GRADE OBTAINED AT AS LEVEL - C Ireland had long been a problem for British governments. The failure of the Home Rule Bills under Gladstone worsened the problem. The thought of a Home Rule Bill and independence for Ireland divided the Irish population as well as the Liberal Government. Why did the Government have so many problems with Ireland? The Irish Nationalists wanted Home Rule, whereas the Unionists (mainly in Ulster but also in Southern Ireland) wanted to remain united with Britain. There were a few reasons why: They believed that a separation from Britain would be a ‘dismemberment of the British Isles’. The Unionists in Ulster (who were mainly Protestants) rejected Home Rule, as they believed it would lead to Catholic rule and majority. If the Bill was passed, those in Ulster felt that the economy would suffer. Ulster was more economically advanced than the rest of Ireland as they had an industrial economy. They relied on areas of Britain such as Liverpool for the shipbuilding industry (to keep employment high). The rest of Ireland was more of an agrarian economy. The Conservatives, who believed that if the Irish had independence then some of the British might want independence in other territories of Britain, also supported the Unionists. Realistically, there was little chance of the Home Rule Bills being passed because there was an in-built Conservative and Unionist majority in the House of Lords. Due to the hatred of the Home Rule Bills by these groups, many riots were caused in Belfast in 1886. Also the 1916 Easter Rising killed 450. At this time, the Irish believed that the British Government was too harsh on its leaders: beating, torturing or killing them; whilst the Irish men were fighting in World War I for Britain. This made the Irish, who had previously not thought about Nationalism before, feel sorry for them. This made the Nationalists more popular but add...
