became divided in the ensuing debates over the Anglo-Irish Treaty that ended the war. Éamon de Valera and his fellow anti-treaty members left the party and founded a new one, the ''Fianna Fáil'', in 1926. They did not want to pledge the oath of allegiance to England and remain a dominion of the Empire but were in favor of a completely independent Irish state.

Even though this split meant a huge loss of votes for ''Sinn Féin'', the party exists until today. Currently, it is the second largest party in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and the fourth largest party in the ''Dáil Eireann'' in the Republic of Ireland.

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'''Sources'''

Maurer, Michael. ''Kleine Geschichte Englands''. Bonn: bpb, 2007.

Sturm, Roland. "Vier Nationen im United Kingdom." ''Länderbericht Großbritannien.'' Ed. H. Kastendiek / R. Sturm. Bonn: bpb, 2006.

Sinn Féin

2011-12-07T15:49:35Z

SarahG: Created page with '''Sinn Féin'' (‘ourselves’ or ‘we ourselves’) is a left-wing political party in Ireland and it is the only party that is active in both the Republic of Ireland and North…'

''Sinn Féin'' (‘ourselves’ or ‘we ourselves’) is a left-wing political party in Ireland and it is the only party that is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith as the result of a continuing movement to unite the Irish nationalists during that time.

During the Easter Rising in 1916 ''Sinn Féin'' played a minor role and did not actively take part in the demonstrations. Yet it was connected with the Rising in the public opinion and gained more sympathy by the Irish people because of the unnecessarily violent actions of the British troops. Later that year, Éamon de Valera who took part in the Rising and survived the successive executions afterwards, took over the leadership of the party from Griffith.

In 1918, during the first elections after the universal suffrage, ''Sinn Féin'' rose to become the most important political party in Ireland. One year later, 27 of its members gathered in Dublin, not in Westminster, and claimed to be the transitory Irish Parliament (''Dáil Eireann'') with de Valera as president. With this act, the separation of Ireland was inevitable.

In the following Anglo-Irish War (1919-1921) Sinn Féin sided with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and became divided in the ensuing debates over the Anglo-Irish Treaty that ended the war. Éamon de Valera and his fellow anti-treaty members left the party and founded a new one, the ''Fianna Fáil'', in 1926. They did not want to pledge the oath of allegiance to England and remain a dominion of the Empire but were in favor of a completely independent Irish state.

Even though this split meant a huge loss of votes for ''Sinn Féin'', the party exists until today. Currently, it is the second largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth largest party in the ''Dáil Eireann'' in the Republic of Ireland.

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'''Sources'''

Maurer, Michael. ''Kleine Geschichte Englands''. Bonn: bpb, 2007.

Sturm, Roland. "Vier Nationen im United Kingdom." ''Länderbericht Großbritannien.'' Ed. H. Kastendiek / R. Sturm. Bonn: bpb, 2006.