Arthur Balfour and the Irish question, 1874-1921.

341 Pages·2017·25.06 MB·English

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff MMaassssaacchhuusseettttss AAmmhheerrsstt
SScchhoollaarrWWoorrkkss@@UUMMaassss AAmmhheerrsstt
Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014
1-1-1974
AArrtthhuurr BBaallffoouurr aanndd tthhee IIrriisshh qquueessttiioonn,, 11887744--11992211..
Catherine B. Shannon
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1
RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn
Shannon, Catherine B., "Arthur Balfour and the Irish question, 1874-1921." (1974). Doctoral Dissertations
1896 - February 2014. 1339.
https://doi.org/10.7275/vw50-jm81 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/1339
This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It
has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of
ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected].

ARTHUR BALFOUR AND THE IRISH QUSSTION-
.187^^-19-^1
A Dissertiition Presented
By
Ca'tlierine Barbara Shan-nor>
Submitted to th^; Grrduato School of th-a
UniYorsi-cy rtf lu^iscftchu^ettiv in partis-.!
fulfillmen-t of th:? r'^quir:^r!^eiitG for the degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Catherine Barbara Shannon
.1 Rights Reserved, 19?5
iii
ARTHUR BALFOUR AND THE IRISH QUilSTIOri,
187^1-1921
A Dissertp.tlon
By
Catherine Barbara Sharjion
Approved as to fitylc and content by:
Ciiairii-.ar;. of C;oi;;!nittoei
Prof» r'l'anklin V/ickv/ire, ivlsiviber
lAA^i-i
Vro, i\ Kooert LiCiNeal^ Department Head
December Y-y/k-
iv
PREFACE
The central purpose of this dissertation is to trace
and analyze Arthur Balfour's response to the complicated
and controversial Irish Question during his lengthy and
distinguished political career Balfour is often reputed
«
to have made an objective, rational and realistic ^.d^ust-
ment to the dynamic forces of the modern world. His
contributions to the evolution of the British Conuncnv^ealth,
through his work on the Coirimittee of Imperial Defense and
at the imperial conferences following World V/ar I, have
led to tliiG evaluation* V/hile tMs study of Balfour and
Ireland is not pxiiiarily intended to challenge xhi?i la.uda-
tory assessments it v^'ill^ I believe, add some ucieful
perspective;^ on Balfour's ability to adapt to derrccratic
nationaiisrat cultural diversificaticn as wsXl as tlio
decline of Br.Tt5.i~h iriperialii-m* This analysis of Balfour's?
role in the Ivish ^iuostion may provide farther insights
on the Brltis;h Estabiishnont 's general attitudes to
Ireland and h<;w Ii-i^h affairs influenced Britain. Finally^
this ludy of Balfour may help explain the longevity of
the Qucf-Jtion in British politics and the violent
Jtr-'icir,
and tragic denouonent of 1919-^'1'»
Arnon.^; tiic irr.portant t-heraos that will be examined
are the impact of Balfour "s actions and idear.? on Ireland
from the late 'eighties ur).til the signing of the Anglo-
Irish Treaty in 1921. Special consideration v/ill be
directed to his motives and accomplishments as Irish Chief-
Secretary, and subsequently as Leader of the House of
Coriimons, Prime Minister* and Unionist party leader. liis
role in the critical events between I9IC and 1914 v;ill \:-q
examined in dets.il. The dis^iertaticn v;ill concludu v/ith
a description 3nd analysis of Balfour's posture when event's
in Ireland as well as v/artime and diplomatic pressures
called for empathy, imagination and bipartisan compromise
to solve the Irish imbroglio.
To the r.iany people v^hcr>e help and encouragement have
made the completion of this project possible, I express my
fiincere gratitude. Particular thanl'^s are owed to Profet":-
sors T, r^esmond Williamnp ?., Dudley iidvards, Kevin B,
Nowlar^ and the la"e ivirs* I>;aure?n Wall of University Coj.legc,
Dut^liiJ for initi?<..lly o/j':;oura;n;ing my invectigaticnr> on
Balfour and I'nionj.cm. I-iy research v/as facilitated greatly
by th? Jiind cooperation extended to me by the staffs of
