"Symbol or Substance: An Evaluation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921" by Maryann Valiulis
 

Date of Award

4-1971

Degree Type

Master's Essay - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Thomas E. Hachey

Abstract

The course of Irish nationalism runs with a sure and steady rhythm, alternating the loud harsh beat of physical force with the quiet softer note of constitutional ism. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 represents the political symphony, the culmination of the union of these two opposing patterns. It is to Daniel O'Connell, early in the nineteenth century, that one could attribute the shaping, the molding of the Irish Catholic peasant into a politically conscious, self-respecting body, with a definite sense of pride in their nationality. "The Liberator's" method was constitutional agitation, and, while achieving some notable gains, like Catholic Emancipation, his failure to deliver the promised "Repeal of the Union" and his refusal to contenance the use of force, occasioned a major split in Irish nationalism. First Young Ireland and later the Irish Republican Brotherhood adopted tactics which included a more violent means of persuasion. Yet, like their predecessor, they failed to fulfill their stated aims, in terms of concrete achievements. The abortive revolutions of 1848 and 1867 swung the pendulum back across the Irish Sea, and Westminster once again occupied the focal point of Irish agitation. It was the era of the Home Rule movement with the Irish Parliamentary Party, under the leadership of men like Butt, Parnell, and Redmond, as the principal political force.

Comments

An Essay Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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