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Nationalism & Unionism in Ireland

Do Economic Forces Matter?

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Nationalist Ideology: some theory

• Product of the modern industrializing world• Reaction to disruptive economic & social

change• Especially where an ethno-cultural group feels

disadvantaged• Nationalist intellectuals and ideologues

emerge• Demand political autonomy

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Overview: 19th century

• Economic changes • Demographic changes • Political changes: movement towards greater

democracy• Context: industrializing Britain; liberalizing

tendencies in the direction of mass politics

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Take five economic indicators & three time periods*

• Living standards• Handling or avoiding economic crises• Industrialization• Emigration• Economic justice

• *1800-1850; 1850-1880; 1880-1914

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Tables: Five economic indicators

• An uncontroversial choice of indicators (I think!)• Fundamental for economic well-being• Simple scoring system: bit like noughts and

crosses• Could devise a more complex scoring system but

…• Score of 1 indicates a substantial gain• Score of 0 indicates little or no improvement

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Five economic indicators, 1800-50: Nationalist Ireland (South)

• Living standards: no gain• Handling or avoiding economic crises: no gain• Industrialization: no gain• Emigration: no gain• Economic justice: no gain• OVERALL SCORE: No gains (0)• Union not working: Repealers

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Five economic indicators, 1800-50: Unionist Ireland (North)

• Living standards: no gain• Handling or avoiding economic crises: no gain• Industrialization: gain*• Emigration: no gain• Economic justice: gain• OVERALL SCORE: Two gains (+2)

*Rev Henry Cooke: look on Belfast and be a Repealer if you can

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Summary, 1800-1850

• Southern Ireland: no major gains in any of the 5 economic indicators, so no obvious economic reasons to favour the Union

• North of Ireland: some gains (though limited), so some economic reasons to favour the Union

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Five economic indicators, 1850-80: Nationalist Ireland (South)

• Living standards: gain• Handling/avoiding economic crises: no gain?• Industrialization: no gain• Emigration: no gain• Economic justice: no gain?• OVERALL SCORE: One gain (1)

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Five economic indicators, 1850-80: Unionist Ireland (North)

• Living standards: gain• Handling/avoiding economic crises: gain• Industrialization: gain• Emigration: no gain• Economic justice: gain• OVERALL SCORE: Four gains (+4)

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Summary 1850-1880

• Southern Ireland: some limited economic progress

• North of Ireland: substantial economic progress on most fronts

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Five economic indicators, 1880-1914: Nationalist Ireland (South)

• Living standards: gain• Handling/avoiding economic crises: gain• Industrialization: gain• Emigration: no gain• Economic justice: gain• OVERALL SCORE: Four gains (4)

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Five economic indicators, 1880-1914: Unionist Ireland (North)

• Living standards: gain• Handling/avoiding economic crises: gain• Industrialization: gain• Emigration: no gain• Economic justice: gain• OVERALL SCORE: Four gains (+4)

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Belfast 1911: the industrial success story

• Industrial capital of the island• Two world-class shipbuilding yards• Major engineering works: Sirocco, Mackies,

others• Internationally-renowned Linen industry• Other industries• So Ulster Unionists pro-Union?

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Summary, 1880-1914

• Southern Ireland: substantial economic gains on most fronts

• North of Ireland: maintaining economic gains

• Paradox: “last years of the Union were the most prosperous!”

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Do Economic forces matter?: Ulster Unionism

• Ireland’s only industrial city: Belfast• Based on Free Trade and World exports• Economic success group confidence• Business class: financial resources for anti-HR agitation and eventually guns• DEMOGRAPHIC implications

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POPULATION OF BELFAST, 1800-1911 ('000s)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

1800 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911

('000

)

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Population: political importance

• Numbers vital to political power in a democratizing era

• Compacting of Protestant and Unionist population of Ireland in East Ulster

• Industrialization created a critical mass of Protestants and Unionists in East Ulster

• Capable of resisting Home Rule• Underpinning all this: industrializing economy

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Do economic forces matter?: Irish nationalism

• Long litany of economic woes• No great economic progress pre-1880 - Emigration, Famine & Land War• Formative period of Irish nationalism before

1880s• False optimism: political autonomy

economic prosperity

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Conclusion• Best to see economic forces in conjunction with

political and other historical forces Eg Land War, 1879-1882: - Agricultural Depression (European-wide) - But role also of political leadership: Parnell & Davitt - in conjunction to mass mobilisation powerful Home Rule movement

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Conclusion (contd.)

• “If really pressed, my view is that, taking the long view, cultural and political forces take precedence over economic factors in the making of Irish nationalism and Ulster Unionism, even though arguments for and against the Union are often dressed up in economic terms.”

- Liam Kennedy