The Irish Home Rule Crisis (1900-1924): How did different groups
contribute to the crisis?
1. Asquith and the Liberals
2. Bonar Law and the Conservatives
3. Carson and the Ulster Unionists
4. Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP)
Asquith and the Liberals
Vulnerable Position
● When the Liberal Party came into power in 1906, they immediately
began to antagonise the Conservative Party.
● For example, the Conservatives strongly opposed the 1909 People’s
Budget.
● Antagonising the Conservatives was a risky decision at this stage. The
Conservatives had won the same number of seats (272) as the Liberals
in the December 1910 election. The growth in Conservative power
means that the Liberals should have been more willing to compromise.
Parliament Bill
● The 1911 Parliament Bill also deeply antagonised the Conservatives by
attacking the power that the party held in the House of Lords.
● This increased the accusations that Asquith had made a “corrupt
parliamentary bargain” with the IPP, heightening tension and making
conflict more likely.
● The 1911 Parliament Bill led to an increase in extra-parliamentary
pressure and militarism amongst Ulster Unionists, as a great political
outlet had been severely weakened. Prior to 1911, Unionists had been
willing to confine their methods to the “parliamentary arena” (Fanning),
but this was no longer the case.
, Lack of Focus on Ulster
● The Government of Ireland Bill (introduced on 11th April 1912) made no
mention of special considerations for Ulster.
● The Primrose Committee had been established in January 1911 to
consider potential issues with Home Rule. However, Ulster was not
discussed until 13 months later, at a cabinet meeting on 6th February
1912. Up until this point, Churchill had been distracted by naval
expansion and Lloyd George had been preoccupied with the national
insurance scheme. However, both men proposed some form of Ulster
exclusion at this cabinet meeting. It can be argued that Asquith made a
great mistake in not discussing an Ulster compromise further at this
stage (as he instead adopted a “wait and see” policy). Asquith preferred
to wait for the opponents of Home Rule to suggest alternatives. This
allowed opponents of the Liberal Party to seize the initiative.
● Asquith was ignoring the substantial opposition to Home Rule seen in
Ulster in 1886 and 1893.
● Asquith dismissed Ulster Unionists as an “irreconcilable minority”,
ignoring the fact that Unionists had a slight majority in the province of
Ulster (17/33 seats).
Birrell
● The Liberal government was “poorly served” (Rees) by Birrell (the Chief
Secretary for Ireland) during this period.
● Distracted by his terminally ill wife, Birell lacked the dedication needed
to avoid a wider conflict.
● Birrell suspected that Ulster would be a significant obstacle to achieving
Home Rule, but failed to highlight this problem to the rest of the cabinet
until after the vital cabinet meeting that met on 6th February 1912.
Agar-Robartes Amendment
contribute to the crisis?
1. Asquith and the Liberals
2. Bonar Law and the Conservatives
3. Carson and the Ulster Unionists
4. Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP)
Asquith and the Liberals
Vulnerable Position
● When the Liberal Party came into power in 1906, they immediately
began to antagonise the Conservative Party.
● For example, the Conservatives strongly opposed the 1909 People’s
Budget.
● Antagonising the Conservatives was a risky decision at this stage. The
Conservatives had won the same number of seats (272) as the Liberals
in the December 1910 election. The growth in Conservative power
means that the Liberals should have been more willing to compromise.
Parliament Bill
● The 1911 Parliament Bill also deeply antagonised the Conservatives by
attacking the power that the party held in the House of Lords.
● This increased the accusations that Asquith had made a “corrupt
parliamentary bargain” with the IPP, heightening tension and making
conflict more likely.
● The 1911 Parliament Bill led to an increase in extra-parliamentary
pressure and militarism amongst Ulster Unionists, as a great political
outlet had been severely weakened. Prior to 1911, Unionists had been
willing to confine their methods to the “parliamentary arena” (Fanning),
but this was no longer the case.
, Lack of Focus on Ulster
● The Government of Ireland Bill (introduced on 11th April 1912) made no
mention of special considerations for Ulster.
● The Primrose Committee had been established in January 1911 to
consider potential issues with Home Rule. However, Ulster was not
discussed until 13 months later, at a cabinet meeting on 6th February
1912. Up until this point, Churchill had been distracted by naval
expansion and Lloyd George had been preoccupied with the national
insurance scheme. However, both men proposed some form of Ulster
exclusion at this cabinet meeting. It can be argued that Asquith made a
great mistake in not discussing an Ulster compromise further at this
stage (as he instead adopted a “wait and see” policy). Asquith preferred
to wait for the opponents of Home Rule to suggest alternatives. This
allowed opponents of the Liberal Party to seize the initiative.
● Asquith was ignoring the substantial opposition to Home Rule seen in
Ulster in 1886 and 1893.
● Asquith dismissed Ulster Unionists as an “irreconcilable minority”,
ignoring the fact that Unionists had a slight majority in the province of
Ulster (17/33 seats).
Birrell
● The Liberal government was “poorly served” (Rees) by Birrell (the Chief
Secretary for Ireland) during this period.
● Distracted by his terminally ill wife, Birell lacked the dedication needed
to avoid a wider conflict.
● Birrell suspected that Ulster would be a significant obstacle to achieving
Home Rule, but failed to highlight this problem to the rest of the cabinet
until after the vital cabinet meeting that met on 6th February 1912.
Agar-Robartes Amendment
