From your reading of this chapter, you have seen how the Irish Parliamentary Party’s failure to make progress on Home Rule led to the growth of other nationalist movements. Arthur Griffith’s Sinn Féin argued that Home Rule would not give Ireland real independence. Griffith also called for protectionist tariffs to safeguard Irish industrial development.
The IRB was revived under the leadership of young, energetic members. Guided by experienced IRB men like Tom Clarke, they began to involve themselves in other political and cultural organisations to win support for their goal of an independent Irish republic. Women’s organisations also appeared, campaigning for equality and the right to vote.
The fortunes of the Irish Parliamentary Party improved when the Liberals returned to power, paving the way for the Third Home Rule Bill. However, as you will see, the successes of the Home Rule movement in the period 1886–1914 met with strong unionist resistance.
QUESTIONS
REVISION 1. Why did the idea of Home Rule go into decline in the early 1900s?
2. Describe two aims of Griffith’s Sinn Féin Party. 3. What contributed to the revival of the IRB in the early part of the 1900s?
4. What developments contributed to Irish women becoming more active in political matters during the early 1900s?
5. Which political party dominated the House of Lords? 6. Who was the British Prime Minister in 1910? 7. Who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer? 8. What was the crisis of 1910? 9. What Act was passed in 1911?
10. In which year was the Third Home Rule Bill introduced? 11. What did the Third Home Rule Bill state it would provide for Ireland?
HIGHER LEVEL 1. What contributed to the rise of new forms of nationalism in the early 1900s? 2. What events led to the introduction of the Third Home Rule Bill?
ORDINARY LEVEL 1. Write an account of how Arthur Griffith established Sinn Féin. 2. Who was responsible for the revival of the IRB in the early 20th century? 3. Describe how the Third Home Rule Bill was introduced.
