Britain in Ireland - from the Act of Union to the Irish Free State.
The Act of Union passed by the British parliament in January 1801 was intended to solve "the Irish question" once and for all but failed, largely because of British backtracking on promises of Catholic emancipation. We'll look at the context of Anglo-Norman, English and British attempts to subjugate Ireland in previous centuries and how close some rebellions in Ireland came to overthrowing English/British control. We’ll also look at events in the 19th century following the enactment of the Act of Union, particularly Daniel O’Connell’s campaign to achieve Catholic representation at Westminster; the rise of revolutionary groups during and after the Great Famine, which hardened attitudes in Ireland because of the British response to it; Gladstone’s plans for Home Rule; and the growth of peaceful Irish nationalism and a revival of Irish culture at the turn of the 20th century. We’ll see how British reaction to the Easter Rising of 1916 ended support in Ireland for Home Rule and the War of Independence followed. The Treaty to end this war, the result of a meeting in London between the British government and Irish representatives, led to the Irish Civil War, tearing communities and families apart. We'll see how Eamon de Valera, one of the main opponents of the Treaty, eventually came to dominate Irish politics and oversaw the adoption of a new constitution in 1937, effectively creating an Irish republic and largely bringing to an end British involvement in southern Ireland.