Full essay on “Craig had more reason to be satisfied with the outcome of the Home Rule crisis by September 1914 than Carson, Bonar Law, Asquith or Redmond.” To what extent would you accept this verdict?" Scored 20/20. A2 A level History CCEA option Partition of Ireland
“Craig had more reason to be satisfied with the outcome of the Home Rule crisis by
September 1914 than Carson, Bonar Law, Asquith or Redmond.” To what extent would
you accept this verdict?
Introduction
Craig’s primary objective was to protect Ulster, preferably 6 counties only, from the advent
of Home Rule. Carson, despite being leader of the Ulster Unionists was much more
concerned about protecting the whole of Ireland from Home Rule whilst Bonar Law’s brand
of unionism was more complex, tied to both Ulster and the rest of Ireland but also to
political opportunism. For him, the focus was as much about removing the Liberals from
power as it was about defeating Home Rule. Asquith, by contrast, was determined to deliver
Home Rule for all of Ireland without modification and to remain in government. As for
Redmond, similarly, his focus was on Home Rule being implemented for the entirety of
Ireland. As a consequence, there were successes for most but all had their ambitions
tempered by disappointment and compromise.
Craig and Ulster Unionism
-an ardent Ulster Unionist whose focus remained solely on protecting the province during
1912-14 from the imposition of Home Rule
-Buckland refers to him as a ‘masterly director of operations’
-ultimately he wanted home rule prevented for all of Ireland
-‘special treatment’ for Ulster was defined. His primary aim was to preserve the religious
and economic interests of the Ulster Unionists by keeping Ulster within the Union – his
primary interest was Ulster
-it was thanks to the ulster unionist campaign that ‘special provisions’ were promised.
-the Buckingham Palace Conference had showed that their efforts had paid off
-they had forced Liberals and Nationalists to concede on the idea of temporary exclusion
-the terms of the covenant had become reality
-craig had led the UVF, which gained arms in April 1914, he did this as he hoped it would
force Asquith to dismantle the bill or excluded ulster- both would have been an
achievement
-Ulster Unionism remained united throughout the crisis and there were very few disputes
within the group
-ulster unionism were quick to react to the prospect of Home Rule, as early as September
1911 at the mass demonstration in Craigavon which promoted extra-parliamentary means-
Bonar Law and the conservatives encouraged this
-they had the benefit of being economically prosperous, unlike the southern provinces- they
were of economic benefit to Britain
-he might have wanted to see more of Ulster excluded, only the north east counties were
the real winners- he had to leave unionists in other counties behind
Carson and Southern Unionism
-the passing of the Home Rule bill was a great disappointment for Southern Unionists
-the September 1913 Loreburn letter shows that Carson had accepted the idea of partition-
he had to learn to accept political reality and that the most he could do was to save the 6
ulster counties
-Southern Unionists felt betrayed, especially those in the 3 lost counties of Ulster
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