Leaving Cert History

1. The Treaty Negotiations

2. New Title: The treaty negotiations
Keywords
• Anglo-Irish treaty
• Dominion Status
• Boundary Commission
• Plenipotentiary
• External association
• British commonwealth
• Oath of Allegiance

3. 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

4. Choosing the Irish Delegation
• When choosing the delegation, DeValera
shocked his cabinet by refusing to lead the
negotiations

5. 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

6. War of Independence into Treaty
https://youtu.be/vV2gzXhz8o8?t=853

7. 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

8. 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

9. • 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

10. • 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. • 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

18. Video Clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeKm4LoAAiU

19. 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

21. Mind Map: What was signed?
Treaty
Negotiations
1921

22. 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

23. 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

24. • 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