“The leadership of Irish nationalists was the main reason for their
success between 1800 and 1850”- How far do you agree with this
proposition?
The Irish nationalists achieved a lot between 1800 and 1840, including
Catholic Emancipation (CE), with the aid of exceptional leadership. This was
the most important factor, although the Catholic Church (RC Church),
weaknesses of the British Government, and the role of mass support were
also very important.
Grattan’s leadership of the Patriots birthed constitutional nationalism in
the nineteenth century. He worked closely with the Catholic Committee, which
closed in 1803 after failing to extend its support beyond the upper- and
middle- classes. As a result, Grattan failed to achieve an independent
government in Dublin. However, his great leadership and oratory skills had
some success, as they later inspired Daniel O’Connell.
O’Connell used his background as a lawyer to develop speeches which
gained the support of the masses, building a rapport with Irish peasants at
mass open-air meetings. This allowed him to gain support for CE and earned
him the name “The Deliverer”. O’Connell’s leadership was essential in the
formation of the Catholic Association in 1823, which aimed to expand the
nationalist support base. He succeeded in doing so with the introduction of the
Catholic Rent (one penny / month membership of the Association), which
allowed peasants to support the emancipation movement. He collected
£35,000 of this rent from 1826 to 1829, allowing him to fund the campaign. In
this way, O’Connell’s leadership was fundamental as it allowed Irish Catholic
nationalists to be more aware of their “rights and also their numerical strength”
(Rees). After the failure of the emancipation bill of 1821, O’Connell
commented “twenty years have passed away and still we are slaves”. This
inspired him to push for emancipation at the 1826 general election, where he
, encouraged the forty shilling freeholders to oppose their landlords. As a result
of his persuasive leadership, four pro-emancipation candidates were returned.
Perhaps the greatest show of O’Connell’s leadership was when he stood
against Fitzgerald in the 1828 County Clare byelection, where he won the seat
(2057 votes to 982 votes). He would be unable to take his seat in the House of
Commons until CE had been secured. O’Connell expertly used a policy of
brinkmanship to threaten civil unrest if CE were not delivered, forcing Peel and
Wellington to introduce the Act. This was why O’Connell’s leadership was vital
for nationalist success as it led to the 1829 Roman Catholic Emancipation Act,
which granted virtually complete civil and political rights to Catholics. However,
it should also be noticed that their bill had some failures, as it raised the
suffrage qualification from 40 shillings to £10 per household, reducing the Irish
electorate to a sixth of its original size. Despite this, the bill earned O’Connell
the title of “The Liberator” and he declared a “bloodless revolution” (O’Connell)
had occurred.
However, O’Connell’s leadership was not the only reason that the
nationalists had success with CE. For example, O’Connell faced a weak
British government which had changed Prime Minister three times from 1827
to 1829, making it more difficult to oppose the nationalists. Furthermore, it is
unlikely that O’Connell would have succeeded without previously existing
support from Westminster, especially from the pro-Emancipation Whigs. The
House of Commons had already passed an emancipation bill in 1826, and
now the House of Lords supported the 1829 Bill with a majority of 2:1.
Additionally, the Catholic Association represented seven million Irishmen, so
O’Connell had the weight of popular opinion behind him. The Catholic Church
was also essential in supporting O’Connell’s campaign for CE, as parish
priests spread the Liberator’s message and helped to collect the Catholic
Rent, collecting £20,000 within the first nine months. Combined with their
support for pro-emancipation candidates during elections, this greatly helped
success between 1800 and 1850”- How far do you agree with this
proposition?
The Irish nationalists achieved a lot between 1800 and 1840, including
Catholic Emancipation (CE), with the aid of exceptional leadership. This was
the most important factor, although the Catholic Church (RC Church),
weaknesses of the British Government, and the role of mass support were
also very important.
Grattan’s leadership of the Patriots birthed constitutional nationalism in
the nineteenth century. He worked closely with the Catholic Committee, which
closed in 1803 after failing to extend its support beyond the upper- and
middle- classes. As a result, Grattan failed to achieve an independent
government in Dublin. However, his great leadership and oratory skills had
some success, as they later inspired Daniel O’Connell.
O’Connell used his background as a lawyer to develop speeches which
gained the support of the masses, building a rapport with Irish peasants at
mass open-air meetings. This allowed him to gain support for CE and earned
him the name “The Deliverer”. O’Connell’s leadership was essential in the
formation of the Catholic Association in 1823, which aimed to expand the
nationalist support base. He succeeded in doing so with the introduction of the
Catholic Rent (one penny / month membership of the Association), which
allowed peasants to support the emancipation movement. He collected
£35,000 of this rent from 1826 to 1829, allowing him to fund the campaign. In
this way, O’Connell’s leadership was fundamental as it allowed Irish Catholic
nationalists to be more aware of their “rights and also their numerical strength”
(Rees). After the failure of the emancipation bill of 1821, O’Connell
commented “twenty years have passed away and still we are slaves”. This
inspired him to push for emancipation at the 1826 general election, where he
, encouraged the forty shilling freeholders to oppose their landlords. As a result
of his persuasive leadership, four pro-emancipation candidates were returned.
Perhaps the greatest show of O’Connell’s leadership was when he stood
against Fitzgerald in the 1828 County Clare byelection, where he won the seat
(2057 votes to 982 votes). He would be unable to take his seat in the House of
Commons until CE had been secured. O’Connell expertly used a policy of
brinkmanship to threaten civil unrest if CE were not delivered, forcing Peel and
Wellington to introduce the Act. This was why O’Connell’s leadership was vital
for nationalist success as it led to the 1829 Roman Catholic Emancipation Act,
which granted virtually complete civil and political rights to Catholics. However,
it should also be noticed that their bill had some failures, as it raised the
suffrage qualification from 40 shillings to £10 per household, reducing the Irish
electorate to a sixth of its original size. Despite this, the bill earned O’Connell
the title of “The Liberator” and he declared a “bloodless revolution” (O’Connell)
had occurred.
However, O’Connell’s leadership was not the only reason that the
nationalists had success with CE. For example, O’Connell faced a weak
British government which had changed Prime Minister three times from 1827
to 1829, making it more difficult to oppose the nationalists. Furthermore, it is
unlikely that O’Connell would have succeeded without previously existing
support from Westminster, especially from the pro-Emancipation Whigs. The
House of Commons had already passed an emancipation bill in 1826, and
now the House of Lords supported the 1829 Bill with a majority of 2:1.
Additionally, the Catholic Association represented seven million Irishmen, so
O’Connell had the weight of popular opinion behind him. The Catholic Church
was also essential in supporting O’Connell’s campaign for CE, as parish
priests spread the Liberator’s message and helped to collect the Catholic
Rent, collecting £20,000 within the first nine months. Combined with their
support for pro-emancipation candidates during elections, this greatly helped
