Ireland as a Major Political Problem for Britain

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the problematic relationship between Britain and Ireland during the late 19th and early 20th century. The paper provides an historical overview of the root causes of the tensions which erupted in civil war in the early 20th century. The paper begins with the religious conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism. The author also explores the impact of the Reformation and of the potato famine. Throughout the paper, the author maintains that the breaking point was reached not due to one event, but to a centuries-long series of animosities, bad policies, overreactions, strategic blunders and natural disasters. The paper is well-cited and provides historical proof of its theses.

From the Paper:

"There being so many mingled motivations for problems between Ireland and Britain, one might start looking at any of them and eventually see how they are related to the others. But starting near the "beginning" also has its attractions. To begin with, Ireland was Christian before what became England was. Ireland's conversion from paganism began in the early fifth century, whereas the conversion of the inhabitants of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that later became England didn't begin until the late sixth and early seventh centuries. It should be noted that the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons was directly from Rome, which sent Augustine the Monk to convert the pagans to the Roman Church. This was done, in part, because of fears by Roman Catholic Pope Gregory I (the Great) that the Irish Christians, who were not then under the direct control of Rome, would accomplish the conversion of England and thus keep it out of the Roman orbit. While Augustine was establishing the first Catholic church at Canterbury, Celtic Christian missionaries from Ireland were at work converting areas of northern England. It took a synod of English Churchmen in 664 to decide that all of England would adhere to the teachings of the Latin Church. Concerns about the Irish and their culture antedate by many centuries the Irish issue becoming a matter of Catholics versus Protestants. In the beginning, it was Irish Christians against Catholics (Cantor 175)."

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