the follov;ing libraries and repositories The Manuscripts
>
Divinicn cf the British Museum^ th^-i Public Record Offices
of England, Northerr. Ir^rla\]d ar.a the Hapublic of Ireland,
Plunkett House in London^ the Ka'cional Lib'-s.ry of Irol?j^d,
the Docurnents Division of 3^amcnt Library at Harvard Univer-
Bity, and the University of :vlassachusettc Library. 1 wish
to thank Professor JGov;?:h Kernon for r^orving as my
adviser and dissertation o>iairman af.^ v/ell as Professors
Franklin V/ickwire and Michael Wolff for their help, I
wish to thank those of my colleagues in the History Depart-
ment at Westfield State College v/ho have helped and
assisted nie in a variety of ways to complete ray graduate
studies. Professor Elizabeth Teall deserves special thanks
for reviving my occasionally flagging enthusiasm, I am
grateful to Mrs. Helen Ganney for typing the manuscript
and for her technical advice. Special thanks arc due to
my parents and my family for their help and enco\iragement
during the research and writings and especially for
patiently enduring whatever anrioyancos I have caui:ed tlvvr.i
in the course of this work.
vii
Arthur Balfour and the Irish Question, 18?i|-1921
December
197^1-
Catherine B. Shannon, B.A,, University of Toronto
M.A,, National University of Ireland
Directed byi Frof, Joseph M. Kernon
Arthur Balfour's parliamentary career coincided
neatly with the most dynamic and controversial eras in
modern Anglo-Irish relations. Beginning with his appoint-
ment as Irish Chief-Secretary in March 1867, Balfour
played a significant role in formulating the Irish policy
of the Unionist Party. Although the yoMr.g Chisf-Sor-rc-t.p.ry
quickly attacked rural disorder and crimes he introduced
a positive and progressive iwrte to a hitlierto negative and
repressive Irish policy. Believing that poverty and dis-
satisfaction with the dual owner-oh:. p Xarid sys':,..!i.x v/ere the
real catalysts of the Home Rule- movement, Balfour devel-
oped a policy "best 'ie;icribed as 'contrtructlvo iin.ionism
' o
The most important component of thin policy was the Ir^nd
purchase program v/hich enabled IrhSn sonants to purchase
thf-tir holdingfj with the aid of ov/-: ntrroct, long-ten.i
.1
Treasury guaranteed l?ari.-?» U'he cufuuia».iv3 effect of the
Unionist purchase program developed and encouraged by
Balfour dov/n to 190.? v;r...3 to revolutioni2^e Irish landholding
and destroy the Gcci-u. ir:'iMuence of the AngJ o- ish
viii
Ascendency. Other planks in Balfour's 'constructive
unionism' were state aid for railway construction, fishery
development, and agricultural and technical instruction.
The establishment of the Congested Districts Board under
Balfour's Land Act of I89I brought aid to the severely
depressed areas of Connaught and Western H'.unster, Balfour's
ameliorative measures were intended to inculcate in the
Irish people those values and virtues v;hich he associated
with the prosperity and progress of late Victorian England.
Self-help, thrift, sobriety, initiative and independence
of thought he believed v;ould ultimately lift the Irish
people out of poverty and bring them into the 'rrtcdern
world', Kis 'modern world* was, of course, an Anglo-Saxon
world. Although this program of social and economic con-
ciliation had some success in developing these Anglo-iSaxon
values, it did not destroy Irif'h political aspirations for
a national legislature. The domccratization of Irish local
governiTjent under Gerald Balfour in IB93 further stimulated
the Home Rule movement. It tr.ught inciependencG and pro-
vided yet another blow to the political and social monopoly
of the Protestant A*5oendency,
V/hcn. 'ffii^ 19C9--1G DuCget crisis b:x>ught ."oino RuJ.e
v'ltj?lr,. realm cf possibility, Balfour led the Unionist
Tarty in re;iectin<g any Irish ccmpromise. Alter the passage
of the Fa.rj.iamo2:,t Act in 1911» IBalfour enthui^iah^tically
joined other Unionists in attempting to uss the Ulster
issue to defeat Home Rule and precipitate a Liberal defeat.