The partition of Ireland in 1921 divided the island into two entities: Northern Ireland, which remained part of the United Kingdom, and Southern Ireland, which later became the independent Republic of Ireland.
The partition of Ireland took place in 1921, following the passage of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 by the British Parliament. This act established two separate jurisdictions on the island: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. The partition was a response to the complex and often contentious relationship between the predominantly Protestant Unionists, who were concentrated in the north and wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the mostly Catholic Nationalists, who sought independence for all of Ireland.
Partition of Ireland Background
Ireland had been under English, and later British, rule for centuries, but by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, demands for Irish self-governance (Home Rule) were growing. The Home Rule movement sought to establish a devolved government for Ireland within the United Kingdom. However, this idea was fiercely opposed by Unionists in the northern counties, especially in Ulster, who feared that a Catholic-majority parliament in Dublin would discriminate against them.
The aftermath of Partition
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 attempted to address these concerns by creating two separate parliaments: one in Belfast for Northern Ireland and another in Dublin for Southern Ireland. Northern Ireland, with its six counties, remained part of the United Kingdom, while the 26 counties of the south gained independence. The border between the two was largely based on religious and political demographics, though it left significant Nationalist minorities within Northern Ireland, which led to ongoing tensions.
From the middle of 1920 onwards, sectarian violence had been escalating within the north. The new paramilitary police force The Ulster Special Constabulary had been formed by recruitment of members of the UVF and this force aided and abetted the attacks upon Catholics and their properties. Many Catholics living in Protestant-dominated areas were driven from their homes and Catholic workers out of their jobs. Hundreds of lives were lost, particularly in Belfast.
Southern Ireland never functioned as intended, as the Irish War of Independence was ongoing at the time. This conflict ended in 1921 with the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which led to the creation of the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland) in the south, effectively making the partition permanent.
The new government of Northern Ireland
The new Belfast government was set up with a senate of 26 individuals, one of whom would be the Lord Mayor of Belfast and the Mayor of Derry. The other 24 would be elected by the members of the House of Commons. The House of Commons was to be elected by proportional representation.
Northern Ireland would also be allowed to elect 13 MPs to Westminster. The Westminster parliament would still retain the power to over-rule any laws created by the Northern Ireland Parliament. Taxation, foreign policy, and defense were to remain with Westminster.
Elections for the new parliament were held on May 1921 and out of 52 seats the unionists secured 40 whilst Sinn Féin and the Home Rule Party had 6 each.
The eruption of violence
The Catholics trapped within the new state were bitter and reacted by either refusing to participate with the running of it or acting violently against it. When the peace treaty was signed between Britain and the Sinn Féin negotiating party in November the violence escalated.
IRA units operated across the borders of the new state, unionists retaliated by increasing their attacks on Catholic enclaves. In order to bring the violence to an end, the new Government introduced severe measures which were heavily anti-Catholic, in 1922 they introduced the Special Powers Act allowing it to arrest and detain people without trial. It also gave the government the power to call curfew. In return, Michael Collins made weapons available to IRA units operating in the north.
Catholics felt that the new state held nothing for them so they reacted by ignoring it. Elected MPs would refuse to take their seats in the parliament, and when the RIC was finally replaced by the RUC, Catholics refused to join or help the new police force. Even Catholic teachers would not recognize the Northern Ireland Education authority taking their pay from the Dáil Éireann of the Irish State instead.
So whilst the Protestants of Northern Ireland had the satisfaction that they still remained part of the United Kingdom, they were left with the uneasy knowledge that not only did one-third of the population oppose their state but its nearest neighbour was also hoping to see it collapse.
The Troubles
The partition did not resolve the underlying issues between British Unionists and Irish Nationalists. Tensions eventually erupted after Civil Rights marches came under attack by Unionists and two Catholics civilians were murdered by the police force that ultimately led to the Battle of the Bogside in 1969.In response to the violence the British Government responded by invoking Operation Banner, the deployment of British troops to Northern Ireland resulting in a fierce +30 year conflict known as "The Troubles."
The Peace Process
The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a significant step in the peace process, establishing a devolved government for Northern Ireland and laying the groundwork for cooperation between the North and the Republic of Ireland. While the border remains a sensitive issue, especially in the context of Brexit, the agreement has largely brought an end to the violence.
Sources
Madden, FJM. The History of Ireland. Teach Yourself Books. Oxford. 2007 publication.
Foster, RF. Modern Ireland 1600-1972. Penguin Books. London. 1988 edition.
Bardon, J. A History of Ulster. The Blackstaff Press. Belfast. 2005 edition.
Kee, R. The Green Flag. A History of Irish Nationalism. Penguin Books. 1972.
