New Title: Documents QuestionKeywords:•Anglo-Irish treaty•Dominion Status•Boundary Commission•Plenipotentiary•External association•British commonwealth•Oath of Allegiance

Irish War of Independence• Takes place between 1919 and 1921• Rebels use guerrilla warfare to try to drive the British out

of Ireland• Very high death toll, particular of British soldiers• Eventually both sides agree to a truce which would lead

to negotiations about establishing an independent Ireland• Our case study looks at the negotiations of what

eventually becomes the Anglo-Irish treaty

Key people in negotiations:• Eamon De Valera (President of the Republic)• Michael Collins (Minister for finance)• Arthur Griffith (Minister for Foreign Affairs)• Robert Barton (Minister for Agriculture)• David Lloyd George (British Prime Minister)• Winston Churchill (Colonial Secretary)• Austen Chamberlain (Chancellor of exchequer)

Negotiations Teams The Irish:Relatively inexperienced negotiators•Michael Collins•Robert Barton•Arthur Griffith•Eamon Duggan & George Gavan Duffy (chosen because of their legal knowledge)•Erskine Childers was the Secretary•They were given plenipotentiary status but the verbal instructions were to refer home before signing

The British: All were very experienced politicians and negotiators•Lloyd George (Prime Minster)•Winston Churchill, •Lord Birkenhead•Austen Chamberlain

Early negotiations Aug-Sept 1921• Letters were exchanged between August and

September • Central problem remained: Irish wanting full

independence – British wanting Ireland to remain within the empire.

• De Valera came up with the concept of ‘external association’.

• Ireland would enjoy the freedom of an independent state but have a ‘special relationship’ with Britain

• Lloyd George invited De Valera to send a delegation to London to negotiate

• In agreeing to go, it can be argued that Sinn Fein had accepted that some form of compromise was going to be the outcome

• De Valera as ‘President of the Republic’ argued he should not attend negotiations even though he was a very able negotiator

• Some argue he didn’t attend as he knew a compromise would be unpopular

Negotiations Begin

Plenipotentiaries• This is the power given to Collins and the delegates

to sign any treaty on behalf of Ireland• The written position was that they had full powers

to come to agreement with the British • The verbal instructions suggested that they should

refer home before any decisions were made.

• The British team was determined to make Sinn Féin accept Crown and Empire

• The British public would not support a return to war to support the existing border and the Ulster unionists would not compromise anyway

• The coercion of Ulster was not an option because the Conservative Party would not agree

Strengths and Weaknesses

British terms of negotiations

There was to be free trade between Britain and Ireland.

Ireland was to grant Britain use of its air and naval facilities.

The Irish army was to be limited and the British could recruit soldiers in Ireland.

Irish politicians would have to swear an oath of allegiance to the King/Queen

A border would be created to form Northern Ireland.

Ireland would remain part of the British Empire

Irish terms of negotiations

There was to be free trade between Britain and Ireland.

A united Ireland with Dublin ruling the whole island

External association recognising Ireland’s special relationship with Britain

Be completely independent. Not even remain in the commonwealth

No oath of allegiance to Britain, it’s king or commonwealth

All ports and territory to be given up

What the British wanted? • The defence of British territory• They feared that Ireland could be used by an enemy to

attack Britain in the future.• They wanted to protect the British Empire and avoid giving

a boost to independence movements in places like India. • Lloyd George could not give too many concessions because

of the Conservatives • They wanted to protect the Ulster unionists • The British were prepared to accept a wide autonomy for

the Irish as long they accepted the King

What the Irish wanted? • The aim was a united Ireland and some loose

connection with the Empire • De Valera called it ‘external association’• The idea of an oath was unacceptable• The Irish did not have a clear strategy of how

to compromise on their aspirations

The Negotiations • Dragged on for two months• For the Irish the question of unity was vital• For the British it was Crown and Commonwealth • The Irish team had been instructed to accept ‘Free State’

for ‘Republic’ and ‘to recognise the King as head of the Commonwealth’ instead of allegiance to the Crown

• The British defence requirements were met without a problem

• For Britain the key point was the oath and Irish allegiance to the crown and dominion status

• For the British the position of external association was unacceptable

• The oath was modified to try to meet Irish sensitivities but, for ardent republicans, the symbolism remained

• The British had proposed a Boundary Commission to determine the border between Ulster and the rest of Ireland

• This would involve the transfer of large sections of the partitioned area to the South

The Negotiations

The End of Negotiations • The Irish delegation was divided • The British had become tired of Irish stalling

of the negotiations• Lloyd George then threatened war if the Irish

delegates did not agree• The delegates finally signed the Anglo-Irish

treaty on December 6th 1921

What was signed?• Ireland was to be given dominion status with a Governor-

General represent the King.• All members of the Dáil would take an oath of allegiance to

the British Crown.• The British would hold onto the “Treaty Ports” of

Berehaven, Cobh and Lough Swilly.• Boundary Commission was to be established to properly

determine the border between Northern Ireland and the Free State.

Reaction to the treaty• The treaty was debated in the Dail between19th

December and 7th of January• De Valera and the anti-treaty side saw it as a betrayal• Collins called it the “freedom to achieve freedom”• Most people in the country supported its passing and

wanted to get on with their lives after years of war

• When the vote was taken in the Dail, it was passed by 64 votes to 57 votes.

• Ant-treaty members walked out of the Dail and refused to return as long as there was a oath of allegiance

• However, anti-treaty supporters resolved to fight the implementation of the treaty

• What was to follow was the Irish civil war…