Chapter Ulster Unionism, Nationalist Rebellion and the Irish Free State of Irish Politics - Study Guide by History

Nationalists or Unionists. The former because the settlement meant remaining within the United Kingdom, and the latter over Home Rule. By 1921 the government was under huge pressure from all quarters to bring the Anglo- Irish conflict to an end - from the British Press, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Conservative and Labour politicians and Commonwealth nations. The government was also conscious of damage to Anglo-American relations. To bring peace Lloyd George had to get the agreement of both Sinn Fein and Conservative-Unionists, who both wanted different sorts of unity. Both sides felt partition to be out of the question.

However Lloyd George was determined to persuade Sinn Fein to abandon claims to the north and accept Dominion status, and the Conservative-Unionists give up the desire for British control of southern Ireland as the price for safeguarding Ulster. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 was undeniably Lloyd George's finest political achievement, revealing the deployment of his characteristic traits of bluff and persuasion, political cunning and charm in negotiation with both sides. He browbeat Collins and Griffith of Sinn Fein to accept Ulster incorporation into the Free State but with the right to secede (which of course Ulster did immediately). He made threats of total war against the nationalists. He presented Dominion status as effective independence from British rule beyond an oath of allegiance to the crown. He deceived Sinn Fein into believing the Boundary Commission would deliberately make the North's such it would be economically impossible to exit aas a separate entity (which of course it did not fulfil).

In addition, for all of its imperfections the Treaty proved a durable enough settlement providing independence for the south without forsaking the rights of the north. Lloyd George's methods of striking agreement in 1921 are indeed open to question, yet the quality of it cannot - a balance between the claims of the Irish 'nation', the rights of an Ulster minority and the interest of the Empire. In the Free State those who had struck the agreement were repudiated as Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith faced a civil war with ardent republicans who still demanded complete freedom from British rule and the right to coerce Ulster into unification. It is noteworthy that within a year of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Lloyd George was out of office, Griffith dead and Michael Collins (who reportedly said on signing the Treaty: "I am signing my own death warrant") assassinated.