Anglo-Irish Treaty Negotiations 1921
17th October – 6th December 1921
The issues central to the controversy of the negotiations, both personal and political, can be listed as follows:
- Choice of Delegates
- Powers of the Sinn Fein Plenipotentiaries
- ‘External Association’ v. ‘Dominion Status’
- Partition
- Role of Dail Eireann
Anglo-Irish Treaty PowerPoint: [gview file=”http://www.historyvault.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Anglo-–-Irish-Treaty-2014.ppt”]
Context:
With the offer of a truce & negotiations accepted by Sinn Féin & Dáil Eireann, an official ceasefire began on 11th of July 1921. Now both Dáil Eireann & the British Government began preparations for the negotiations to settle the conflict.
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.
Delegations for Negotiation
17th October – 6th December 1921
Sinn Féin Delegation ————————————- British Delegation
Arthur Griffith Lloyd George
Michael Collins Winston Churchill
Robert Barton Austen Chamberlain
Erskine Childers Lord Birkenhead
Issues & Path of Negotiations
‘Draft Treaty A’
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