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The Treaty Negotiations
New Title: The treaty negotiationsKeywords• Anglo-Irish treaty• Dominion Status• Boundary Commission• Plenipotentiary• External association• British commonwealth• Oath of Allegiance
Early negotiations Aug-Sept 1921• A truce had been agreed in July• Letters were exchanged between DeValera and
Lloyd George in August and September • Central problem remained: Irish wanting full
independence – British wanting Ireland to remain within the empire.
• DeValera wanted complete independence, Britain offered ‘Dominion status’ similar to what Austrailia and Canada already had
Choosing the Irish Delegation
• When choosing the delegation, DeValera shocked his cabinet by refusing to lead the negotiations
Was DeValera right not to go?No:• He was the most experienced
politician and had already been in London
• He compromise was inevitable and so did not want to take responsibility for not achieving complete independence
Yes:• He could influence hard-line
republicans better while in Ireland
• Delegate would have to refer back to him before signing any treaty and therefore give them time to think
War of Independence into Treaty
https://youtu.be/vV2gzXhz8o8?t=853
Negotiations Teams The Irish:Passionate but 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
The British: All were very experienced politicians and negotiators• Lloyd George
(Prime Minster)• Winston Churchill, • Lord Birkenhead• Austen Chamberlain
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 • They were given verbal instructions (not written
down) that suggested that they should refer back to the Dail (and DeValera) before any decisions were made
• Lloyd George invites 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 inevitable
• Also could be argued that DeValera didn’t attend as he knew a compromise would be unpopular
Negotiations Begin
• The British team was determined to make Sinn Féin accept Crown and Empire
• The British had ‘home advantage’ as negotiations took place in London. This gave a certain psychological advantage to them
• The Irish delegation were later accused of being ‘wined & dined’ by the British and charmed into agreeing a deal
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 the border with Northern Ireland would be redrawn later
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 by the British
Issues of Contention:
1. Sovereignty – Sinn Féin wanted complete independence, but DeValera had already recognised how this would be politically impossible for Britain and had therefore developed the concept of ‘External Association’.2. Partition – As the Government of Ireland Act (1920) had already established the Northern Ireland State, this issue would be ‘off the table’ as far as the British Government was concerned.3. Allegiance – Whatever the degree of separation that came about by the end of the Treaty negotiations, Britain was determined that Ireland remain within the sphere of British influence & the British Commonwealth. An oath of allegiance was the best way of doing this.
Why did the British want these things? • They feared that Ireland could be used by an enemy to
attack Britain in the future. (Were they right? Nazis?)• 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 (Like Churchill)• They wanted to protect the Ulster unionists
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 and we inexperienced negotiators
• This frustrated the British
The Negotiations • Dragged on for two months• Eventually, 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 6 counties to the South
• It would meet after negotiations to redraw the border between North and South
The Negotiations
Video Clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeKm4LoAAiU
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 at 2am on December 6th 1921
Mind Map: What was signed?
Treaty Negotiations
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owle-LyXWYg
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.
• The anti-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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl66ixAXm_A